Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

August 26, 2018

Graymalkin Lane, Westchester County, New York

"Oh, I loved it." Says the professor, admiration and affection in his voice. Something Logan had missed the last months.

He watches as Xavier slides his chair around the room, a hint of pride swelling in his chest at the younger man's words.

He made sure not to change much in the main building. Despite all the renovations and all the new buildings around the campus, Graymalkin Lane remains much the same. Only a few new towers and rooms have been added. They had to do something about all the holes and walls that were destroyed in the last fight.

He takes a sip of his coffee and continues with the tour, the professor floating in his new chair beside him. It would have been a peaceful morning if it weren't for the constant sound of drills and hammers, children running through the halls to get everything ready for the first day of school.

Still, a sense of near peace fills him. It's something strange for him. Someone made for war. He still has the strange feeling in the back of his mind that something could go wrong at any moment.

The professor feels it, obviously. His chair stops at the entrance to the campus on the other side of the main building. A worried expression comes over his face and Logan has to speak before he can be dragged into another one of those light-hearted talks about what's on his mind.

"It was all Hank." he says, pointing to the big towers floating above the school, the new buildings surrounding the lake, some ready, others still finishing to be erected. Students and staff run around, or glide through the air, rushing to finish construction.

Xavier sighs, but sets it aside, busying himself with surveying the large garden. The morning sun peeks out over the uncut trees that now form a wall around the campus. The sight of students running across campus fills him with pride and affection.

"He designed everythin'." Logan continues, going down the low steps slowly, empty mug dangling from his hand. "The structures, the campus, defense systems, everythin'. He's the only one who knows how this place works." he snorts. "Unless one of those little smart ass finds a way to bypass his system."

Xavier nods, looking around. Both follow the stone path that leads to the next building, not as big as the main one, but still stunning.

"Incredible. You did all of this in less than six months."

"That's what you get with a little Shi'ar technology." Wolverine shrugs. Xavier raises an eyebrow at him, an expression that is both amused and curious. "Yeah, we have a deal with them. Nothin' else. This place still needs a tune-up. Tomorrow is the first day. And we have inspectors coming in to check everythin'." he scratches his neck, head falling forward like a tired old man. "I hope it goes well"

"And why it wouldn't?"

"Have you seen these kids? They're already driving me insane and the school year hasn't even started yet."

Xavier laughs a little at his exaggerated expression. "Well, it's to be expected from a school full of teenage mutants. How many do we have here?"

“Not as many as we had before, but there are still a lot of them, in addition to our team.” Logan responds.

They should have more. They could have had more. These hallways could be full of students, they should be.

Xavier nods once again, somewhat impressed.

"We had to add more rooms to accommodate everyone. And we still have a few more to arrive.

"And how do you plan to hold them all here?"

"I have plenty of help, Chuck. Some new faces."

Logan points to the new garden area, three large glass greenhouses raised around an impressive plantation, where some students join the teachers to finish building a wooden roof over a row of grapes.

Besides Kitty Pryde, two other new teachers are present. Or better, a new one, and another one that no one expected would come to them.

The shortest one is delicate in what she does, talking to the younger students in a delicate voice. She moves her hands, causing the water they collected to float out of their containers to water the plants. As a new member of the team, she is still hesitant to use her mutation around children.

The other, much taller and stronger, with red hair to complete her tough appearance, carries bags of dirt across the field, with at least two little children hanging on her back. Even with the laughter echoing in her ears, she doesn't let her stony expression drop.

“Salazar?” Xavier ponders, curious when he sees the redhead. An old friend. An old enemy. Logan nods, waving his hands like he wants to swat away an annoying fly.

“Yes, I know, I know. Inferno has been very useful since Utopia, you know?” He sighs deeply. He thinks for a moment, trying to find the words, and thankfully, Xavier shakes his head and smiles.

“You don't need to explain yourself, Logan. You are the headmaster, the decisions you make, I have no right to disagree.”

Logan nods. He watches the new teachers for a long moment. He expected Xavier to protest Inferno's presence, after all the trouble she caused years before. However, he knows he won't. He's right, Logan is the headmaster now. He chose to give Inferno a chance to redeem herself now.

He hopes she doesn't try anything, knowing her acidic personality and checkered past. He hopes his decisions are not wrong.

Xavier points with his chin at the second teacher, the one who controls the water. "And the other?"

"We call her Coral." Logan replied. Yes, he thinks it's a little tacky. "She joined us after Utopia and helped organize everything. The schedules, the financing, the works, she even figured out how to divide the students into dormitories. She's going to teach math to elementary school."

“Looks like you found out the hard way that running a school isn’t that easy.” Xavier smiles, continuing his walk.

Logan snorts, lumbering after the telepath. They walk further, until they stop in front of the lake. Breakstone Lake is long gone. All the constant fighting and destruction of the land has swept away the land and water. When Logan returned to Westchester a few months ago, it was nothing more than a muddy wasteland.

But there are many advantages to being a mutant, aren't there? All strange things can happen. Once again, Coral has proven herself useful with her ability to control water.

Now, in front of Logan and Xavier, another lake, twice as large, stretches into the row of trees on the other side. Around the shore, a new pier and boathouse were built. The two mutants stop to admire the water, a heavy silence settles over them.

Logan shifts impatiently from side to side, the same way he does when he tries to pretend something isn't bothering him.

"Are you sure you can't stay?" he finally asks. And he knows Xavier was already waiting for him to do so. "Apart from your sarcastic comments, I really need your help here. I... I don't know if I can do this without you. I have no idea what I got myself into." he says the last part in a low voice, his head and shoulders drooping.

Xavier turns his chair toward him, speaking in that reassuring professor's voice. Sometimes Logan hates it. That calm tone he knows can't be completely real. It makes him feel like he doesn't know any better, like he's still a little boy.

At times, Logan is angry with Xavier. This man who has already made so many mistakes, many times. But, truth be told, he thinks he needs him, especially now.

He has no idea what he's doing.

"I'm sure you don't." Xavier agrees with his thoughts. He smiles, gentle as always. "But trust me, my good boy, you don't want that old man breathing down your neck while you to run this school."

He looks out over the lake, the morning sunlight reflecting off the water. If they look deeper, they can see the lights of the underwater houses they built in the first few months of renovation.

"I always dreamed of the day when one of my students would continue our dream. Open another school. I never imagined it would be you."

Logan couldn't help but chuckle a little along with the professor. "You and me, Chuck."

"However, seeing you now, after all this path you've traveled, I'm sure you're the kind of mentor these kids need." he smiled. Then a thought pops into his head and his expression changes, not fear or anger, but concern. "Those other two are coming too, right?" he asks carefully, even so, Logan furrows his eyebrows.

"Yes. I'm not really sure how I'm going to reach them. Or if that's a good idea."

With no further advice or way to relieve the stress on his friend's face, Xavier sighs and says:

"Do what's right, boy. I can't say it's going to be easy, considering what's going on between you and their parents. But... I'm sure... you'll find a way to help them."

Some students run along the shore of the lake, laughing hysterically as they hit each other with water balloons. Once again, both old men smile at the sight.

"All of them, actually." Xavier says, turning his chair to leave the pier and go back inside the school. "I wish you all the blessings that may come your way."

"Wow, thanks, Chuck. But aren't you sure you don't have a few more million dollars to throw at me? This place has already cost me every penny I own."

"Oh, if you hope this job will make you rich, I have to warn you that it won't." Xavier man shakes his shoulders, waving to the campus full of students, flying and running across the land.

"Look, three and a half months and you haven't even blown this place up."

"It is still early. Let's give these lil' demons a few more hours."

"You'd better keep the number of some debris removal company close at hand."

The thought sends a sick feeling to Logan's stomach. Despite being true. He's seen these kids wreak more havoc on their own than all of the Avengers put together. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but he wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

It's close to noon when they finish their tour and head back to the main building. Doop types tediously on his keyboard, floating over the reception desk. The sound of drills is far from ceasing and Logan feels it is already ingrained in his mind by this point.

"Any other good advice?" he asks as he walks through the main courtyard, leading Xavier to the car that will take him back to Utopia.

"You're the headmaster now, Logan. Better accept that you're never going to be "cool" to any of your kids again." Xavier says with a mischievous smile, getting into the car. "And you haven't even started to lose your hair yet."

Logan closes the door, a little harder than necessary, but the professor still chuckles as he sticks his head out the window.

"Look, I still have time to change my mind and buy a nice one-way ticket to far away."

He waves quickly and watches the car disappear through the main gate and into the trees of the forest.

August 27, 2018

Headmaster Logan's office, main building of the school

First day of class. First day as headmaster.

Logan feels nervous for the first time in nearly two hundred years of his life. More nervous than all the times he almost got married. If at all possible.

He never went to school, not even as a child. Unless he counts the private tutors. Or the wolves that raised him, or the mercenaries, or thieves, or all the people of a dubious nature he's come across over the years. He never took care of many children either. Not even his own.

But he has to admit that the ones he cared for ended up doing much better than he did. He certainly wasn't qualified to teach anything that didn't involve the shedding of blood. He was always been a soldier, and always have been ready to die, years before his claws showed up for the first time. He doesn't know anything else than killing and fighting. He doesn't know what he just put himself into.

Taking care of these kids is not going to fix anything. Or clean his hands, not even a bit, he's aware of that. But if there's a chance that he can do something right, better than anything he ever did, to help these kids have a better chance than he did. Then he's going to use it.

Xavier saved him. The X-men saved him. In more ways than he can explain. If he can do the same for these kids... then hell be danmed, he is going for it. He put himself through it, he has to try.

He only wishes he'd managed to get the damn tie on before his newest faculty walked into the room and saw him in such a state.

He watches, grouchy as ever, as the professors walk into his new office, some new faces, some old friends. Rachel is typing in her phone, Paige is picking at her own face. Inferno is the first to comment on his current appearance, crossing her arms and leaning against his new shelf with no sign of respect.

"What the hell are you doing? More than a century alive and you never learned to do a tie?"

Logan snarls at her, pulling out the piece of cloth he's managed to wrap around his neck. He feels like an idiot, wearing his best suit to receive government bastards in the school. He allows Coral to help him fix the tie, a permanent frown on his face.

He looks around the room, noticing the absence of two teachers. Rachel is quick to respond.

"Kitty is finishing getting everything ready for the visit. Hank is holed up in the lab, trying to get the shields up before the Shi'ar arrive."

Logan agrees. Coral finishes adjusting his tie with a satisfied smile.

"And how are you feeling?" she asks in her usual soft tone.

"Like a piece of shit." He scratches the back of his neck and turns to Lullaby, another new ally of them. The older woman is floating eight inches above the carpet, whitish eyes staring into his face. "Hey, Lullaby, it wouldn't hurt you to use your power of persuasion on me. Just a little, to calm my nerves."

The woman frowns, speaking in a low, hushed voice that send shivers through his spine, her power already making effect on him.

"That is if you want to spend the rest of the day acting like you are high. No." She shakes her head, speaking in a tone that makes she looks like she is scholding a child. "And I hope you don't use that kind of language around students or the visitors."

Logan rolls his eyes, mumbling some curses under his breath. Bobby is on his ice form, dripping some water on his carpet. Standing near Inferno always affects his mutation. Logan makes a mental note to try and keep these two apart if something happens.

"So, Logan, what's the plan?"

Logan sighs heavily, leaning back against the wooden table. A flask of whiskey would be nice right now. The teachers are waiting anxiously for him. All this anticipation is killing him inside.

"Frankly, I have no idea." he says. Half the room crosses their arms and stares at him like he's stupid. Honestly, he feels a little. "All right, the inspectors from the department of education will be here in a few minutes, we just have to do our best to impress them and, hopefully, they don't close our school before we can even open it."

They all agree. Inferno rolls her eyes along with Rachel. At least Coral and Husk have a little empathy for him and frown just a little.

"Just do what you have to do. Kitty and I are going to take them on a tour, you guys do your job and for God's sake don't do anything weird!" he says in a stern tone, knowing full well how they can be.

"Weird how?" Husk fulfills his worst fears by absentmindedly pinching and peeling the skin off her own face.

"We are mutants." Inferno grumbles, the air around her growing hotter. Logan frowns, hoping this isn't another one of her awkward arguments. "There's no way we can impress these humans just by being ourselves." At least Coral has the courage to slap the taller woman in the arm, leaving her indignant. "What?!"

"Just act normal." Logan asks, raising his hands.

"You mean professional." Lullaby says and he nods.

"By the end of the day, we will have that license and we can go on with our lives peacefully."

"Or we can call Cyclops to see if our rooms are still available." Bobby comments in the back of the room. Logan fights the urge to throw that bottle of whiskey at the boy.

"You all know what to do. I don't have to hold your hands through the whole damn process."

"Looks like you're the only one who needs help." Rachel comments as she leaves the room. Coral pushes the others into the door, feeling Logan's mood grow worse by the second. And it's not even eight in the morning.

"Let's leave alredy, classes are about to start and I'm afraid of what these kids can do."

The door closes gently. Leaving Logan alone to sigh wearily as he had done so much the last few days. He hears a strange rustling and looks up to find Inferno still leaning against his shelf, looking at him with an unreadable face.

"What is it, Salazar?"

The redhead shrugs at his gruff tone.

"Just doing my part. I believe I found the brats you were looking for."

She takes a bunch of papers from behind her back, throwing them on the table without ceremony. Logan takes them in his hands carefully, eyes darting over the information on the paper. "That's all I got about the Creeds. Their parents did everything possible to hide these two from the world."

Again silence falls over the room. Logan reads and re-reads the information a few more times. There are few, but it's enough for him to have an idea of what he's going to do next. If he only gets that permission from the department of education.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Inferno asks, her voice low. "They are Sanguinária and Sabretooth's children. Only God knows what they are capable of doing."

"I need to do this. We can't leave these two alone." Logan throws the papers back on the table, putting a hand on his face. God, he needs another drink. "It was my fault they ran away from Utopia. Now they're lost."

Salazar again crosses her arms, looking at him with an expression he hates. As if he didn't knew better.

"I know Sabretooth, imagine what he could do with these kids." He shakes his head. "No matter what they can or can't do, it's better to keep them close than let them fall into the hands of their father, or worse, the Avengers."

He looks at the papers. Two faces that are almost familiar, but also strange, stare back. How SHIELD managed to keep these two still long enough to snap a photo is way beyond him.

He grumbles once more when he notices Inferno staring at him.

"What's it now, Salazar?"

"Nothing. I just hope you know what you are doing by bringing Creed's children for this school." She shrugs and heads for the door. "It's up to you, boy."

"From now on it will be 'headmaster' for you, you old hag!" he yells as she the door closes.

The clock on the wall says eight o'clock. He can hear students running through the halls, heading to their new classes, or running away from them. The sound of drills and hammering continues and it reminds him why he is doing this.

He doesn't know what he's gotten himself into.

A glass or two of whiskey later, he hopes will be enough to keep his nerves in check. Pulling on his well-pressed jacket and slinging it over his shoulders, he hurries into the front yard. The statue of Jean Grey looks up at the sky above and he pats her feet as he runs past.

"Wish me luck, Jeannie."

Kitty waits by the garages, impatiently checking her wristwatch. At least she looks good in her red suit. Logan notices her straightened hair and frowns for the thousandth time, but doesn't say anything, stading beside her. He tugs at his collar uncomfortably.

"Good morning, Kitty. Or should I say, Madam Headmistress?" He teases, pushing his elbow on her sides.

Kitty groans, rolling her eyes skyward.

"Don't call me that. Everyone is going to call me that now, right?"

Logan grins and she slaps him on the arm. She looks genuinely annoyed now so he allows her to chatter in his ear off as consolation.

"I threw up three times today. Three! These kids talk to me like I used to talk to Professor Xavier. Like I'm an old woman. Especially that idiot Keller. I'm going to tape that little shit to the wall as a warning to the others." She moves her hands as if to choke something. With a sigh, she crosses her arms and looks around, expecting to see a car drive through the main gate. "I didn't sleep much either. I felt like the ground was shaking. You felt it?"

Logan shrugs.

"Nah, I slept like a baby. It must have been Henry in another one of his experiments. He's still tryin' to get the security system up and running before the Shi'ar arrive."

"Shit, I forgot about that. Are we really going to accept the prince of Shi'ar here?"

"If we want to keep the school standing. And the kid's a mutant too, so... I think he'll fit in." he really hopes for it. The Shi'ar may be allies, but he knows what they are capable of. What worries him most is that the boy is the son of the newly crowned Emperor Gladiator.

"I heard he's worse than Keller and Quire together." Kitty continues, moving her arms as if she has goosebumps. She stops and Logan knows what she's going to ask when she frowns and leans into him. "What about the other two? The Creeds. Do you really think... that doesn't bother you?"

He grumbles once more, wishing everyone would stop asking him that.

"Yes, it does. But there's nothing I can do."

"How?"

"Kitty, we opened this place to protect mutant children, to give them more reason to live than just fight. If we're going to help these kids, we're going to help everyone."

He speaks in a stern tone, trying to put an end to this discussion. For now.

Immediately, his main source of stress appears from behind the trees, through the main gate. He and Kitty step back as the spotless car pulls into the driveway, a few students stop to watch as well.

"What did you get me into?" Kitty whispers through gritted teeth. Logan leans toward her.

"It's never too late to turn around and disappear into the woods."

"Don't give me good ideas."

As Logan would say, two education department bigwigs get out of the car. Dressed like royalty, noses in the air, looking out over the school grounds like it's nothing but trash and not the most technologically advanced damn school in the country.

Kitty flashes a gigantic fake smile, spreading her arms out in welcome. Logan tugs on his collar one more time.

Chapter Text

Logan believes this to be one of the worst days of his long life.

No matter how great the school is, or all the technological marvels they possess, or how much Kitty talks about her academic prowess, these two education department officials are unimpressed.

Mrs. Marigold and Mr. Clud walk around the school with their noses high in the air, dressed in their expensive clothes that make them stand out in a sea of mutant teens and teachers dressed in green and yellow. Always finding a reason to roll their eyes and write down something about the school that bothers them.

Logan isn't the best talker, he knows he doesn't have the charm or ability to get people to like him. So he leaves Kitty to that task, just walking behind her and the two humans, watching her nodding with her best smile whenever she asks for his opinion. She is doing well. Better than he could. Smiling from ear to ear and proudly explaining about their new school.

He feels proud of her, seeing her speak with confidence and respect, head held high before the disapproving gazes of the two humans.

They start, of course, in the main building, the only building left intact after the renovations. Logan thanks God (or whoever is listening) that things are off to a good start. Despite the incessant clatter of screws and drills, they make it through the first hallway without a hitch.

He is also grateful that the first class they come to is Lullaby's. The old woman is, perhaps, one of the only people in that building truly qualified to be a teacher. Being older than him and actually having a diploma in history and geography.

She entertains the younger students with a simple geography lesson. And to top it off — damn it, Logan is impressed — she manages to keep all those very well-behaved, cute nine-year-old brats in their seats. They even wave and say hello to Marigold and Clud, though neither is the least bit touched.

Logan knows they were are not impressed with the cafeteria. The room is new and much larger than the first, big enough to fit the students. Both mutants and aliens. The "diverse food" also failed to impress them.

Maybe it was all different kinds of weird creatures that they served to the students. Maybe that's because Victor Borkowski and Ben Hamill thought it was a great time to start a food fight, encouraging the students to throw their meals everywhere, especially at the two poor humans who ended up in the crossfire.

Kitty is smiling nervously as they leave, trying to ignore the pieces of tentacle on her shoulder.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. Our students are still settling in, so forgive us if things seem a little chaotic."

Mr. Clud huffs angrily, picking bits of food out of his perfectly ruined suit. "Chaotic? From what it seems to me, chaotic is something common for your people."

Logan raises an eyebrow at the comment.

"Our people?"

Kitty's nose wrinkles in that Logan-familiar way, her face immediately sour. She takes a deep breath and speaks calmly.

"With all due respect, if you're going to blame the X-Men and mutants in general for their involvement in conflict between mutants and humans, you might as well blame firefighters for their involvement with fire." She says, but Mrs. Marigold has her back turned, still writing down on her little clipboard all the little things that bother her. "And... I should remind you that Mr. Logan here is currently involved with the Avengers. The most respected group of super humans in the world." she added quickly.

"Unfortunately for Mr. Logan, there is no Avenger on the state board of education." Said Mrs. Marigold, walking to continue the tour.

"Oh, what a surprise." Logan rolls his eyes, following behind the two humans and Kitty.

"And besides, I don't think being considered one of the deadliest agents in the world is a good qualification for headmaster." Marigold continued, her nose in the air.

Kitty stayed beside the woman, still trying to be friendly.

"Well, should I add that I was one of the youngest students ever to be accepted into the renowned Xavier's Institute?" She opened another giant smile. "And Mr. Logan here was one of my best instructors. I also studied in England, worked as a SHIELD consultant, and studied physics in college."

"But did you ever finish one of those vocations of yours, Ms. Pryde?" Mrs. Marigold asks, lifting her head so she can look down on Kitty.

"Well... no..." Kitty stutters, barely noticing when two employees walk past her, carrying a metal rod. Her power activates immediately and the two men pass right by her body as she clasps her hands together and smiles. "But I've taken university-level courses since I was 13."

"Dear God." Mr. Clud whispers, pulling away as if he can avoid taking something from the young woman.

"Forgive me, Ms. Pryde, but I don't put that much faith in the intellectual capacity of someone whose brain I've just seen go through solid steel." Marigold says, turning her back on Kitty and Logan.

The four make their way to Building 4, one of the newest additions and the second largest building, having to put their heads down when they accidentally end up in the middle of Cannonball's flying lesson. Logan's blood boils when he sees Marigold writing on her clipboard. Sure, he admits the flying lessons aren't the best, but the way the woman gives Sam a cold stare makes him uneasy.

Marigold and Clud are also unimpressed with the greenhouses, gardens or football fields and swimming pools. At least Clud seems a little curious about the underwater houses, built to support students with water-based mutations. He's not happy when Crosta and Rain Boy decide to practice somersaults right when he leans over to take a look.

The communication towers and labs do little too, so out of options, Kitty and Logan take them down to the lower floors.

One of the first rooms they find is Rachel's. The redhead paces back and forth, 9th class is scattered across the room, all standing, heads down they sway from side to side. Logan and Kitty smile as they see the kids doing well in training, although Rachel doesn't seem too pleased with their performances.

Marigold's voice wipes the smiles off their faces almost immediately.

"Is this supposed to be a class?" she keeps the pen right above the clipboard.

"Oh, yes, they are..." Kitty tries to explain, but Clud cuts her off with a sarcastic applause.

"Oh, bravo. Give them A+ for being able to stay on their feet."

Marigold writes something with sharp movements. Finally, Logan sees Kitty's smile fall and she grits her teeth as if she has to hold back from saying anything too rude.

"Actually!" She says in a raised voice to keep Marigold and Clud's attention. "Rachel Summers is one of the most powerful telephat there is! She is teaching our students to defend their minds and against psychic attacks."

Inside the room, Rachel stops in front of the students, looking between Oya and Beehive. Both girls fail a little, but they stay on their feet. Rachel crosses her arms over her chest, pacing back and forth.

"Guard your minds, or I'll start spilling your worst secrets." She threatens, her eyes falling between a group of students in the corner. "From what I see, we have a bed-wetter among us."

Logan takes a deep breath, Kitty shakes her head, smiling nervously.

"She's... very good at what she does."

The four walk down the hall, arriving in front of Paige's literature room. She notices them immediately and gets up, trying to get the attention of the 10th graders, but the students are still sitting on the tables, talking loudly in her teacher's shy voice.

Logan can see Paige breaking out in a cold sweat in front of the class.

"All right, students, let's be quiet. Remember what I said, we need to set a good example." She asks calmly, smiling at the class.

"I heard that Wolverine killed some students for disobeying." Aura Charles jokes, making Cam Long roll their eyes.

"At least Utopia's food is better." Indra says laughing.

"I don't care. I will do anything to escape Cyclops' training." Cam agrees.

"We still need to train with Inferno and Wolverine."

Finally, Paige has enough. She digs her nails into her face, peeling off almost all of her skin, revealing a frightening red face underneath.

"GET YOUR ASSES IN THE CHAIR AND SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Her voice gets ten times louder and thicker, making the windows of the room shake and the students run to their seats. Then she smiled sweetly and headed towards the board. "Thank you. Now let's open our new books."

Marigold and Clud walk away from the class with noses in the air. When he sees Coral coming from the labs, Logan immediately signals her to clear some students out of the hall when he sees them using their powers against each others. She understands and pushes them away from Marigold and Clud's vision.

Fortunately, the two also ignore Toad, who is mopping the floor sadly, muttering to himself. Logan also tries to get past him, but Toad notices him.

"Err... Headmaster, I don't want to disturb..." he says in his off-key voice.

"Not now, Mortimer."

"It's just that last night I felt the ground shake, and there was lava on the walls. And there are these little things stealing things from the pantries and..."

"I said not now!" Logan interrupts once again. Kitty at least takes a second to look at the poor man.

"Mortimer, please, can you check this with Coral or Lullaby? Or even Iceman?" She keeps walking, reaching Logan. "This is a disaster. I told you something weird was happening."

"I'd rather be fighting the Marauders or anyone else than put up with this nonsense one more minute." Logan grumbles, putting his hand inside his suit. He finds nothing. Hell, he could use a cigarette.

"If this continues, we'll all go live in the sewers."

"Nah, I'm gonna kill everyone in this place first." Logan jokes, stopping to walk when something catches his attention. He stops Kitty and changes direction.

In one corner of the hall, where it would certainly be hard to see if it weren't for Logan, Hellion and Glob are facing the wall, shoulders pressed together as if to prevent someone from escaping. Logan realizes it's the little broodling that Hank (for some crazy reason) brought to school a few weeks ago.

He can hear Hellion's mocking tone from miles away, and the stupid way Glob agrees with everything the other boy says.

"Hey, look at this ugly little thing! What do you do here? This is a school for mutants." Hellion leans over a little, robotic hands on his knees to get a good look at the pup.

The little creature is not intimidated by the way the two are smiling. He just adjusts his glasses on his unnaturally large skull and puts his hands together politely, speaking gently in that squeaky voice.

"Oh, well, I was invited by Professor McCoy and the headmaster. Just like you, friends." The broodling shows a smile full of teeth. That doesn't make him any less ugly, though.

"You're a Broodling, aren't you? I heard you are man eaters. Do you know what we call you here?" Hellion laughs. "Sleazoids."

Glob nods enthusiastically, the wax on his body shaking as he lets out a mocking laugh. "Yeah! Sleazoids!"

"Actually, I'm also a mutant." The broodling explains, raising a tiny, clawed finger. "A mutant of my kind, as is evident from me not killing, eviscerating, or butchering any of you. You see, my mutation disconnected me..."

Hellion interrupts him, pulling him by the collar of his shirt. The broodling startles, claws gripping the metal of Hellion's hands, little paws dangling in the air. He looks more confused than scared.

"This is a school for real mutants, not aliens!" Hellion says with an evil smile.

"Yeah! No aliens!"

The Broodling blinks slowly and tilts his head, pointing to Logan and Kitty approaching. "Perhaps you should raise this issue with the headmaster. There he comes."

Hellion and Glob look scared. They drop the broodling unceremoniously to the ground and try to run away.

"Morning, Mr. Logan." Hellion forces a smile. Globe mimics him.

"Yeah, morning..."

Logan growls, running after them as Kitty bends down to pull the broodling to his feet. Luckily, Inferno appears in the end of the hallway at the same moment, sending both boys crashing into her, her tall and muscled form is like a stone wall, sending them crashing onto their asses. She doesn't mind and just bends down to grab Hellion by the collar of his shirt and place a hand on Glob's neck. He doesn't dare try to escape, but Hellion begins to struggle.

"You little shits! You should be in class." Logan scolds them. Inferno shakes Hellion with one hand, the boy wiggles pathetically in her grip.

"These two think they're too good to be in class." Inferno grins, her harsh face looking scarier when her eyes shine in a orange glow. "I think we should make a little change in their schedule."

"Good idea." Logan agrees, smiling at Glob and Hellion. "Congratulations, boys, you just got two extra hours in the Danger Room with Professor Salazar here."

Hellion and Glob look scared, trying to fight back Inferno as she drags them into one of the Danger Rooms. Logan turns as the broodling approaches him, his paws tapping the floor with an irritating clatter.

"You good, kid?"

The creature smiles, adjusting his glasses. Logan frowns, not understanding why the Alien would use that.

"Don't worry, headmaster. I promise not to let this incident color my opinion of what appears to be a fascinating facility. Now, if you excuse me, I have something called 'gym class' to attend."

The creature leaves, walking excitedly through the halls. Kitty crosses her arms at Logan, giving him a worried look.

"Hey, those two are idiots. But they are right."

"He stays." Logan turns his back to look for Marigold and Clud. Kitty follows close behind.

"You can't accept any hopeless case that shows up at our door. As much as we want to help, we first need to think about the children we already have here. Do you know what they would do if they knew we were bringing villains' kids to our school?"

"That's why they're not here yet." he stops in front of the Danger Room, where Inferno configures the panels while Hellion and Glob grumble. "Let's get this visit over with, then we'll worry about the rest."

Marigold and Clud watch, with what Logan and Kitty hope is fascination, as Inferno activates the Danger Room holograms, sending students running, as she likes to do. Hellion complains about something, but quickly goes into training, using his power to disable the weapons. Glob, however, finds it much more effective to run around the room and hide behind other students, particularly Rockslide and Gentle.

"What in Christ's name is going on over there?" Marigold questions, covering her mouth when Hisako defends herself from a blast of fire coming from Inferno herself.

Logan scratches his head, but sounds smug as he speaks.

"Theodosia Salazar is one of those responsible for training students. For that we have the Danger Room, it uses a program of holograms, heavy light and defense systems." he explains, pointing to the end of the hall, trying to get the two of them out of there before Inferno starts the real training. "We have three more rooms like this on the underground floor."

"Good to know that you are teaching your children how to fight." Marigold grumbles, once again taking notes on her clipboard with a sour frown. "What else do we have here? An playground of peril, perhaps? A lunchroom full of rabid dogs?"

Logan clenches his fists as she turns her back on him, muttering to himself not to lash out at her comments aloud. Clud looks out the window, seeing Inferno engage Hisako and Nezhno in combat.

"I must say, I'm surprised you have errr... Ms. Salazar here at your school." He says, his nose crinkles when he pronounces Inferno's real name. "Considering that she was involved in several dubious groups in recent years."

"That was a long time ago." Kitty defends, arms crossed. "Salazar was on the side of the X-Men when we needed her, she was on the side of the mutants after the M Day. And I should remind you that she was once an important member of the Avengers for many years."

"But she was involved in the Inner Circle and the attack on Genosha a few years ago." Said Clud, raising an eyebrow as if challenging Kitty. "I don't think she's one of the most reliable people..."

"Magneto wasn't either." Logan interrupts, his clenched fists make Clud shudder and move away from him. "Or Emma Frost. Or many of the Avengers' little friends a few years ago. Salazar helped us rebuild this place and keep our students safe." He clenches his teeth, shoulders tense.

Clud swallows and walks away quickly, walking very close to Marigold. The human woman doesn't flinch at Wolverine's furious scowl.

"Good to know you accept criminals too."

Before Logan can rebut in a rather elegant manner, Kitty perks up as she sees a group of students walk down the hall. She waves to one of the girls, Oya, beckoning her to join them. Logan immediately relaxes, smiling at the little girl who returns the gesture in a much sweeter and more friendly way.

She looks happy, more relaxed. Logan is grateful for that. The last few months she's been in her custody have been difficult, they've been trying to help her relax after the attack on the Museum of Mutant History and the tragedy that occurred there.

For the first few weeks back at Salem Center, she was very quiet and distant. Many times Logan would catch her awake outside, crying to herself and reflecting on the things she'd done in Utopia. The things adults made her do.

Seeing her almost bounce towards him with a sweet expression makes Wolverine's hard heart soften. He greets her and places his hands on her shoulders slowly, and she allows it, smiling at Marigold and Clud. Her little face seems to have the same effect on them as it does on Logan.

"Allow me to introduce one of our best students. Idie Okonkwo." Logan says, Idie nods politely.

Mrs. Marigold leans toward Idie, her sharp eyes lingering briefly on the scar running down the right side of the girl's face, rihht under her eye, but she smiles, looking impressed for the first time since she set foot on the school grounds.

"Good morning." Idie gives them her best smile, arms behind her back, her accent noticeable in her voice.

"Oh honey, aren't you adorable? Are you sure a cutie like you is in the right place?" Marigold smiles and holds out her hand, but Idie and Logan step back at the same moment.

Idie tilts her head to the side. "Excuse me, what do you mean, ma'am?"

"Oh, darling, it's like a sweet thing like you should not be here." Marigold smiles, like she just gave Idie the best compliment she could ask for.

The little girl, however, looks more suspicious and quite annoyed. Logan sees the way she forces the smile, like Kitty when she was younger and about to bite back. Or say something bitter on purpose.

"Oh, I like it here. They treat us so well." Idie says, hands playing th long skirt of her uniform in a anxious way.

Logan sighs and smiles gratefully at the little girl. Finally someone praises her work.

"Oh, thanks, Idie"

"Mr. Logan and Mrs. Pryde have been very kind to me. And everyone here." She points to the school. "Isn't it amazing? I haven't felt this happy in a long time." She shrugs, glancing at Logan briefly. "And I think it's more than we deserve." She adds in the same tone and Logan and Kitty freeze.

"What do you mean by that, dear?" Marigold and Clud exchange glances. Logan tries to draw Idie's attention to the problem at hand, gently nudging her toward the elevators.

"Oh, Idie, I think you should go back to class. Let's continue with our tour--"

"Because of what we are." Idie continues, her expression serene as if she wasn't saying anything too out of the ordinary. "You don't see? We are all monsters here. At least they're keeping us safe here. For what I'm grateful. I'd really rather not have to kill anyone again."

"Idie! You are late for class." Logan says through clenched teeth, pushing the visitors away, looking at Idie out of the corner of his eye.

"Kill anyone again...?" Marigold is completely in shock, seeing the sweet girl bounce away as if nothing in the world is wrong.

Kitty leans toward Logan, her face almost sweating with anticipation. "Every time they write something on that paper, my blood runs cold."

"Let's just get this over with. There's still a lot to see." Logan grumbles softly. "Tell the others to keep an eye on Quire. The last thing I need is that kid promoting anarchy or something. That's why we only go after the other two when we get permission from the state."

"Don't worry, we've got him in detention for the day and I have Doop keeping an eye on him for now."

"Let's hope Hank can save us." e says after they leave the elevator and arrive at the landing area in the Communication Tower.

"You know him. He's the biggest sweet talker among us, give him five minutes and those two will be eating out of his furry palm."

Unfortunately, they find Hank at his worst. Curled up in a corner of the landing area, surrounded by screens and papers and numbers and empty coffee cups, muttering to himself as if he hadn't slept in days. He's wearing of those caps with water bottles and straws attached to the mouth so he can drink coffee. Moving from side to side and hardly noticing the visitors approaching him.

"Coffee! If I don't have my cup of coffee in ten seconds, I'm going to start throwing bodies all over this floor." He grumbles, crushing a cup between his hairy fingers.

"Hey, Hank...?" Kitty calls. Hank walks past her, literally, going to another screen, his claws hitting the keys at high speed.

"Power fluctuation in east wing. Transferring current from the D-472 generator. Antigravity tower Z tilting off its axis by 3 degrees... adjusting..."

"Hank! The inspectors are here!" Logan calls, this time, louder.

"Structural integrity of the campus, remarkable, still conserved." Hank pours another cup of coffee, throwing the pot over his shoulder. Fortunately, Kitty makes Mrs. Marigold intangible before she can be hit. Hank seems to finally notice them.

"Believe me, Kitty, we can easily get through the day without a single thermonuclear meltdown. If only I could discover the cause of these unusual spikes in seismic activity...."

Kitty releases Marigold, leaving her to vomit in a dumpster after the shock of having a coffee bottle go through her for the first time.

"Oh, you felt it too! It was not you?"

"Certainly not." Hank shakes his head. "We recently had some unexplained tremors and some of the students gave me reports of lava in the lower levels."

"One more mystery to add to the list. As long as nothing weird happens." Kitty rolls her eyes.

"I forgot to mention that two days ago I accidentally left a dimensional portal open. So I believe the main building must be infested with bamfs. Ah, you know, typical first day of school problems." Hank laughs to himself, finishing his coffee in a gulp, turning to Marigold and Clud. "And who are these lovely people?"

"The department of education inspectors I mentioned. The ones who will close our school forever..." Kitty squishes her face furiously between her hands. Then grabs Hank by the shoulder, pushing him to take a step foward.

"Perhaps you would like to talk to our guests about some of the most interesting aspects of our school. How you built our structure to be entirely self-sufficient. How we generate our own electricity, generate our own food, or whatever other good reason you have why they shouldn't close the school!"

"Close the school? Oh, I don't think we could close the school even if we wanted to." Hank laughs out loud, then chivalrously extends his hand to Marigold. "Dr. Hank McCoy, dear lady, a pleasure to..."

It is interrupted when all screens flash green, indicating that a large craft is approaching the atmosphere, hovering just above Salem Center.

Everyone lifts their heads to watch the dark shape of the Shi'ar royal ship descend from the sky. Clud and Marigold shake a little and step back, mouths wide open. Thirty years of alien invasions and battles do that to people.

Chapter Text

Shi'ar Imperal Ship, transport of the prince Kubark

The Strotian prince paces, or rather floats, up and down the flight deck. Muttering to himself, occasionally punching something, as he likes to do. The Warbirds stand as still as statues, watching their new prince with keen eyes, making sure he doesn't overstep the bounds and end up crashing the ship as he has on previous occasions.

Kubark isn't the most patient person, anything seems to be enough to make him snap. His temperament, along with his destructive power and invulnerability, is not the best combination. The journey from the Shi'ar Capital to Earth was not the smoothest, he got bored too easily and nothing in this galaxy could stop him from breaking things under his fist, just to feel adrenaline or have something to complain about.

With all due respect to the new Majestor, these soldiers are more than eager for the prince to step down from the ship or kick him out themselves.

When the center panel indicates they've arrived at their destination, a hologram of Majestor Kallark appears in the center of the room, causing the Warbird to bow and the prince to stop and float up to his father's transparent face, gritting his teeth in a scowl.

"Tell me again, why in the name of all the Gods, do I have to stay in this pigsty in the middle of nowhere?" he shouts insolently. The Majestor's hologram crosses his arms and frowns.

"This is your punishment for having destroyed half of our capital, Kubark. If you don't remember."

"Aaaahhhhhh." Kubark throws his head back and groans in frustration. "You never let me have fun. It wasn't even that bad, it was only half the capital."

Kallark narrow his red eyes. "You have a very dangerous idea of fun, son. And very immature and destructive. That's why you're going to spend time here, on Earth. Perhaps time on the planet will teach you more responsibility."

"How in the galaxy could spending time on this piece of shit called a planet be good for me?" Kubark crosses his arms. "This place is useless. And everyone who lives here too."

"Look around, most creatures on this planet are weaker than you, Kubark. You are a Strotian and a prince, one day you will have to mature and learn that your actions, and your indiscipline, have dire consequences." Kallark says firmly, an expression so cold on his face it would be enough to make half the galaxy tremble. "And that moment has already arrived."

He waves his hand as one of the Warbirds on the ship approaches the prince.

Ava'Dara Naganandini has the same stony expression as all the Warbirds, but seems even more displeased with having to follow the prince during his stay on the planet. Kubark looks her up and down and snorts, turning to his father.

"If I end up destroying them all it will be your fault, father. And this Warbird alone won't stop me."

Kallark sighs heavily. "You're just proving to me that you really need a more severe punishment. Be grateful that I'm not being so cruel."

Kubark resists the urge to be even more immature. So he just nods, still clenching his teeth so hard he could break his jaw. He walks to the transport lane, the Warbird he already forgot the name stopping a few steps away from him. The Emperor waves him off before giving him his blessing to leave and disappear.

The transport lane teleports them straight to the school's Communication Tower. It only takes a few seconds for the Shi'ar Ship starts. Kubark, like the other students, watches the transport leave the planet with a frown.

He starts walking towards the crowd, recognizing only a few people among them. He smirks when he sees Wolverine with his arms crossed, staring at him with a cold frown. He adjusts the visor over his eyes. Because this stupid planet's sunlight still hurts his eyes. And because he still can't control his eyes energy blasts completely.

"This place will be ruins in a few days, you'll see. Father is crazy thinking I'm going to be here for a long time." Kubark mutters in his own language to the Warbird. "At least I have you as my most reliable bodyguard. Better protect me from these barbarians."

"More like protecting them from you, my prince." Ava'Dara says in her serious tone, making the prince chuckle weakly. Which is already a great achievement. He pokes the side of his neck, checking if his translator is working.

"Hey, you!" he points to the first person in front of him, a stupid looking brood. "Prince Gladiator is hungry! Fetch food for your new overlord!"

Logan rolls his eyes as he watches the scene unfold. He turns his back on the prince, not even noticing when Kitty steps between the prince and the broodling, giving Kubark a scold. Hank also stands between them, trying to keep the peace.

Logan leans against one of the hallway walls, taking a deep breath. Lucky for him (or not) Bobby appears at his side, looking very pleased for the immortal man's bad mood.

"How are we doing?" he asks, already knowing the answer.

"Call Scott and ask if he rented out our old rooms already.'

Bobby laughs a little, feeling a twinge of anxiety. "Is that bad?"

"Can you go there and help Kitty? I need some air." Logan asks, pressing the elevator button hard. Bobby holds the doors before they close.

"Hey, I know it doesn't seem like a good time." He lifts his shoulders, looking at Logan with slightly nervous white eyes. "But you have a visitor. And you better go there."

Logan sighs heavily, growling softly.

"Who the fuck is it now?"

Main gate of the school

Logan thinks it must be some kind of universe joke. Because the brat standing in front of him isn't exactly what he expected. The way Bobby had warned him of the "visit", he'd expected to find Sabretooth himself standing at his gate.

This kid is almost his height (tough subject), and he's wearing an overpriced suit for someone his age. Logan doesn't like his energy, or the artificial smell he has, or the arrogant way he looks at him.

"I must say, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time." the boy grins, putting his hands on his hips, looking at Logan from behind his sunglasses. "The legendary Wolverine. I finnaly meet you. Very exciting."

"Do I know you, kid?" Logan grumbles.

"Not exactly. My name is Kade Kilgore. CEO of Kilgore Arms." he extends his hand, but Logan knows that it is not for him to accept the gesture, because the boy pulls it back immediately. "The biggest manufacturer of things that explode mutants worldwide since the new age of super humans began."

"Oh yeah? Sorry kid, but I ain't interested in buying guns."

"I'm not here to sell or do business with you. I'm here representing another organization, which you know very well." the boy's eyes shine behind his sunglasses, a very dangerous look on his young face. "I am the new Black King of the Hellfire Club."

Logan tries for a snarky chuckle, but all the confusion of the day has already left him in a bad mood. Also, the idea of this brat being part of the Hellfire Club is so ridiculous it's not even funny. However, the name Kilgore is more than familiar to him. He tries to remember where he heard the name, going back a few months in the past, in all the battles the X-Men had.

He remembers the attack on Utopia and clenches his fists.

"If this is some kind of joke, kid..."

"It's not a joke, I assure you." Kade shakes his head, still smiling. "You haven't noticed yet, but you owe me a lot for this new school you built here. Because all these disasters and events that occurred that led to the Schism between the X-Men were caused by me." He puts a hand on his chest, like it's the best thing he's ever done in his life. "I manipulated and deceived Quentin Quire to invade that government conference and convince them to fear mutants."

Logan's claws slowly emerge from his knuckles. He takes a menacing step towards Kilgore, his jaw clenched tightly. The boy is smart enough to take three steps back.

"You caused the attack at the museum." Wolverine says between teeth.

Flashes pop in his mind of the disaster that occurred months ago. He remembers the explosion, the gunshots and screams from the humans, the mutant civis trying to run while the ones who could use their powers tried to fight. Remembers the Sentinel that appeared. Remembers Idie killing those men at Scott's request, and then almost getting shot. He remembers having to carry her away while yelling at Scott.

That natural anger starts to come out and he keeps moving forward. Kilgore's wide smile doesn't help keep his anger under control. He notices that this boy has the same self-centered and annoying smile as Quire.

"I made the Sentinel too. I took over my father's company to manufacture that thing." Kilgore shakes his head and laughs a little, still trying to keep distance between himself and Logan. "It was all part of my plan to take control of the Hellfire Club, and I succeeded. And I made a ridiculous amount of money building that thing for a world that hates and fears mutants more than ever."

Wolverine finally catches him, grabbing the collar of the kid's perfectly tailored suit, lifting him a good few inches off the ground, putting their faces very close.

"You're either crazy or suicidal to be telling me all this."

Kade grabs Logan's hands, still smiling.

"I promise you, I'm neither. What I am is a 12-year-old kid, fabulously rich and, as far as the courts are concerned, with an impeccable record. You however..." he gives Wolverine a look up and down, as if to emphasize his words "makes a scratch on me and my lawyers come in and tear this place down before any of your students can dream of graduating."

Logan lets out a snarl, throwing the boy a few inches away from him, sending him landing on his ass on the stone floor of the entryway. He puts his claws in again.

"I don't need to touch you. I have some kids inside who could do that for me. Now get out!" he orders while turning his back.

"Oh, yeah... I confess that I didn't anticipate this school of yours. But how could I? The mere idea of a "Wolverine School for Gifted Youngsters" is utterly absurd.' Kade scoffs, getting to his feet. "A school that teaches mutants to live in peace alongside humans? I cannot accept this."

Logan ignores him. He motions for Bobby to close the main gate and he immediately complies. Kade is surprised and insulted when the gate begin to close, keeping him out. Now it's Logan's turn to smirk at the boy as he grips the bars and snarls.

"That's why I came here today to tell you, to your face, THAT I'M HERE TO DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU BUILT!" he shouts, turning his back and running away, to an extremely expensive car parked at the end of the road.

Logan sighs and walks back to the main yard, his hands in his suit pocket. He sits by the statue of Jean, sighing heavily after this long morning. Bobby stands beside him, looking at him worriedly.

"Who's the kid?"

"Problem. Big problem." he replies, throwing his head back. "I don't even know who he really is, but it's better..."

He is interrupted when Marigold and Clud run out the door of the main building, screaming and thrashing. Logan is sure he is even crazier when he realizes the two humans are being chased by small blue creatures. He's sure they look like little versions of Kurt, even their tails look alike.

He blinks a few times to make sure he's not dreaming. No, there are little versions of Kurt running around.

He and Bobby just watch the creatures laughing and carrying whiskey bottles as they chase the poor humans. Kitty follows close behind, trying to help. The three continue running towards the gate and Logan finally loses his temper.

"Ah, that's what Hank meant by the 'interdimensional portal and bamfs'." Bobby commented. He turns around and realizes that Logan is trying to pull his tie off with unnecessary force, growling to himself. "Logan? What is it?"

"One day..." he grunts, finally pulling off his tie and throwing it to the floor, stepping over it. "I COULDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH A SINGLE DAY AS HEADMASTER! DAMN IT!"

Logan's scream is accompanied by a loud rumbling. Followed by a strong tremor and the sound of a thousand rocks breaking apart. He and Bobby immediately get into position, looking around for the source of the noise. The tremors return, growing stronger. Students appear at the windows and doors, curious and scared.

Before Logan can order everyone inside, another tremor hits the school, shaking the courtyards and buildings. Children scream and hold on where they can. Logan is grabbed by Bobby as the ground splits in two, huge fissures appearing in the stone floor, collapsing the trees that surround them. The Jean Grey statue also shakes and topples to one side, but remains mostly intact.

They hear another sound. Different and much louder. As if a giant were roaring in pain and agony. The tremors get stronger and suddenly, the earth breaks apart, a huge crater appears, then the surrounding terrain moves. As if a huge tsunami of earth and mud was forming.

Logan and Bobby watch in amazement the wave surges over them. The noise gets louder. They see the children piling up at the entrance, also pointing and looking. The two X-Men begin to make their way through the rubble and rocks that separate them from the students. Logan slashes with his claws, while Bobby is faster, creating an ice walkway to get there first.

"What the hell was that?" he shouts, making way for his colleague to pass. His ice form begins to change, becoming larger than normal, the ice becoming more refined, making his face almost impossible to distinguish.

"I don't know! An earthquake!" Logan growls, cutting a rock in two. "Go check on the kids! Tell Lullaby to keep the little ones, send Coral and Inferno over here!"

He is taken aback when something hits him in the face, knocking him three feet away. Bobby slides over to him, helping him to his feet and creating an ice barrier for them.

"Did those rocks just punched you in the face?!"

Logan grips his jaw, feeling the bones snap back into place. He grunts in frustration and follows Bobby into the entryway.

"Looks like we're in a bigger trouble than we thought."

The two approach the entrance. Some students are still in the doorway, looking at the destruction that was caused in just a few seconds. Fortunately, Coral and Rachel begin pushing the remaining students inside, warning them of the danger. Inferno also appears, carrying the biggest rocks out of the way to help the two and ease the entrance.

"So... who bet we could go at least one day without having a fit at school?" Santo Vaccaro asks Anole.

The lizard boy sighs and puts his hands on his head in frustration. "Fuck, I think staying with Cyclops is not so bad after all."

"Just come in, brats. You should already know what to do in these situations." Inferno screams, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him inside the building. She turns to Logan. "Everyone's already in there. The others are taking the children to safety. What was that rumbling?"

"We don't know. But it's better not to attack, the rocks fight back." Bobby warns.

"The rocks fight back?!" Coral repeats and comes down the stairs of the main entrance with hurried steps, surprised and indignant. Logan pulls Rachel by the arm.

"Rachel, I want you on the minds of all students and staff. If they're unconscious, wake them up now. This is not an earthquake, we are under attack."

Rachel does so immediately, searching the minds of everyone at the school. Screaming in the minds of sleeping students, passing instructions to teachers and warning them of what happened.

The other four X-Men prepare to protect the school. Logan and Bobby up front. Inferno activates her power, her shoulders and fists burst up in flames while Coral takes advantage of the exposed plumbing below the courtyard, drawing water from the pipes to create a barrier.

The only place Rachel can't reach is the entrance. Meters away from the courtyard, hidden by a barrier of stones and rubble, Kade Kilgore watches the chaos that engulfs the school with satisfaction, surrounded by his companions. All kids are close to him in age, dressed like royalty.

"It took less than I expected." Kilgore laughs, admiring everything through binoculars. He turns to the boy behind him, the youngest of the group. "Congratulations, Baron. You know how to demolish a school like nobody's else."

"I never demolished a school in my life." The young Baron Maximilian von Katzenelnbogen mutters, eyes glued to his screen.

"Cool, the school was destroyed. Can we go back to work?" Manuel Enduque, the oldest of them, complains. "I have important things to do. Like increase my fortune and kill my rivals, and I'm not getting any younger here."

"Me too! I just bought a new zoo and can't wait to play." Wilhelmina Kensington agrees, eagerly swinging her favorite hammer in her hands. Kade decides to ignore the two, continuing with his plan.

"We're not done yet. The Hellfire Club won't just demolish buildings, we'll destroy everything! Including the hearts of these barbarians! Isn't it right, Baron?"

The Baron gets to his feet, stopping beside Kilgore, his face still buried in a screen. Despite being the youngest and least enthusiastic of the group, he seems a little anxious for what's to come.

"I recently visited the homes of Mrs. Abigail Marigold and Mr. Eugene Clud and added something special to your water supply. They've spent the last 72 hours exposed to chemical compounds that I've ingeniously created myself. These compounds can only be triggered by specific reactions in the brain."

He shows Kilgore his device, causing him to openly laugh. A very loud and cruel laugh for such a young boy.

Through the binoculars, the four can see Kitty Pryde trying to get the two humans out of harm's way. They stop midway, leaning forward as if in pain. Then they begin to change, screaming in agony as their bodies transform into non-human creatures. Marigold's white coat clings to her skin as if she were covered in a thick fur coat. While Clud's arms lengthen and change color, becoming scaly wings.

Roaring in pain, they try to attack Kitty, who becomes intangible and dodges their blows.

"A sauron and a wendigo? Too much ostentatious, don't you think?" Emanuel snorts, still not looking as impressed as Wilhelmina and Kilgore. "It would be a good idea to cut off their heads and send them to their bosses. That should shut this place down real quick."

"Dear Emanuel, Rule number one of the Hellfire Club: Never be afraid to show off. Let's go!" Kade says.

Wilhelmina is more than happy to use the new weapons they received from the Baron.

Logan is the first to notice. He stops in the middle of the fight, looking up at the sky in confusion, getting the attention of the others. They notice small dark shells coming towards them and prepare. Before they hit the ground, the shells expand and explode.

The five X-Men are amazed to see several humanoid creatures coming towards them. Each one looks like the living dead, covered in sutures that hold their limbs together, carrying flamethrowers.

One of them points a flamethrower at them. Coral immediately hits him with a jet of water, sending him flying back. Inferno is unfazed by the flames, running towards them to take them down herself, punching them and throwing them away. The others start attacking, raising their flamethrowers.

"Frankenstein monsters with flamethrowers! Okay, now that's news!" Bobby comments sarcastically, also creating ice barriers to keep them away. Rachel is further away, her eyes closed in concentration.

"They have no conscience. They were created to do nothing but destroy. And the main target is us." She warns. She sees Inferno taking down some Frankensteins in the distance. "Salazar!" She waves to the others approaching.

Inferno understands and rushes to stand between the X-Men and the Frankensteins, clasping her hands in front of her, her skin starting to glow orange. When everyone ducks, she shoots a large blast of fire at the undead creatures, trying to hit as many as possible.

When the dust and smoke settle, they see the Frankensteins still walking towards them, the ones in front now with limbs missing, covered in ash.

"Shit! Prestige, you can't turn them off, can you?" Salazar shouts to Rachel.

"As I said: they have no conscience. And there are many. Where are Lullaby and Hank?"

"Lullaby is with the younger children." Coral answers, trying to keep the enemies away. She notices that the water in the pipes has stopped running, she grunts and turns around to enter the main building. "I'll take the students into the school."

"Just say you want to run away from this fight, kid!" Inferno yells at her.

"Can't you create a tsunami?" Bobby asked, sliding on an ice rink around them.

"No! There are too many children here, not enough water, and I've already spent too much money fixing this place up." Logan warns.

"There won't be much left after that." Rachel grumbles, looking around the school for the other teachers, making sure everyone is together.

She expands her awareness around, seeking out everyone, her mind reaching for them. She finds Hank descending from the Watchtower, hanging from cables and roofs to reach the ground. He manages to arrive in time to stop some Frankensteins from setting fire to the labs near the main building, knocking them down and cutting them in two.

"Oh dear! I hope this isn't my fault."

Accompanying Hank, Prince Kubark flies over the garden, shooting energy from his eyes the Frankensteins, punching them and destroying them with his brute strength. The loyal Warbird also follows the prince, using her sword to cut the monsters in half.

"Oooohh! This is fun!" the prince laughs, punching the Franksteins away. "This is how a school should be!"

"My Lord, I believe this is not part of the curriculum." Ava'Dara warns, following him very closely.

In the lower levels of the school, the younger children gather in one of the Danger Rooms. Rachel can sense their fear, most are too young, not used to these types of catastrophes like the older students. She sees Toad bringing more children inside, closing the doors and programming the room to go into Cocoon mode. Protection systems are activated.

Rachel sees Husk and Lullaby entering one of the hallways, each holding a child's hand. The walls begin to split open, the metal bending with the force of the Frankenstein monsters that slink into the hallway.

"Ms. Guthrie?" Desmond Diaz whimpers, pointing to the ceiling and walls, a wave of Frankenstein creeping in.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Husk smiles at him, placing him behind her and Lullaby. She proceeds to peel her own face, pulling back her skin to reveal a monstrous, bright red face under. The kids quickly cover their ears and turn away when they see Lullaby taking a deep breath.

She lets the air out of her lungs, letting out a loud scream, a wave of sound echoing through the halls; Husk does the same, but her voice sounds more like a roar. The two manage to hurl the Franksteins away, destroying some of the hallway in the process.

It doesn't matter, they pick up the kids and continue on their way. Rachel is sure to send other X-Men downstairs. She quickly finds Aura Charles and Cannonball flying over the main building and warns them that Husk, Toad and Lullaby need help.

The whole school is in chaos. All buildings surrounded by monsters, with the exception of towers and lake houses. Rachel sees that most of the students are gathering in these areas, however, many are still present for the fight.

She finds Idie Okonkwo running across the garden on the right side of the school, trying to escape the Frankensteins. A new wave of tremor shakes the earth, causing it to fall to the grass.

One of the towers near the laboratories collapses, she manages to dodge but is stopped by a Frankenstein, who points the flamethrower at her. Idie is ready to fight, and is surprised when the tiny alien she saw before jumps on the monster's neck, grabbing it with his little claws.

Idie kneels down next to the alien with concern when the Frankensteins falls dead.

"Thanks for helping me. Are you alright?" She asks. "What... who are you?"

"Hello. I'm one of the brood." the alien smiles wrinkled.

"Brood? And what's your name? Broo?"

"Oh! I didn't have a name, but now I do. Thank you."

"I'm Idie Okonkwo." She holds Broo's paw and squeezes. The simple gesture seems to leave the alien surprised, a strange sensation that he has never felt before takes over his little body and he smiles even more. Idie doesn't mind that his smile is full of sharp teeth.

"Idie... how fascinating. Just looking at you has strange effects on my physiology. I can feel my knee joints getting weak and my mouth getting dry. Is this an effect of your power?"

Idie tilts her head, confused, finding the little guy adorable. She then pulls him back, easily tucking him behind her as she sees a Frankenstein approach. The temperature around them drops as the girl's hands wrap themselves in a thin layer of ice, Broo watches in awe as Idie creates a large wave of ice, trapping the Frankensteins in place.

Rachel has her back to Logan, using her powers to try to keep the Frankensteins away. The tremors are getting stronger and it's hard to keep balance when the ground around shakes and loses firmness. She and Logan have to be careful not to step wrong and fall.

"I'm crushing minds left and right, but there are too many of them! I can't take it any longer."

"Bobby, Coral, join Lullaby and Husk! Keep the children safe!" Wolverine instructs, burying his claws in a Frankenstein, raising it above his head to break him in half.

Bobby starts to protest.

"NOW!" Wolverine roars. "I will not lose any more children!"

Bobby stares at him with a frown. He looks around, seeing all his friends and students trying to keep the school safe. He grunts in frustration and looks down at his ice-covered hands, at the water rushing under his feet on the muddy ground, and realizes that Coral is pulling water from the lake and bringing it into the main courtyard.

He shakes his head and slides closer to the woman, calling over his shoulder to the others.

"We won't lose any children. I promise you." he smiles at Wolverine's frown. "Coral, I need more water here. The more you get, the better!"

Despite not quite understanding the plan, the younger woman does as he asks. Raising her arms above her head, her face twisted in concentration as she uses all the strength she has to lift a huge wave above them. Clear water floats around them, separating them from the Frankensteins.

Bobby nods and steps forward, sliding on an ice rink. He proceeds to freeze some of the water, trapping the remaining Frankensteins in one place while Logan, Inferno, and the other students ignite, slash, and destroy them.

When Coral's strength is gone, she drops to her knees with a sigh, looking on desperately as what's left of the water begins to fall. Everyone braces for impact but Bobby quickly freezes the rest. A white cloud covers the courtyard, the temperature drops considerably. Logan waves a hand to clear the mist, his eyes widening as he realizes what Bobby has done.

In addition to the snow and ice covering the courtyard floor, several bodies of ice form around them, deformed chunks of snow coming together to assume the most humanoid shape possible. They turn around as Bobby calls out to them, as if answering his call, and they start to split up, running to help the other students who have been trapped in the rubble or fire.

"Bobby? Is that you?" Kitty asks when a big snowman helps her up, amazed and admired like everyone else.

"Just your friendly neighborhood Iceman, madam." he gives her a wink.

"Bobby! Incredible!" Hank praises, going to his old friend to give him a strong slap on the back. "Controlling multiple bodies of ice... I had no idea you were capable of such a feat!"

"How are you doing it?" Kitty asks, seeing the multiple bodies moving by themselves, some stumbling, but moving forward.

Bobby joins in, sliding down a platform, throwing ice crystals at the remaining Frankensteins and clearing debris out of the way.

"Dunno. The idea just popped up. And I learned a long time ago that when you have an impulse like that, it's best to just go with it." he laughs and gives a thumbs up to Coral, who is still on her knees after using all her strength. "Thanks for the help, Coral. Good job."

The woman gives a thumbs up, getting help from Inferno and Logan to her feet.

None of them notice the other amazing life form present. Only he feels. He can almost see it moving beneath the earth, causing earthquakes and moving rocks, just as Iceman did, creating a body of his own.

He sees that Summers is too distracted to notice the four kids still watching. Each one frustrated by the Frankensteins' defeat. He expands his reach further and sees the little boy with the glasses slamming his device angrily.

"Serious? Iceman and that rookie just destroyed the last Frankensteins?!" The boy who thinks he's a baron says. Kilgore, however, is not as frustrated. He flashes one of those too-sharp smiles.

"Let's go to phase two."

He's the only one who sees it before it happens. The others in the courtyard are taken aback by the next earthquake, bigger than the others. A roar accompanies the tremors, shaking the land and the school as a new wave begins. Like the one that destroyed the field in the first place.

Everyone tries to hold on as the ground starts to open up and shift, coming to life. He almost laughed at the X-Men's confusion. He keeps his attention on the brats for a moment.

"Incredible." says Kilgore to the young Baron. "Will he continue to follow your commands?"

"I put it in an electromagnetic collar strong enough to destroy a comet. If it barks at me the wrong way, it will melt in seconds"

Now it's impossible not to notice. Another roar rocks the school as a face (a very ugly one, by the way) emerges from beneath the earth, fangs made of rocks poking out and red eyes forming as the creature starts to come out.

"There's only one chunk of dirt with an ugly face like that! It's fucking Krakoa!" Wolverine screams, trying to hold on to a metal rod when the piece of ground he was standing begins to emerge in the air.

"I thought we had destroyed him!" Summers shouts, hanging below him. She is gracefully grabbed by McCoy who manages to hold on better than the others.

"Krakoa, obviously. This explains the unusual seismic activity."

He sees the other students and X-Men also getting hit by the thing. That ice and fire girl is trying to stay on her feet as she runs with that ugly little alien. Toad and the other two teachers are huddled inside the danger room with the younger children.

He is satisfied for now, letting himself relax in the uncomfortable chair of detention, removing himself from the minds of others. He no longer needs to watch. Soon, soon, everyone will be finished anyway. He takes the drink Pryde gave him before locking him in the room alone. There's no one watching him anymore, Doop has left to help the others, he can leave whenever he wants.

But he prefers to take advantage and watch the fight now for the device that would be used to teach. If the school wasn't being destroyed right now. He sees Krakoa rising above the school through the cameras. Maybe the original was bigger? This one looks... younger.

He frowns as he thinks about it The original was destroyed years ago, and nobody had the luxury of trying to figure out what it was. Maybe it was one of the "first mutants" still alive on the planet. He can see it's mind. Animal rage, and also intelligence. Has this ever been a person before? Incredible.

Facing this creature with claws of metal, fire or ice is useless. It's like trying to stop an avalanche with your bare hands. There's only one person here with the power to take on Krakoa.

Quentin Quire relaxes in his chair and watches the chaos.

Chapter Text

August 10, 2018. Two weeks ago.

Avengers' Base, California.

The Captain is already waiting when they land. Logan is the last one out of the Blackbird, leaving Inferno inside the ship to wait, while Rachel follows one of the human agents into the base, disappearing into the corridors.

He walks beside Wilson, heavy boots tapping the metal floor.

"So, how is the reconstruction of the school going?"

Logan sighs a little, still looking straight ahead. He really doesn't want to have to explain, even if it was Steve, he doesn't like a lot of small talk. And he doesn't know Wilson like he knew Steve.

"We're almost there. Things are going faster than I expected. Everything is possible thanks to McCoy and the Shi'ar.

"May I know how you convinced the Shi'ar to participate in this?" Wilson asks. He doesn't get a response and sighs, to be expected. Still he continues, opening a metal door for Logan to go through first. "I heard you and Cyclops had a falling out, but I never expected it."

"I'm not asking you to choose sides. I just want a favor from you."

"You're an Avenger, Logan. Of course we will do whatever we can to help."

Logan leans against the wall and waits. Sam stands at the table in the center of the room, searching and passing files around. It takes a few minutes for him to find it, the file he wanted was locked by a password. Logan recognizes the codename of Sanguinária and takes the file in hand.

"Are you sure about that?" Sam raises an eyebrow and watches him go through the documents. Basic things about the kids. "These two are not the easiest to deal with. That's all we could find about, based solely on the mess they caused in New York last year."

Logan narrows his eyes.

"Have you met them?" he begins to read slowly.

Not much, he suspects the file he received isn't even complete. He knows that there is much that will still be kept hidden from him. It's okay, he has other ways to get to what he plans.

"Not exactly. I met their mother too, Sanguinária was never easy to get along with, not even when she was in the Avengers." Sam sighs, as if it was something that made him stressed. Logan understands the feeling, he's had to deal with Creed and his wife for a long time too. "Whatever you want with her kids, it won't be easy. We still don't have their exact location."

"There is no information about them in any database other than SHIELD's." Logan says, crossing his arms. "Creed and Sanguinária managed to keep their children a secret for years. Now that they're on their own, they need a place to stay safe."

"And will you give it to them? Are you willing to do this?"

Put that way, Sam sounds a bit like Steve. A little suspicious, but still trying to do the right thing, to make sure he can trust Logan with something this important. If it were anyone else, Logan knows things would be different. He wouldn't even be standing there in the first place. But he feels he can trust Sam. More than anyone else right now.

"They are kids. No matter what their parents did, they had nothing to do with it. Their mother is no longer here, and their father is gone. Do you know what can happen if these two are left alone?"

Sam nods thoughtfully. There's a look of understanding and empathy on his face, even behind the thick googles.

"I understand."

They return to the hangar. Just in time to see Rachel return to the Blackbird with Quentin Quire. The boy walks slowly and at his own pace, as he always does. His hair lost the pink dye it used to have and returned to its natural brown tone, and is now darker and longer than before.

Logan narrows his eyes once more when he sees the size of the restraining cuffs on his wrists and the helmet that blocks his powers.

"That's Quentin Quire over there, isn't it?" Sam asks, crossing his arms, now he looks at Logan suspiciously. "The boy who is considered a terrorist by three-quarters of the world government."

"Yep."

"Something tells me you won't hand him over to me."

"No. Quire will come with me."

Logan says, sounding more serious than ever. He turns to Sam, trying to show he means what he's saying.

"He will pay for the mess he created. Trust me, nobody wants to see him pay more than me. But you lock that boy in a cell somewhere, you're just gonna create a monster."

Rachel takes Quire to the Blackbird ramp. The helmet feels too heavy on his head, darkening his eyes, giving him a dark look. He still smiles, in that restrained, self-assured way. He looks at Cap and Wolverine like he wants to challenge them.

"That's why I won't leave him or the Creeds alone." Logan continues, keeping eye contact with Quire. "I'll take the three of them with me. I want to give these three a chance to mold them into something better."

"Quire has telepathic powers, right? Is that why I suddenly feel like hitting your face with my shield?"

Logan laughs. "I hope so."

"Are you sure you want to do this? These kids seem to be difficult to control."

"That's why I have Rachel. One of the most powerful telepaths in the world." he points to the woman, who starts to remove Quire's handcuffs. Then he points to the other muscular redhead waiting on the ramp. "And you know Inferno, right? Powerful heat manipulation, not as good as Sanguinária, but enough to keep the Creeds in line. And Coral is a new recruit, she controls water. And I will also have the Iceman with us."

"Looks like you thought of everything." Sam says impressed. He gives a nod of acknowledgement to Salazar, and she mimics the gesture.

"I take full responsibility for these three." Logan says seriously.

For a moment, he and Sam just stare at each other, until the Captain nods.

"Well, I am even allowed to say no?"

"You're Captain America now. You can do whatever the fuck you want, Sam." he pats the new cap in his shoulder plate, climbing onto the ramp of the Blackbird behind Inferno and Rachel. He stops when he sees Sam follow, stopping beside Quire.

"Alright. But I want a weekly update on his progress And the other two, if you can find them. And you better do it before their father does." Sam warns.

"That's what I intend."

"Any sign of trouble, the Avengers tak custody." he turns to Quentin, a strong and serious figure, but the boy doesn't even blink, he just smiles. "Quentin, be aware that you will not get another chance like this. I can promise you that. If I were you, I wouldn't waste it."

The telepath just chuckles, rolling his eyes as he turns his back on the Captain.

"How beautiful. Does the shield come with a manual on how to make the mushy speechs too? I must say, you're already doing a great job as Captain America." he takes one last look over his shoulder, sitting down in one of the seats in the ship. Inferno takes a seat beside him, squeezing him against the wall.

Sam watches the Blackbird lift off the landing and pull away. He lets out one last heavy breath before turning and walking inside.

Logan removes Quire's helmet and gives the boy a pointed look, warning him not to try anything stupid. Fortunately, he doesn't feel any sign of intrusion in his mind, but he's sure Quire feels like giving it a try.

"Next stop: Wolverine's Home for Wayward Boys." the boy says, putting his feet on the front seat. "I can't wait for that moment in the third act where your tough love and willingness to help me finally penetrates my cold little heart and reaches the lonely, scared boy inside me. It's going to be a blast." he smiles at Logan. "How about we skip all that and just go for the hug?"

"Shut up, kid." Wolverine growls back, making him be quiet. "How about this tough love of mine?"

Quentin relaxes, watching Krakoa attack with a satisfied smile. Not caring if the room he's in is also destroyed, at least he still has a place to sit and enjoy the show. He has to admit that, even though it was all orchestrated by a bunch of rich and spoiled kids, he's finding it a lot of fun.

"Oh, who knew being an X-Men would be so much fun?" he chuckles to himself, holding back a bit as another tremor hits the school. "But unfortunately for those losers, I'm pretty relaxed here in my seat."

The screen shows Krakoa trying to knock down one of the towers above the school, he's pretty sure those four pathetic little dots trying to stop it are Wolverine, Inferno, Cannonball and Armor. He laughs as the four are flung away.

"The whole school will be destroyed in a few minutes. Whether it's this sentient clod of dirt, or those assholes who call themselves professors. Does this thing has a record function?"

He is startled when one of the walls near his head is destroyed, a huge white figure pushing its way through, roaring and biting. He recognizes the human Marigold, who had been turned into a Wendigo. Her importance was so nil in the narrative that he had forgotten about her and the other human.

Marigold, in her monster form, doesn't notice Quentin yet, she is still too busy trying to eat the little broodlinh, who is trying to talk to her without fighting.

"Please, ma'am. If it is not too much trouble, could you not devour me?" he asks in a squeaky voice. Quentin watches the fight, sucking into his straw with a loud slurp sound.

"Leave him alone!"

The girl of fire and ice also appears, running through the wreckage to stand between the little alien and the human - now Wendigo. She raises her hands and unleashes a blast of ice, holding the monster in place, freezing it's torso and legs. The monster begins to roar in rage.

The girl turns to the little creature. "Broo, you can't just stand there. It's okay to fight if someone is hurting you."

"Oh, I think you're right, friend Idie." The Broodling says a little embarrassed. Idie picks up the round glasses from the floor, placing them on his skull again.

"Here, your glasses."

"He doesn't need glasses." Quentin rolls his eyes, drawing the attention of the two who probably didn't know he was there. "He's only wearing them because he thinks it makes him less scary. Sorry, little guy, it's not working. You're still so ugly it hurts."

"Oh, it's you again." Broo says, waving to him. "Hello friend. We haven't seen you since you arrived at school. What do you--"

Idie interrupts him, standing in front of Quentin and pointing a finger at his chest, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't be rude to him, whoever you are!"

Quentin frowns, raising his hands to her. "Wait, you don't even know who I am? Seriously? I am--"

The three are once again startled by another bang. This time the roof opens, and Mr. Clud, who is now a Sauron, falls into the room, barely conscious. The Strotian Prince follows, laughing like he's having the time of his life, hovering over the green monster's unconscious body.

"HA HA! IF ALL SCHOOLS ON EARTH ARE THIS FUN, I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I EVER SAID ABOUT YOU!" Kubark celebrates, stopping next to Idie and Broo.

He also gives Marigold-Wendigo another punch when he sees her breaking free from the ice prison that Idie made, sending her against a wall.

"Ah, the prince. Thanks for that." Idie says smiling. Even though she didn't like him the first five minutes he stepped foot in the school, she's grateful to have him around, considering his super strength and invulnerability.

Broo thanks him too, making the prince puff out his chest at the attention he's getting.

"What he hell?! You know who he is, but you don't know who I am?" Quentin asks indignantly, looking between the three of them. None of them seem to have any idea who he is. It frustrates him a lot. "I'm Quentin Quire!" he points to himself.

Kubark shrugs, wiping the blood off his face and turning away from the telepath.

"Never heard of. I would remember ridiculous hair like that."

"What?" Quentin puts his head in his hands. He had dyed his hair pink again just for this moment. "I'm the guy that staged the Riot at the Xavier's School. I am responsible for the schism that tore apart the X-Men."

"Oh, no." Idie shakes her head. "I'm pretty sure it was me."

"Are you serious? You?" Quentin turns to her. He looks her up and down, trying to remember where she fits into the whole plot with the attack on the museum and the attack of the Sentinel. Nothing comes to mind, so she must not be that important.

"It was not my intention..." she simply shrugs, running her finger over the scar she received that day on her cheek. Quentin still doesn't remember anything.

The Wendigo and Sauron start to rise, snarling and thrashing, their eyes fall on the four students and they slowly start to rise. Idie's fists ignite fire and ice at the same time, and Kubark cracks his knuckles, very excited for an upcoming fight.

"BACK FOR MORE, EH?! SPLENDID! KID GLADIATOR WILL CONTINUE WITH THE PUNCHES AND FINISH YOU!"

Broo holds up a finger and stops him briefly. "They seem to be semi-intelligent, maybe we can talk to them." He smiles and waves to the two monsters. "Greetings, brother omnivorous. Welcome to the Jean Gray School for Higher Learning. Could you please stop attacking us?"

Neither of the monsters show sign of comprehension, roaring at Broo's pathetic attempt of reasoning. Before Kubark can punch them again, Quentin enters their minds, holding them in place for a second.

"This is ridiculous! You two! Fight each other!" he orders.

Immediately Marigold and Clud lunge at each other, biting and clawing like two wild animals. Quentin smiles in satisfaction as his display of power causes the other three to look at him in astonishment and admiration.

"Incredible." says Broo. "Your powers of persuasion could be useful, friend. We really need your help to save the school."

Kubark groans in frustration, slamming his fists together and running out of the destroyed building.

"I already got bored! Let's get that giant thing that's trying to eat the school."

He flies towards Krakoa, shouting something in his own language. Quentin rolls his eyes. This prince is just as excited as he is about all the destruction, but it doesn't make him happy at all. This should be his moment. Now he has to deal with the three idiots who don't even know who he is.

It would be nice to have someone who enjoys the destruction of the X-Men as much as he does. But these three don't understand. And they are on the side of Wolverine and the other teachers, defending the school from the big villain of the week.

"Come with us, Denton." Idie calls him, running away with Broo beside her. None of them wait for him.

"My name is Quentin!" he yells, getting more and more frustrated. "How do you not know me? My name was trending on Twitter for weeks! They made buttons with my face! I'm famous!" he waits and no one really pays attention.

The Wendigo and Sauron are still fighting on his side. He is left alone in the already destroyed room. Feeling irritated now that his fun has been ruined.

He crosses his arms and watches Kubark fly around Krakoa's giant head, trying to knock it down with punches. At least he's making some damage than the others. But that won't be enough. Krakoa will keep trying to destroy the school and even if he is destroyed he will regenerate and return.

Quentin hopes he succeeds. So he can kiss this ridiculous school goodbye. Right?

No no. He shakes his head angrily. All the teachers are gathering to try and stop Krakoa. No one is even paying attention to him. And worse: all this destruction was the work of those Hellfire Club brats. If by any chance the X-Men defeat Krakoa, they'll be the villains of the week.

Quentin can't let that happen. If anyone is going to destroy Wolverine's dream, it will be him.

"Oh, you know what? Bon voyage to all you idiots." He throws his hands up impatiently, finally deciding his next move. "I'm tired of this school."

He starts running out of the destroyed building, making his way through the rubble to get to Krakoa first.

The teachers didn't get very far with their attempts. Krakoa continues to destroy everything in its path. Some of them managed to get close enough to use their powers, however, their attacks are like water hitting a stone wall. Not even Rachel can get inside the great mutant's head, it's mind too full of rage to be understood.

Quentin can see Wolverine and other teachers hanging pathetically from Krakoa's body. He almost laughs at their attempts, but decides he'll have plenty of time for that later. He manages to get closer to the big mountain of rocks, grabbing a pebble to get its attention, he screams as loud as he can.

"Hey, you ugly thing! You already had fun. If I'm going to have a miserable school year at this goddamn school, everyone else is going to. That includes you."

He throws more pebbles. One of Krakoa's red eyes appears in front of him, staring at the teenager who looks tiny compared to it's large body. Quentin is not intimidated.

"Time to go back to the ground like a good little island."

He is taken aback when Krakoa moves, it's roar causing the earth to shake again. He almost loses his balance and falls into the gap that appears in front of him, but is grabbed by some thick roots, being lifted in the air closer and closer to Krakoa's face.

"Alright. Let's see what goes on in that brain of yours." he takes a deep breath, watching the ground get further and further away until he is put right in front of a big red eye. He closes his own eyes and expands his powers, trying to penetrate the monster's mind.

It is not so difficult. He thinks it's ridiculously easy. He wants to laugh at how Summers was having a hard time communicating with the monster.

His smile drops when he manages to penetrate the barriers of Krakoa's mind. It's like being hit by a cloud of hot steam, burning your skin and your eyes. He senses Krakoa, he expands his mind further, searching for the monster's consciousness. He finds it and... he stops, opening his eyes to look at the thing destroying the school.

"Ah, you are not the original Krakoa." He exclaims, surprised.. "She's still... you're not... was that little shit who created you? A young Dr. Frankenstein? Now you're lying." He rolls his eyes. Krakoa shakes with rage and he throws his hands up, trying to remain calm. "You've been mistreated your whole life, trained to destroy. Hey, I understand you're angry. More than angry."

Another earthquake hits the school as Krakoa roars. No, he cries. Quentin's eyes widen when he feels the immense sadness coming from that being. He covers his ears. He doesn't know why he gets so angry when he sees the monstrous crying. But he felt, for the first time in years, genuine anger inside him as he feel Krakoa's rage and pain.

"You're alone too, aren't you? It's not fun, I know." he says sincerely. To his surprise, Krakoa moves closer, making an understanding noise. Quentin feels stupid for being so nice, but at least the attack has stopped. "Yeah, you regret the things you've done when you're alone. You hurt people. But you are not mean. I can see it. You just don't know how to... how to express yourself."

He looks down, seeing the X-Men assemble again. He sees the prince and the girl of fire and ice also preparing their attacks. If they continue, Krakoa will fight back. And he feels that this time it will be much worse.

The rafters holding him up are replaced by massive boulders that keep him dangling in the air, his heart stopping for a second as he spins around and is put upside down, watching Krakoa duck towards the X-Men. Lava begins to bubble up and rise through fissures and craters in the ground. Oh, he has to act fast.

"YOU ARE DIFFERENT!" he yells, trying to draw Krakoa's attention back to himself. "YOU ARE A MUTANT NO ONE UNDERSTANDS! SOMETIMES YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND YOURSELF!"

Krakoa stops again, making a noise like an inquiry. It looks at Quentin again.

The young telepath slaps his hands against his face, finding the whole thing ridiculous. He's supposed to be the villain, he's the guy who started the Schism, and now he's having a heart-to-heart chat with the thing made to destroy mutants. He laughs softly at the indescribable situation.

"Dude, what the fuck. If I knew... is this the third act already?" He looks around, feeling stupid. "Hey Hey! Before you eat me, I have an idea!"

Krakoa stares at him, as if it's genuinely curious.

Logan lands on his butt on the rubble-strewn floor, muttering to himself, he doesn't put his claws in, still ready for any sign of danger. He feels mud hitting his boots and realizes that brown water is running across the ruined courtyard. Oh great, all his work for nothing.

He looks around for the others, finding them all on the ground again, also covered in mud.

"What happened? Did we kill it?"

"The lava stopped rising." Inferno said, still covered in flames just as Bobby is still in his ice form. There is no more danger, however.

"Coral, Inferno, let's get the kids out there and help Hank." Kitty says, running inside along with the other two women.

Rachel has her eyes closed, her hand on her head like she's in pain. She relaxes, turning to Logan with an expression of surprise.

"Krakoa is talking to me. It says it didn't want to attack us. The Hellfire Club raised it and forced it to do this. It's apologizing, poor thing. I think it's crying."

"That explains the mud." Bobby says. "What else is it saying?"

Rachel looks up at the sentient rock mountain, the large red eyes now looking directly at her, Krakoa's head lowered a little as if he was embarrassed. For a creature made of rocks, she thinks he looks like an abandoned puppy.

"He... he asks if he can also be an X-Man." she says. Bobby and Logan also raise their eyebrows in surprise.

"This is amazing, Rachel! Good job." Bobby praises her, patting her on the back.

"But it wasn't me..."

"Not now!" Logan runs towards the entrance gate, claws still out. "Tell everyone to gather immediately at the gate. Everyone!"

Still in the same spot as before, the four young members of the Hellfire Club are gathered, all confused by the sudden lull of the attack. Kilgore paces back and forth in frustration as young Baron Maximilian smacks his controller.

"The Krakoa is not responding!"

"Then kill that thing!" Kade pushes him hard, making him stumble forward. "Before he decides--"

"I'm afraid it won't work." Beast's voice surprises them, they find him standing right behind their backs. "Your electromagnetic lash was severed, you lost. Your terrible, naughty children." he grumbles with a frown.

Logan takes a step towards the four of them, making the children stumble back. He's furious, claws out like he's ready to pounce. Behind him, a crowd of students and teachers gather, some smiling or wearing angry expressions. Even the giant head of Krakoa is on the side of the X-Men.

"Listen up, Hellfire brats, and listen good because I'm only going to say it once." Logan warns them with a growl. "Stay the hell away from my school!"

The crowd behind him stand, some showing their powers as a threat. Even Quentin is among them, scowling. The four children waste no time getting to their feet and running to the expensive car they came in.

"Whatever, old man!" Kade scoffs, being pushed inside. Manuel pulls Wilhelmina inside, the little girl whimpering like a spoiled child.

"HAVE FUN CLEANING UP YOUR MESS, MUTIES."

"AAAWW! WE'RE NOT GOING TO KILL ANYONE?!"

Maximilian hides among them, dropping his controller to the ground. Hank picks up the object from the ground, crushing it between his claws. He and Logan watch as Kilgore's car speeds away. With the attack finally stopped and the day still halfway through, the students and teachers alike relax and sigh, seeing the destruction that has taken place.

Kitty is still trying to get Clud and Marigold to stop hitting each other. Quentin ignores them, smiling at Logan like he always does.

"Don't worry, headmaster Wolvie. I will say it for you: Class dismissed! " he claps his hands and follows the others inside. Kubark, Idie and Broo are close behind.

"Will homework still be due tomorrow?"

Chapter Text

August 28, 2018.

Jean Grey School, Main Courtyard.

Husk finally sits down on the grass to take her second attempt at first class. Younger students sit around her as again staff rush in and out of the school to finish rebuilding the campus.

"Forgive me, sweeties. Until our classroom is rebuilt, our literature classes will be here in the garden. But it's quite cozy, isn't it?" Paige smiles, the children agree with her. Fortunately they are better behaved than the other students. "Let's open on the first page of our new books."

"But it's too bright here, miss. Can't we sit in the shade?" asks a little girl in front of her, her bat mutation makes her eyes sensitive, so she hides under a thick sweatshirt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Echo."

To everyone's surprise, a small crater appears behind Paige, then a branch begins to grow and in a few seconds, it becomes an apple tree. The green leaves protect the class from the sun.

"Thank you, Krakoa. It's perfect." Paige pats the grass, feeling the earth shake just a little bit.

Rachel, Kitty and Logan pass by, waving to the children, watching the rebuilding and repairs. Bobby's clones still run around, helping to carry materials and lift debris. The bamfs that Hank accidentally let into the school are still running around stealing things, but they seem to be mostly harmless. Logan decides it's best to just ignore them before he loses the last of sanity he has.

"Krakoa thanks you again for letting him stay." Rachel says.

"Oh! He's so sweet." Kitty smiles. With her hand on her chin, she thinks for a moment. "Is it him or she? Can a walking island have gender?"

"He can stay as long as he wants." Logan shrugs, kicking a bamf that got too close. "Having a school ground that can fight will be very useful. It would be nice if he could turn one of the lakes into beer."

"I just have no idea how I managed to connect to him. It's like one moment his mind is totally closed off to me, and the next… it just opens up. " Rachel tells them, looking around the half-destroyed school. "Do you think that..."

They see Quentin Quire lying on the lawn near one of the pools, wearing sunglasses and headphones. There is a sign behind him that reads "Send More Sentinels". He looks too relaxed so the three professors walk right past him.

"Quire? I'd like to think so." Logan shakes his head. "But no, can't say I do."

Hank walks past them too. This time properly dressed in his best suit, his arms around Marigold and Clud, whom he had brought back to normal. Both humans seem very comfortable with him, laughing at some joke he told.

"They really don't remember anything?"

"Just what they need to remember." Rachel winks. She rolls her eyes at Kitty's disapproving glare. "What? I know it's unethical, but it's necessary to keep the school open."

"I'm not saying anything. Let's just pretend none of that happened. In the end, it wasn't such a bad first day of school, was it?"

"Yeah, just need to deal with the other two problems." Logan grumbles as they enter the main building, heading to the teachers' room on the first floor. They go in and close the door, Kitty puts her hand to her head and sighs as she watches him throw out all the files she's kept hidden.

"We're actually doing this. Let me see. They don't look that bad." she says as she reads, looking at the photos of the two teenagers. Both with cat eyes and unfriendly expressions.

"Are you sure about this?" Rachel questions, leaning against the wall. Logan grunts when she gives him that look of reprehension. "You plan keeping not only Quire at our school, but also a potentially destructible alien and the children of two villains?"

"There's nothing I can hide from you, heh?"

Rachel narrows her eyes. "Have you told the others yet?"

"No. Not yet. We gonna wait at least a week before going after the kids." He scratches the back of his head, looking to the destruction outside the window.

"We never planned that this would happen." Kitty comments, shaking her head. Rachel looks between them and crosses her arms. Clearly not content with their plans.

"So? How do you plan on bringing these kids here? How you will find them, Logan?"

"Inferno found them." He answers, still looking away. He hears the way Rachel rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to protest, so he raises a hand and turns back to her. "She brought the Creeds to Utopia. Before the Schism. She knows where they live and are hiding right now."

"She was part of the Inner Circle!" Rachel points, raising her voice. "She betrayed us before to Apocalypse! How you can trust her and keep her here when she was already a threat for us before?!"

"I don't. I don't trust her. But right now we can't choose who will be part of this or not." He waves his hand around the teachers room. "I asked who wanted to join me after the Schism. You choose to come, Rachel, she did too"

Kitty puts a hand on Rachel's arm. "All of us agreed to do this. For the kids. Inferno is suspicious and the one the last people you put your hand in the fire for. But she's here."

"How we know she won't pull shit against us again?" Rachel asks.

"She better be smart enough to not try." Logan says, rubbing his palm on his knuckles. He looks back at the files he has on the table, eyebrows furrowing. "I still need to clear some things with her first."

Kitty looks at Rachel, who is still looking displeased with all of this. Lips forming a pout and eyebrows furrowed deeply. A sight that makes her look so much like her mother. Kitty sighs and smiles, tapping her on the red shoulder plate of her suit.

"We need your help here too, love. Didn't you said that's why you are here?"

Rachel shrugs her hand away, pointing a finger between Kitty and Logan. "I am here to protect these kids. To make sure they are ready for the future that is coming."

"Then stay."

"I wasn't planning on leaving Kitty. I will stay." She says firmly, then looks at Logan, deeply in his eyes. "For the kids."

Logan giver her a thankful nod.

Idie was quite surprised by her second day of school being so calm. She had enjoyed the first one, despite the confusion they went through and if she pretend that Psychic Defense didn't exist. She made a friend on the first day, just like Ms. Pryde had asked her to do.

She didn't had intentions on getting too close of her classmates, but according to Pryde, it wouldn't be bad to have at least one person to talk too. And the little alien she had accidentally given a name was very adorable.

She was thinking about him as she followed her classmates to the cafeteria that day. The food that they served at the school is mostly normal, but there's many plates she never saw before, and she swears she could never eat. But since they have a broodling and the prince Gladiator attending there, it makes sense that they have to eat different stuff.

Idie takes a tray and fills it with simple rice, beans, salad and chicken. She looks around as she leaves the line, watching the cafeteria fills with a cacofonia of voices, young mutants either flying or running around the room. She sighs to herself and takes a seat in a empty table in the corner.

She had just finished praying when a second tray is placed by her side, almost spilling food in the table. She looks down and finds the little alien she met before climbing on the bench. When he succeeds, he opens a big, stretched smile full of teeth.

"Good evening, friend Idie!" He greets in his high pitched voice. And Idie can't help but smile back at him, finding his cheerful tone sweet.

"Hello, Broo. I haven't seen you since the attack."

"Oh, it is true. I have been busy helping Mr. McCoy fix the lower levels after the lava and the Frankensteins destroyed everything." he explains. He looks at the way Idie holds her spoon and tries to mimic it, narrowing his eyes in concentration to do it right. "A unfortunate thing I had to miss the classes for today, but Mr. McCoy say it is not a problem."

Idie shows him how to hold the spoon, moving her fingers slowly. Must be difficult for him to do it like her, having three clawed fingers. He smiles gratefully and they eat their dinner together.

"Well, I'm sure it's not. You seem to be very smart."

Broo looks surprised by the compliment. His insectoid red eyes widen, and then he giggles in delight, kicking his tiny legs under the table.

Idie thinks he's too sweet. And pities him. She saw that he is not willing to fight, even when his life is in the line. If he continues to be like this, she fears he won't last long living with the X-Men.

She shakes the thought away. No, she shouldn't be thinking about death. She looks away from Broo and around the room and spots another familiar face. The telepath they met during the fight. He looks angrier than before, distant. She recognizes the way he walls fast through the cafeteria, trying to avoid everyone.

"Hello, Denton!" She greets when he walks past their table. Broo also looks up, notices him and waves.

The telepath, however, is not pleased by their presence; his pale face becomes red and he walks back to them with heavy steps, leaning to Idie, speking through gritted teeth.

"That's not my name! My name is Quentin! Quen-tin!" He says harshly, almost screaming at her.

Idie is taken back by his reaction. She almost screams back at him, but no, she shakes her head and apologies for her mistake.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't forget my name again." He says before walking away, pushing two students on his way.

Idie frowns and turns to Broo, who also looks surprised by Quentin's explosion. "What's wrong with him? I know he has some problems with authority but..."

Broo shrugs, looking quite down by the unfriendly meeting. Idie is more than just offended. She understand she committed a mistake, but he didn't need to be so rude. She wants to go confront him.

She is already up and ready to go after Quentin when the chatting on the cafeteria stops after a loud crash echoes in the room. Everyone stands up, mutations ready, and Idie is preparing for a fight, until she notices it's just the prince.

Kubark is in the front of the order area, screaming something in his own language, so fast that the translator in his neck can't keep up with his voice. Idie and other students walk to him, trying to understand what he's saying.

"This is blasphemy!" He screams, the mechanic voice sounding more calm than he is. "Why do I have to serve my own plate? Back at Chandilar, I would have servants to do it for me." He crosses his arms, eyes glowing behind the red glasses.

The guard that was sent with him is holding her sword down, like trying to keep a distance between the prince and the students waiting I'm the line.

"My Lord, may I remind you that we are not in Chandilar. And your father had stated you will not have the same luxuries here."

"Father wants me to act like one of them?!" Kubark shouts at her, pointing to the others mutants.

Behind him, Ben Hamill rolls his invisible eyes and tries pushing him out of the way. "Hey, man. If you don't want to eat here, you can leave. Everyone here is doing just fine serving themselves. Move."

Kubark pushes his flaming hand away, the armor he's wearing still intact. He points at Ben. "Don't you try tell me what to do! I am the prince of Shi'ar!"

"Prince of Shi'ar?" Ben repeats, more bored than anything else.

"Fuck off!" Hisako Ichicki shouts at Kubark. "You don't get to be a dick just because your dad is the Majestor now!"

"You are at Jean Grey School now, better learn how to behave, if you don't want to get in trouble." Santo Vaccarro says above the heads of his classmates, cracking his knuckles. Idie sighs, already knowing where this is going.

"Oh, God. Broo, stay here." She tells the little alien.

"What you will do, friend?" He asks, worried. She ignores and runs through the crowd to the order area. She passes past Quentin, who is ignoring the commotion going on with a bored look, eyes fixed in his food.

"Trouble?" Kubark laughs, taking flight to stay at Santo's height. "With you? You are a bunch of insects compared to me!"

"That's it, I'm gonna kick his ass!" Hisako pushes her tray at Anole. "Hold this, Victor."

She is ready to punch Kubark, her power sparkling in her hands. The Warbird raises her sword, standing between her and Kubark, the sharp blade close to Hisako's face.

"You lay a hand on the prince and I will spill your remains on this ground." She warns coldly.

"Hey, back off, Warbird, I don't need your help!"

"I have orders to defend you, my lord."

"Hey, let's stop fighting." Idie pleads, pushing her way through the crowd, raising her hands. She reaches Kubark and holds his arm. "We are not supposed to be fighting."

Kubark says something she can't understand, but she's sure he's telling her off. He moves away from her, pushing her down on the ground. It doesn't hurt, but it's enough to make the tension in the cafeteria burst out and everyone start the imminent fight. Santo is the first. He punches Kubark in the face, his fist made of stone making the glasses of quartzo break.

"Hey!" Kubark doesn't move, he's completely fine after the punch and Idie is surprised. She saw Santo destroying Sentinels before. And he can't even hurt Kubark.

"You think you are big shit?!" Santo keeps trying to hit him, sending punch after punch that are easily blocked by the prince. "Guess what?! You're not in Shi'ar anymore, your orders mean nothing here."

Idie sits in the floor, protecting her head from the sparkles of power flying above them. She hears the light tap tap of Broo's claws. The little alien walks calmly to her, hiding behind her back.

"Actually," he says, raising a finger "the Shi'ar have authority in many sections across the galaxies, not only in Galaxy M-33, so they believe they have the right to intervene on Earth matters."

Santo stops at his his words, holding Kubark's face on his hand, between his fingers. He leans down to asks Broo.

"But this is an official thing or just some bullshit they say?"

"Of course--!" Kubark shouts under Santo's grip. Broo gives them a shy smile, shrugging.

"Well, nothing was ever officially stabilized and Earth never agreed on following the Shi'ar laws. So..."

It's everything he needs to hear. Santo lets go of Kubark and punches him again, stronger this time.

Kubark holds his arm in his smaller hand, still high in the air, and pulls Santo down, sending a punch on his face that makes the bigger mutant flying back. When he falls behind, it's Bling! who goes after Kubark, with Yukio and Nezhno right behind.

Idie is watching everything with widen eyes, protecting Broo in her arms. She can't believe her classmates are actually fighting in the cafeteria like they're in a battlefield. She looks for Warbird, who is supposed to be keeping an eye on the prince, and finds her flying above her, trying to keep Hisako and Keller away from the prince.

The rest of the students, mainly the youngest and new ones that can't control their mutations, are watching from a safe distance. It's enough!

Idie leaves Broo on the floor and stands up, walking to the confusion of swear words and powers with heavy steps, her fist clenched. Fire and ice are blooming in her skin, ruining her uniform.

No one stops fighting until she raises her hands to them. The few that notice move out of the way, but can't escape when Idie shoots a wave of ice towards them. Her power flows like a torrent, trapping everyone under it. There's some protests and shouts, some in another languages she can't comprehend.

When she stops, the air in the cafeteria fell to a freezing temperature. She takes a deep breath, looking down at her freezing fingers. Then at her classmates buried under snow, confused and shaking.

"Stop it! Stop it!" She shouts at them, angrily. Everyone look at her with giant eyes. "What are you thinking?! We're are not supposed to be fighting each other! We are all in the same side here!"

"I'm not one of you!" Kubark screams, pushing his away out of the snow.

Santo jumps out of the snow as well, almost drowing Bling! and Anole under it. "I'm not fighting alongside him!"

"I could say the same." Kubark snarls. "Soon I will destroy this school and leave this planet just ashes."

"I wanna see you try--!" Santo attacks.

Idie is ready to completely freeze them both when they move towards each other, but she doesn't need to. A ghostly voice echoes in the halls, like a delicate bell ringing in their ears. Like someone pushed Idie under water. She stops and... and relaxes.

"Enough."

Everyone falls under the spell of the voice. The fight, the curses and the noise stops. Idie looks behind her, finding Broo swaying from side to side, looking out of this world. Oh, she gets it.

Lullaby have entered the cafeteria, floating above the floor like a ghost. She doesn't look happy with the disorder happening, her gentle face is twisted in a deep, disappointed frown.

Idie understand now the reason for her codename. Her voice is still quiet, but powerful and she feels that simple words coming from her teacher could put her down. The same goes for Kubark, who is calm, in a weird way, looking far away in the air, muscles relaxed.

Warbird stands by his side, grabbing his shoulder and trying to wake him up.

"My Lord!" She calls, shaking him. He doesn't move. She turns to Lullaby and draws her sword. "Release him, thinker! Or I'll cut your tongue off!"

Lullaby looks at the Warbird and speaks in the same tone, her voice egging again. "You too, calm down." She orders, and Warbird falls into a transe, letting her sword fall.

Lullaby crosses her arms when everyone stops fighting. The other students come back inside the cafeteria to clean the mess. Idie is shyly standing next to the teacher, hands still covering in ice. The sign she is also guilt of the confusion.

"I believe all of you know the rules of the school: we don't fight against each other." Lullaby starts her scolding. Kubark seems to wake up and opens his mouth. Lullaby cuts him off. "Silence, your highness. You are a student at Jean Grey School now, and your father had already told you that you are here to learn and under our care until you either graduate or he decides to take you back home. That means you follow the rules and respect the staff and other students."

Kubark grunts, unhappy, and crosses his arm, looking away in what Idie believes is embarrassment. Lullaby turns to Warbird, waving her off, telling her to start digging in the snow to release the other students.

"I honestly don't care about your titles. So don't try. Warbird, your job is protect the prince from outsider treats, not harm the others." She points at Santo. "And you, Mr. Vacarro. It's past the time you learn to not fight others."

She turns to Idie, and the girl puts her head down. To her surprise, the teacher sounds more calm talking to her.

"Are you involved in this too?"

Idie nods slowly. She sees Broo also looking down next to her feet.

"I... tried to stop the fight, ma'am. I'm sorry." She points to the snow in the floor.

Lullaby smiles to her. Putting a hand unfer Idie's chin to make her look up. "Then it's alright." She reassures her. Then looks to the rest of the students that Warbird and Santo helped get out of the snow. "All of you come with me to suspension."

There's a series of protests (from the students) and threats (from Warbird). Lullaby ignores it and walks out of the cafeteria with a high posture, certain they will follow her. And they do. No one is happy with the situation, and Idie sees the mutants glaring daggers at Kubark as they follow their teacher.

Idie sighs. The snow is covering big part of the order area. And the rest of the lunch is ruined. She feels guilty, and embarrassed. The others area also looking at her. She gives them an apologetic look and uses her opposite power to melt the snow.

Toad, who was called five minutes ago, grumbles at her when he needs to mop the floor. He walks past her in a rude way, and Idie takes it as her clue to leave.

She walks back to her table. Her lunch is cold now, but she sits down and puts a hand in her face to hide herself. Broo sits next to her, looking worried, he tilts his head.

"Are you alright, friend?"

"I am." She answers coldly.

"You look troubled." Broo says. She wants to tell him she is. He doesn't seem to understand the situation right now. Or why she's upset. He smiles, widely and brightly. "You don't have to be, the fight is over and Ms. Lullaby have already solved everything."

"It's not that." Idie throws her fork in the tray. Putting both hands in her forehead, she sighs deeply. "I just don't... why we have to fight all the time? Things always get worse when we fight our friends." She mutters, putting her hands down, looking at her palms. Feeling a lump in her throat when she remembers what happed back in Utopia. Back with the Lights after the attack. "I should have done something before they started attacking each other."

Broo is quiet for a few seconds. Feeling her discomfort, he puts his head down. He does not understand why she's so upset. He never had to deal with many emotions before. But Idie is sad and he likes her genuinely. He pats his claws in the table and thinks about what to say.

Then he smiles and touches her arm, patting her with his paw. "If it makes you feel better, I believe your willingness to step between them and stop them is something to be admired." He smiles, then looks away, shyly. "At least, it's what Ms. Pryde told me."

Idie smiles too. Just a little lift of her lips. "Thank you." She puts her hand above his paw.

The bell rings and the sound sounds less chaotic than the fight that just happened. Idie stays seated until it ends, watching the others leave the cafeteria, still guilty they lost their lunch today because of her interference.

When it's just them left, she leaves her half eaten lunch in the table and walks out with Broo by her side, the alien trying to keep up with her steps.

"Mr. Logan said this is a place for us to be safe from the fights." She says in a solemn tone, not really talking to him, but he listens. "I hope all of us can be friends in the future. I would hate to have to be in another war again.

The next morning. August 29, 2018.

The corporate headquarters of Kilgore Arms.

The door bursts open, Kade turns in his ridiculously large chair, still sipping his juice box, to yell at his secretary about the intrusion and sees her trying to stop a red-haired man in sunglasses from entering his office. He quickly dismisses her and continues walking to Kade's desk, his cane tapping the floor in front of him.

"Kade Kilgore?" He asks and the boy narrows his eyes at his strange appearance.

"Yes. Who the hell are you?"

"Matt Murdock. Attorney at law. This is for you." he responds handing over a small stack of papers that Kade snatches from his hand.

The kid lifts his own sunglasses to read the first few lines, and is quickly filled with rage at the contents.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? AM I BEING SUED?"

Murdock just nods, his expression still serious, but Kade can see that the corners of his lips have turned up a little.

"For the sum of 879 million dollars. That should cover the damage you caused to the Jean Gray School for Higher Learning."

"I'm being sued... by Wolverine?!" Kade says incredulously, standing up to scream in the lawyer's face. "This is ridiculous!"

"On the contrary, I believe that you will find everything in order. If you don't pay what's asked, we'll take control of all your interests, including the company. I look forward to hearing your legal cousel, Mr. Kilgore."

He turns his back to leave, leaving Kade seething in his office, before heading out the door, however, Murdock half turns towards him, this time letting a smile appear on his face.

"Ah, my client also asked me to deliver a personal message to him. I believe it went something like, "Back at ya, kid"."

The door closes and Kade fumes in his stupidly high chair. He shouts to his secretary, to his father's ex-secretary, to make a call for him. He is not defeated yet.

Chapter Text

Long after the curfew

Salazar is sitting alone in the cafeteria, her large figure shrunken in one of the benches. A small flame dances in her hands as she moves her fingers around, making imaginary forms with the fire. She doesn't move when Logan takes place in the bench in front of her, throwing the files she got for him the last morning on the table between them.

She keeps watching her own mutation.

"So, everything going according to your plan?"

Logan shakes his head with a heavy, tired breath.

"Can't say everyone is happy with my decision."

"I expected that. You haven't told everyone yet, right?"

"Not all of them. Hank, Rachel, Kitty..."

"So, no problems at all?" She asks curiously.

"Rachel already knows. It's impossible to hide anything from her. She will stay with us, I thought she was going to leave. But, no. Bobby doesn't know yet."

"I feel he will be more difficult to convince." Inferno comments. She knows the younger mutant is good, loyal, but he will never be willing to accept people that could be a threat to the kids they're protecting. He almost didn't accept to come to Salem Center when Logan told him she was there.

"I know it."

Inferno nods and puts the flames away, waving to him, like encouraging him to talk. The room is filled with darkness again. Only the moonlight falling above them from the tall windows.

"So, I know you're not here to just sit and chat with me."

Logan pushes the files forward, opening the yellow case to show the papers inside. His face is hidden in the dark, but she can see the serious light on his eyes.

"I want to know more about them, Salazar."

Inferno looks down to the files. Seeing the familiar faces in the paper. The pictures are from two years ago. Both have dark skin like their mother, but there's traces of Creed on them too: the golden, cat like eyes and sharp teeth. Inferno sees both Creed and Márquez in them.

Her lips furrow in displeasure. "You already got the files from SHIELD. And what I could get from my mother's library."

Logan snaps, slamming his hand on the table. The sound echoes in the empty area of the building. Inferno stays in her place, also narrowing her dark eyes at him, feeling more than disrespected. How dare this kid scream at her?, she thinks. Her fists close above the table, smoking rising from her skin.

He goes through the pages of the files, showing the list of numbers on them. Pictures of the kids and their parents.

"That's what I want to know. I asked you to get stuff about Creed's sons and you came here with a list of powers and this!"

He holds up a page, with a handmade drawing of a human body, and what looks like a scientific study, like the books about mutations McCoy has in his lab. Inferno recognizes the intricate handwriting of the pages, signed by Elsa Santiago, The Mother, the head of Inner Circle. Her eyes drive away from the name, a grimm expression paints her face.

"What is this? Why did Santiago got these things about children?" Logan asks aggressively. Not leaving place for discussion. She knows he will pry into this, she like it or not. "What the hell yer hiding from me, Salazar?"

"Hiding? I ain't hiding shit, kid. I got you what you wanted. Everything about the kids from my mother's files."

"Why would Santiago and the Inner Circle have these stuff about them?"

Inferno takes a moment to read some of the notes her mother wrote down. About mutations, about the kids powers. Her finger runs over the intricate symbol of the Inner Circle in the page. Logan waits, arms crossed and a harsh face.

After a long silence, she looks at him again and says in a more serious voice.

"My mother was obsessed with mutation supremacy. To the point where she would do anything to ensure that our species would survive humanity. She created the Inner Circle to gather powerful mutants, and the best of us would be part of the Inner Circle."

"You and Lullaby?" He asks. Inferno points her finger between herself and the air, as if her older sister is with them.

"She's the Second Pillar, I am the Third. Mother wanted Sanguinária to be Fifth."

"Why?"

Inferno looks more annoyed, her hate for the woman evident. "She believed Márquez had some special genes, something about her powers, about her lineage."

"And Márquez refused, right?" Logan asks, already knowing the answer. Inferno nods slowly. "Eh. She is not the type to work with others."

"And my mother is not the type that gives in easily." Inferno continued. "She did everything to bring Márquez to us and was refused every single time, for more than a hundred of years. When Márquez married Creed and left, mother was furious."

"Why she has this?" Logan points to the drawing of the human body. His lips furrow when he understands what is it. It's one of Creed's children, and a study of their power. "She wanted Creed's sons?"

"Sinister ran experiments with Creed's blood after the Marauders and got into a conclusion that a child born from Sanguinária and Sabretooth would inherent their mutations."

Inferno takes a one of the paper and shows to him.

A file about the oldest kid. He looks more like Creed, even if he has his mother's face. Yellow eyes, full of anger look to the camera, their young face twisted in anger. Logan reads the first informations about them.

Name: Julian Márquez Creed.
Date of Birth: ??/??/2004
Mutation: Retractable claws, fangs, strong healing factor, fire manipulation.

"Happens that Sinister was right. Their first child has all their powers. They had it since their birth, they are not like the mutants born in yours or McCoy's generation. You need to see the kid, Logan." Inferno raises her hands, like showing him something amazing in front of them. "He can control his mutantion and he's so young. When I brought them to Utopia, he tried to burn me. Of course it couldn't do shit to me, but if it was anyone else..."

Logan shakes his head. "He would have killed you. I saw the kid, he has a thick skull. Just like their father." He sighs, pressing his nose bridge between his fingers. "He's hard to deal with. Heard he caused confusion in Utopia."

"That's why we are all asking you: you think it's a good idea to bring these children here?"

Logan doesn't answer right away. Inferno stares at him in silence. It's quite an amusing sight for her, seeing the Wolverine looking so beaten up and tired. A small grin forms in her lips. A lazy stretched line that shows her sour delight, she can't deny she likes it. Seeing the old man so, so tired.

He picks a cigar from his pocket, putting in his mouth. Inferno lazily moves her hand, the heat of her powers lighting the cigar without she having to touch it. Logan only grunts as a thanks.

"What about the other one?" He asks. Looking to the second child in the files. A young little boy with such sweet and innocent face that he would believe he's Sabretooth's son if he didn't read the name above his picture.

Name: Hunter Márquez Creed.
Date of Birth: ??/??/2006
Mutation: Retractable claws, fangs, weak healing facto

Inferno looks less interested about him.

"Not much to do about him. He can't even heal himself properly. But he's smart."

"Smart how?"

"You know, like these new little "young genius" we see on the TV." She shrugs and looks for something in the pages, taking the pages signed by SHIELD. Logan waits, but she finds nothing. Not what she is looking for. "I don't know. SHIELD made some tests on him, with their mother permission. But everything is hidden. Márquez didn't want anyone to know, after what happened to Helen Cho because of her kid."

"Okay. This isn't important." Logan dismisses her concerns and puts the pages away. He takes a deep breath and puts his arms on the table again. "Tell me, why did you joined us? Why did you brought the kids to Utopia that day?"

Inferno frowns, looking quickly at his knuckles. She sits back, the bench under her weight moaning in the silence of the dark room, she keeps her relaxed posture, despite how serious she's sounding now.

"Mother was already planning the attack at Genosha for a long time. She wanted to take the island, but she couldn't enter alone. When the Skrull Invansion started, no one was prepared."

"You guys got attacked?"

"No. But Sanguinária was in the battle. You saw her on the TV, fought the main ship and then..." she waves her hands, like making a imaginary explosion with her fingers, a small flame blooming, then dying. "No news about her in months. SHIELD declared her dead. And the kid's were alone, my mother found them."

Logan nods. He remember seeing the news. Not only her death, but others too. Hers was what caught his attention. Tereza Márquez has been a pain on his ass for years. Only to die in a battle, something he though was never going to happen.

Inferno continues. Sharing the same thought as him. "We brought them first to our house. They hated it." She rolls her eyes with annoyance at the though of dealing with these kids again.

"What Santiago wanted with them?" He asks immediately, harshly.

"She wanted Julian Creed's fire power, if she couldn't have Sanguinária's. And the girl."

She sees that Logan is confused for a moment, trying to know who she is talking about. She gives him a moment, smiling lazily, until it clicks on his head and he looks surprised. Remembering what happened at Genosha.

Scott and the others told him about the attack, about the invansion and everyone was confused how the Inner Circle managed to enter the island. Then the news about the return of one of Frost's old student reached them.

"Clarice Ferguson." He mutters. "Everyone thought she was dead. How did the Creeds found her?"

"Lullaby knows." Inferno shrugs, uninterested. "Apparently she never died, just got lost somewhere because of her powers. Then the Creeds found and raised her, trained her to use her powers."

Logan looks dissapointed. Worried. Like the worst thing he could dream about just happened.

"I can imagine what Creed and Márquez would want with her. And Santiago too." He adds with a cold look at Inferno. And she agrees too with a somewhat proud grin.

"She is a smart thing, she saw Mother's intentions and tried to ran away. We got her but she teleported me, Lullaby and her brothers to Utopia."

"Why you? Why would she trust you with the kids?" Logan points at her, raising his voice. "You kidnapped them, for God's sake!"

"I never intended in hurting kids." Inferno says simply.

"That's hard to believe." Logan spits.

"I'm not a monster, Logan." She says, calmly. Offended. He thinks she has no right to be offended. He saw the things she did before. But she still looks at him in a disappointing, disrespecting way. "I spent centuries believing in my mother's words. The judgment day, all that crap about mutant superiority. But the moment she tried to kill those kids, I knew I had to leave."

"Oh, look at you, playing the hero after sending Kitty and the others to Apocalypse all those years ago." Logan rolls his eyes.

"I can't deny that I did." She nods solely. But she's not ashamed of what she did. Santiago wasn't only head of the Inner Circle, she was her mother, and all those years ago, Inferno would follow her blindly, attend all her others. But now...

Her head tilts to the side and her shoulder fall slight, and for the first time, she looks less dangerous than Logan ever saw her. Still, she keeps her composure stoic.

"But I can assure you, Wolverine, I am not planning anything against you and the others."

"Yeah? You betrayed the Avengers before, betrayed us." He leans a little closer to her, hands above the table, fists clenched and she can already hear the blades sliding off. "What made you change mind?"

Inferno chuckles, shaking her shoulders with a lazy smile on her face. "It's because I have the same intentions as my mother and the Inner Circle." She says and Logan tilts his head in confusion, so she waves his concerns. "Apart from the extremist methods, of course."

"What you mean?"

"Just like you said before, we are in a delicate situation now. Look around, there's not many of us left and the few we have here will need training."

Logan shakes his head. "No, the kids are not here to be trained to be X-Men, not yet." He points the cigar to her, to make his words very clear. "I didn't opened this school to train soldiers. I opened this school to protected these kids."

"Yet you have me here to train them in the Danger Room." Inferno points at herself. Logan growls at the mocking grin she has.

"To learn to protect themselves and each other." He says, blowing the smoke to the side.

"The same thing we awalys did here. Train them to protect, to fight and how to use their mutations."

"But they won't be soldiers." He insists. Putting his finger on the table, he leans forward to look her in the eyes, the cigar burning between his fingers. "There will be no missions, no saving the day. I won't send them to do the job of adults. They will stay here and study. Be normal. This a school, not a freakin' military camp."

Inferno chuckles, shaking her head at his words. "That's what you tell yourself?"

She takes a phone from her pocket, the object small on her hand. He growls when he sees she's been waiting to show it to him. A video starts to play from one of those social medias the kids like so much. A video of Jean Grey School being attacked by Krakoa. The building is far away, so he bets it was recorded from the town. Still, is easy to see Krakoa rising to the sky, growling and screaming in anger.

The next ones are the same things. All of the same captions about the school.

"They got everything that happened on the first day." Salazar keeps scrolling down before putting the phone on the table. "You know what they see when they look at this school? A military camp. They think we're preparing soldiers, they always did, it won't change because we got a nice house now and shit."

Logan puffs the smoke to her, and she has the urge to punch him for it, never missing the smirk on his face before he goes serious again.

"What do you want me to do?"

Salazar puts her hand on the table, leaning above it to stare at him as she waves the smoke away.

"I want you to get ready for what is coming. Taking care of this place won't be easy. You think can just decide to not train these kids and things will be fine? You a soldier too, James." He growls at her face and she keeps talking. "You know that no matter what we do, these kids will be in danger. They need to learn."

Logan looks at the window outside, listening to Krakoa rumbling outside, moving under the earth after the bamfs. Salazar calls his attention again, this time trying to sound less threatening. It's almost impossible for her.

"They don't need to fight. Just teach them. Like Emma did after Maximoff wiped half of mutant population."

Logan frowns. "The program?" He asks and Salazar agrees. "They separated the kids in squads, sent them to missions. It's exactly what I don't want to do."

"Like you said, they don't need to go. Just make what is necessary to prepare them." She shrugs. Logans shakes his head, taking the cigar between his finger and moving in front of her, ashes falling on the documents between them.

"These kids won't be fighting. They deserve to rest. I think we all do." He says the last part lower before standing up, taking the documents with him, leaving only the ones about Sanguinária and Creed.

Inferno lets him go, her eyes fixated on the place he was sitting. She is not done. She knows he's trying to do "the right thing" for the students. Bullshit, like all the others. For the first time she agrees with Sanguinária. Oh, the though makes her angry.

"Last thing." She says louder without looking at him. The sounds of his steps stopping makes her smirk. "What about the other boy? Apocalypse? I'm sure you haven't told the others about him."

Silence. Her amusement at his unwillingness to talk to her only grows. The lack of trust is not something she cares for, if anything, it shows her how easy is to push him away. Push his buttons. She saw the documents he got from X-Force. The little boy is adorable, but she still can see the ancient assassin in his eyes.

Logan grunts: "When we're ready I will."

She laughs at his back. "You are acting like Charles. One day all of these sins you carry on your shoulders will come down on all of us."

"I can say the same about you, Salazar."

"I have many of my own, but my shoulders are not heavy. I left who I was before I long time ago."

"Did you?" He turns his head to look at her back.

"You don't trust me."

"Yeah. I don't."

"Still you brought me here."

He opens the door, gripping the wood between his hand and the cigar. "We need all the help we can get to protect the kids. Even if it's come from people like you."

"Look a you, savior of all of mutant kind." Salazar mocks him in a loud, cheering voice, venom dripping between her bare teeth. "I'm curious to see how far we get before all of this falls apart."

Logan slams the high doors behind him, leaving Salazar in the dark. She sits back and looks to the documents left in the table, Sanguinária's face looking up at her with those maroon eyes she learned to hate since she found that monster all those centuries ago.

The anger in her boils, but stays hidden.

One finger is enough to burn the paper, Sanguinária evaporates and vanishes. No one sees the smile fall from Inferno's face, her unfeeling eyes looking forward to what is to come.

Kilgore sits at his desk, hands folded in front of him. He watches as the mountain of a man strides across the room, his large claws ramming the luxurious furniture. The boy keeps a straight face, but cannot hide his anxiety as the man approaches. After all, it's the Sabretooth.

He can see his secretary standing lime a shaking leaf next to the door from where the man came, eyes going between them.

"Jean Gray School? " Sabretooth snort in front of the fireplace, watching the flames with amusement. "The runt is nothing if not predictable."

"I want to see that school in ruins." Kade spits his words with poison, catching Sabretooth's attention. "And every last mutant there will huddle at my feet. It doesn't matter the cost. Lives or money.

"You may not look it, kid, but you sure sound like a Black King of the Hellfire Club." He laughs, opening his mouth in a big smile full of sharp teeth. "Calm down, your highness, do you want to make old Logan's life miserable?

He approaches the light, his golden eyes glowing, giving him a more menacing look, yet, his movements are slow and calm. Kilgore leans back against his chair, staring at the large claws tearing at his desk, the man's intense gaze piercing his soul.

"You have come to the right place. Ol' Sabretooth here is an expert on the subject. "Creed says with the same wild and cruel smile, eyes reflecting the shaking form of Kilgore.

Chapter Text

The first week of school after the Krakoa's attack went much more smoothly than expected.

Idie didn't know exactly what they expected, but when you live with the X-Men, it's good to be prepared for anything. To her surprise, nothing bad happened. Aside from the Bamfs, the blue creatures that are now permanently living on campus, always stealing students' belongings and pulling pranks, no other threats have come to the Jean Gray School.

After the attack, the little broodling, now only Broo, followed her around the school, always smiling and asking questions, wanting to know her opinion about things, about how her day was.

Idie was a little surprised at how quickly he warmed to her. She likes to be alone from time to time, and she hasn't gotten used to... well, being a mutant. Even after everything that had occurred to her since joining the Lights. Sometimes, she finds herself thinking about everything that has happened since then. The thought leaves her with a bad feeling, but it's nothing she can escape.

Broo noticed her behavior right away, how she can get a little standoffish; however, he never asked too many questions or intruded. He simply smiled at her and filled his head with facts to distract her. She is grateful for that. The two go to class together every day, and they always sit in the front seat. Broo insists that this way they can absorb more knowledge and enjoy the lectures.

Classes are fascinating, he thinks. McCoy is a bit confused and talks in numbers instead of words, but he manages to find a way to make the students like science. Professor Coral, like Professor Husk, is shy and has a sweet and shy nature, however, she manages to maintain order in the classroom without losing her patience or posture.

So far, Professor Logan's classes are interesting. Idie noticed that some of the older students got bored the first day. She doesn't understand why, the headmaster is so old, he has a lot of nice things to tell. Many stories about all historic events he went through.

The others don't seem to agree with her. Quentin Quire especially. In only a week, the telepath became one of the worst students, openly disliked by most of the staff and all the students. He grumbles in class, interrupts Husk and McCoy, burns books, and often puts his feet up on the desk.

It wouldn't bother Idie so much if he didn't make a point of making fun of Broo while he did it. None of the teachers tolerate him, and neither does she.

Especially when he makes a point of sitting right behind Broo during literature classes, his feet on the chair of the little alien, who is very focused on the lecture, writing in his notebook with enthusiasm.

Professor Husk is teaching her class trying to ignore that most of the students are asleep. Idie would be paying attention too, but her eyes keep flickering back and forth to Quire's face, her fingers laced together on the table, a layer of ice forming on her skin.

Quentin keeps pushing Broo's chair every now and then. Every time Broo turns around, smiling innocently, he shrugs as if he didn't do anything. Smiling smugly to himself.

Idie finally leans back to give Quentin a cool look.

"What?" he asks out of false innocence when he notices her stare.

"Do you mind not making a fool of my friend?"

"I'm not doing anything." Quentin shrugs, placing his feet back on the floor.

"You're being a nuisance."

Fortunately, the bell rings, echoing through the halls, indicating the start of the next class. Husk shouts above the commotion in the hallways to remind the students to do their homework. This won't be a problem for Broo, who is more than excited to open his book even when class is over.

"What do you think of Professor Husk's classes? I particularly find them very interesting." he comments in the elevator.

"She definitely seems to know her stuff." Idie replies, smiling at him. "She just needs to have a little more... confidence. I wish everyone was as engaged in the subject as you are."

"Oh, I agree. I don't understand how our classmates can sleep during classes." He frowns a little, showing the book in his hands. "She gave me this book on mutant history. I can't wait to read it, I've heard that most of the mutants' history is incomplete, but that won't be a problem because..."

"My fucking God! We get it, you're a nerd!" Quentin's voice sounds behind them. "Seriously, every time you open your mouth, I feel three of my brain cells dying."

Broo tilts his head, confused by the comment. Idie clenches her fists.

"Maybe if you had listened more instead of being a bully, your brain cells would still be alive." she says, not really believing she said it.

Kubark and a few other students walk past them, laughing at their comment. The prince definitely doesn't get the meaning of Idie's words, but he finds it entertaining to make fun of Quire. The telepath's face turns red and he crosses his arms, looking between Idie and Broo, who looks a little hurt.

"Why do you walk around with that thing anyway, Frosty?"

"He's much more nice than you." Idie says through gritted teeth. She frowns when she processes the nickname he just gave her.

"But not prettier." Quentin laughs. "I thought you didn't like mutants. After all, "aren't we all monsters"? Do you suddenly like the broodling?"

Idie's bicolored eyes narrow. She can't detect if he's reading her mind at this point. Quentin is impassive and smug. She moves closer to his pale face.

"Stay out of my mind, Quire. I'm warning you."

She turns her back on him. Broo does the same, eyes darting between the two classmates, relieved that a bigger fight didn't ensue. Quentin clicks his tongue and speaks loudly on purpose.

"You said you caused the Schism." He says, Idie turns around again, raising an eyebrow. "I peeked into your mind. Nice job, it was really something that will go in mutant history. I'm just curious to know why you're here?" He shrugs and puts his hands in his pockets. "I mean, it wasn't your intention to kill those humans, it was Cyclops' orders. I know, I don't really like him either. So why would you..."

Idie's left hand becomes covered in ice. The hall grows colder as she approaches the telepath one last time, her voice sounding very low and dark.

"I don't know why you have this obsession with the X-Men and the Schism, but I'll warn you: this is none of your business, nothing of what I did. Stay out of my thoughts, and don't be mean to Broo, or I'll kick your ass back to Utopia!"

Quentin looks a little taken aback by the threat. Idie doesn't stay close to him for a second longer, moving away with hurried steps, making her way through the main building. Broo's little paws make a 'tec tec tec' noise as he runs to catch up.

"Are you okay, friend Idie?" He asks, snapping her out of her bad mood.

She smiles a little, trying not to worry him. However, Broo is getting better at deciphering people's feelings through their expression, so he frowns at her, sensing that she is upset.

"I am, I just don't like that boy." Idie says, shaking her head. "What's his problem?"

"Maybe he's just sad because... he's alone." Broo rubs his little claws on the back of his hands, looking for the right words. "I don't see friend Quentin socially interacting with any students, which is unusual. Terrans are very sociable creatures and being alone for a prolonged period can cause..."

"I understand." She waves her hand to stop him from continuing.

"Well... I understand his lack of interaction and friendship can make him upset, that doesn't explain his attitude."

Idie sighs but smiles and leads Broo into the cafeteria, leaning closer to him.

"He just wants attention, okay? Just remember, you shouldn't do what others say, you need to do what makes you happy. So just ignore his words."

Broo nods, placing a paw on his chin, thinking for a moment about his words as they walk through the lower levels, pushing their way through the other students.

"Oh, good. Combat classes with Inferno." Idie sighs, her face dark as she sees the redhead woman entering the Danger Room. She turns to Broo, leaning to him. "Please, tell me you will be with me."

Broo tilts his head, looking a little guilty.

"Oh, we unfortunately have to separate ways this time, friend. I'm heading to math classes right now." He says, making Idie sigh a second time, now in a more dramatic way. "Uh, why are you making that face, friend?"

Idie shakes her head, patting his head gently.

"Nothing. Don't worry. You should go to your class now."

She enters the room before he can ask more questions, missing the worried look the little alien has. She joins the other girls at the dressing room, putting the standard X-Men uniform for trainings. The cloth is a little too tight and hot, and Idie hated it more than her former uniform she used when she was with the Lights.

A cacophony of voices fills the Danger Room when she joins her classmates, everyone is talking to each other, divided into groups while Inferno starts to program the training.

The Danger Room buzzed with energy as the new students gathered for their training session. Inferno was the one in charge of the class that day. The Jean Grey School had more than one training room, and more than one teacher to train the kids, but that day, unfortunately, Idie had to fall in the hands of Professor Salazar.

Idie stood among her classmates, looking around the large room while Inferno finished setting the controls. On the first day of school, they learned that Salazar is more harsh than Logan. The headmaster is impatient, but he was careful to not hurt the kids or make them go beyond their limits and work until exhaustion. Not Salazar.

The strong woman stood in the control room, watching through the glass the room gain life. A thin smile on her face. Idie nervously adjusted her gloves, stealing glances at the others. It seems that Inferno wants at all costs to exhaust students in her training.

The only one who seems to enjoy her training is the strotian prince.

Kubark delights in destroying things and getting into fights, often pushing the limits during training. He never holds back, not even when one of his colleagues ends up falling in the midst of his destruction. He had come in handy in the fight against Krakoa, and had seemed really nice at first when he was helping them fight.

But now Idie can't stand his presence. He is very loud, grouchy and spoiled. His temperament is so fragile that anything makes him explode.

She often sees him snoozing down the halls, the trusty Warbird following him and shooting glances at everyone who approaches. This makes Kubark puff out his chest like he's important Unfortunately, he is. So Idie can't just tell him to fuck off.

Now he's leaned against a wall. His very presence seemed to radiate an air of arrogance, as if he believed the exercise was beneath him.

Quentin is also there, his smug grin was already in place, his telepathic confidence practically oozing. He was once again wearing one of his stupid shirts under his jacket instead of his training uniform. Salazar saw it, but decided to ignore him for the sake of her patience.

"Alright, kids." her voice echoed through the room. "Today, we're going to work on our ability to function as a unit." she looked at the students, smiling when they avoided her gaze like it could protect them. Her eyes fell on Idie's small form, and the girl already knew what she was thinking. "Oya, Kid Omega and the prince will go first."

The other students sighed in relief, but shuddered when the teacher chose the other teams.

Idie's heart sank. In the last week of classes, she was partnered with them every class, both possessing strong personalities that clashed with her reserved nature. She was not making the effort to befriend them, but just existing in the same space as them was already exhausting.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward, determined to make the best of it.

Kubark pushed himself away from the wall, floating to where Idie was standing, his feet only brushed the metal floor while he cracked his knuckles, a smirk on his grayish face.

"Let's get this over with." He said in a deep voice.

Quentin waved to Idie, smirking. "Try to keep up, okay?"

Idie clenched her fists, fire and ice blooming in her dark skin when she heard the stupid nickname. She holds herself back from being rude, speaking through her teeth.

"I'll do my best."

Kubark merely nodded in response, his aloofness bordering on indifference. He was more interested in the fight.

The scenario was set, and the team entered the virtual landscape, the metal floor replaced by a beautiful view of a park. As obstacles and challenges arose, fake machines and Sentinels marched to the kids.

Quentin took charge with his typical arrogance, directing the team with an air of superiority. He was having fun, it was obvious by the smirk on his face.

Kubark, however, had a different approach. He remained mostly silent, his actions speaking louder than his words. With a roar, he charged ahead, his raw power and brute force obliterating any obstacles in his path. It was as if he believed his sheer strength could conquer any challenge without the need for strategy.

He was too fast, flying around the small space, hovering above their heads.

The other students gathered in the control room with Salazar. Heads peeking over the woman's shoulders while she stood with her arms crossed, watching the first team dodging the obstacles.

Idie struggled to find her place amidst the chaos. She used her ice to protect herself and the fire to attack, destroying the obstacles that were closer. She had to dodge when Kubark flew too close to her, a rush of wind almost sending her flying through the room. She hid behind a wall of ice, watching her supposed teammates, a frown on her face as she notices she's alone.

Kubark is laughing. A real laugh of joy, like he's having the moment of his life. Quentin is, somehow, worse than the prince. He is indifferent about the whole training. Like he is about everything.

Even with the destruction around, he walks unbothered through the room, using his telekinesis to move the obstacles and push them around, sometimes throwing them at Kubark, trying to put him down. Nothing could bring harm to the strotian's indestructible skin, he easily destroyed everything with his fist.

The timer Inferno had set was near zero. Idie could see that Inferno is not impressed by them, her smile is now gone, her face is hard and serious. This is not good. She ran to the middle of the room, her head down and her hands raised to stop the obstacles. She managed to destroy a fake Sentinel with a fireball, opening a hole in the metal.

"Quentin!" she screamed. The telepath turned to her, standing on a fallen brick wall. "Perhaps we could try a more strategic approach?" She suggested, her voice quiet but steady.

Quentin's response was a dismissive wave of his hand. "Don't worry. I've got this under control."

Idie clenched her fists, a mixture of irritation and determination bubbling within her. As they navigated through the challenges, she began to take charge of smaller decisions, finding ways to guide the team's progress. What was difficult with Quentin throwing things around and Kubark moving so fast in the air.

"Kubark, if you could work with me on this side, we might be able to flank the opposition." She proposed.

Kubark stopped flying and shot her a surprised glance. He looked around the fake destroyed park, then at the timer and Salazar watching.

"You think you can give me orders, Terran?" he barked, his eyes glowing red behind his visor. Idie frowned when he flew away. "I can do it alone! Maybe you should stop being so useless and start to fight!"

Idie's mouth fell at his words. She was so stunned by his attitude that almost missed the Sentinel next to her, one of its arms pointed at her, ready to charge. She paid it no mind and raised her right hand, shooting a wave of fire at the Sentinel, destroying it immediately, melting the metal in seconds.

Her patience was over. She ran through the Danger Room, shooting fire and freezing anything that would get too close. The chaos continued for a few minutes before the room was filled with a red light, a loud sound coming from the walls.

The timer was zero. Slowly, the Danger Room was disabled and the obstacles were replaced, the fake grass and sky became cold metal again.

Idie heard Kubark groaning in frustration at the end of the training. She ignored him and walked back to the control room, her uniform covered in a mix of melted ice and sweat.

Salazar and the rest of the class stared at them. The kids looked amused by their disastrous performance, hands on their mouths to hide their smirks or just looks of pity at their failure. Idie doesn't know what is worse.

"Nice try, team." Salazar said in a gruff voice, her eyes too hard.

She ignored the few chuckles and snickers from the rest of the class. She crossed her massive arms and looked them up and down, and instead of scolding them or trying to give them a few hard words like Professor Logan would, she just ignored them and sent the next team to start.

Idie nodded, her forced smile feeling strained. She had hoped that, somehow, they could have overcome their differences and worked together. But reality was proving to be much harsher than her optimism.

She sat down in a corner, resting her head on her knees to catch her breath after the hard training. Thankfully, Kubark was in his own corner and Quentin was bragging to a random girl that was not paying attention at all.

The rest of the class was dragged. The other teams had less difficulty in cooperating than them, Idie could see how most of their class already had good communication and control over their mutations. Salazar was not so impressed and kept giving the kids hard glares and setting the difficulties higher and higher.

Idie was one of the students to clap when Roxy's team got a successful punctuation, finishing the training before the timer was over. Roxy was nice, and she was fierce, her teammates respected her when she assumed the lead and gave them instructions. Idie could not help but be a little jealous, though she was impressed.

As the class dispersed, Quentin walked close to Idie, tilting his head in the same way he does when he's ready to start a fight. His voice is dripping with sarcasm and Idie knows he doesn't care about failing in classes, he just wants to get under her skin.

"Don't take it too hard, Frosty. We'll get 'em next time."

Idie clenched her fists, barely managing to hold back her irritation. Quentin laughed and walked away, feeling the air around the girl starting to heat up.

She turned her attention to Kubark, who was already floating away, seemingly uninterested in debriefing or analyzing what had gone wrong.

"Kubark, wait." she called out, her voice firmer than she intended.

The prince turned to her, raising an eyebrow in question behind his visor. Idie hesitated, then spoke her mind, her frustration evident.

"We can't keep going like this. It's been a week, and we can barely cooperate. Yours and Quentin's recklessness are making things impossible!"

Kubark's expression remained unreadable, his gaze locked onto hers.

"I don't see any problem with that." He shrugged and touched the side of his neck, checking the translator device. "I think I'm just fine. You, on other hand, need to stop being so weak."

"It's not my fault if you and Quire can't do anything besides destroying everything in your path. We need to work as a team." Idie continued, her voice steadying as she found her resolve. "Otherwise, we're just setting ourselves up for failure."

Kubark's lips twitched in what could have been a smirk or a scoff. He floated a little closer to her, he is already taller and stronger but now he could easily look down on her. Idie stared at her reflection on his visor, standing her ground in front of the powerful strotian.

"You think you've got all the answers, Frosty?" the prince asked in a deep voice, eyes glowing red. "You think you can order me around? You know who I am?"

"I don't care." Idie responded, her tone firm. "I just want to help our team get better. I know we're better than this."

Kubark's gaze held hers for a moment longer before he turned and walked away without another word, his fist clenched hard.

Idie watched him go, a mix of emotions churning within her. She heard him muttering something that his translator could not catch. The frustration was still there, but beneath it, a spark of determination burned brighter. She wasn't ready to give up on the idea of teamwork just yet.

Chapter Text

September 6, 2018.

Logan still feels a little awkward in the new clothes. And at the new school. And in the new job.

It's been over a week since the Krakoa attack. They're lucky they didn't suffer any attacks after that, and best of all, Logan's plan to get revenge on Kilgore worked thanks to Murdock. They managed to get every penny he owed them out of the brat.

He walks through the halls, students who have just woken up and are getting ready for classes greet him and smile. He returns the gestures, obviously, but he still frowns whenever he hears the word 'headmister' coming from their mouths, followed by giggles from the older students.

"Good morning, headmaster." The small Broo waves to him as he passes in the hall, Idie beside him.

He waves back briefly, watching them disappear around the corner, Broo talking excitedly about classes and Idie waves and smiles. He grins a little too, seeing Idie more comfortable. He's glad she has someone else to talk to, and can't help but watch as they walk away, words and giggles echoing in the walls.

He enters the staff room, most of the teachers are sitting at the big table by the windows, preparing for their classes. Cannonball is carrying several dodge balls and putting them in a bag. The two exchange a nod as Logan takes his usual seat, leaning back in his chair, yellow sweater stretching in his arms.

"All right, let's start." He draws the attention of others. "We've been up for a week. What's the damage?"

Drake is sitting lazily in his chair, still in his ice form, wearing only a pair of shorts and nothing else. His body creates a layer of snow when it comes into contact with the table.

"One week and our coffee supply is almost empty then you better hurry up and refill it. 'Cause I feel like we're going to need a lot of that to deal with these kids"

"Then I hope one of us wins the lottery soon." Kitty comments, agreeing with him, her hand on her head as if she was in pain.

Rachel shows Logan a pile of papers and he avoid looking at it when he sees Kubark's name on it.

"The strotian prince is picking fights with everyone in the school, he caused some damage in the east wing, crossed it's walls flying inside the school and almost knocked down one of our towers. And he still doesn't want to listen to any of us." Rachel says, her lips pursed into a frown. "I asked the Emperor's Supreme Chancellor for help and he laughed at me. For a whole minute." she clenched her fists above the table.

Paige is leaning back in her seat, tucked inside a dark sweatshirt, sipping her coffee and rubbing the skin on her face.

"The kids still do not take my lessons seriously." she says with an anxious voice.

Salazar rolls her eyes at her, crossing her muscular arms against the table. "It must be because you don't talk seriously with them. Stop being so whiny all the time, Guthrie."

"How about you stop being so harsh?!" Coral scolds Salazar, receiving a furious look back from the readhead. "Our 11th graders would rather help Mortimer with cleaning or in the cafeteria than going to your practices."

"The younger children are adapting well." Lullaby says in a echoing voice, running her fingertips over the papers in front of her, calm as always. "We received some students yesterday from New Atlantis and Genosha."

"You helped them settle in, right?" Logan asks, knowing that Lullaby is at least one of the only responsible people sitting at that table.

"Certainly." She says like it's obvious. Logan sips at his coffee when she stares at him with a frown.

Hank is distracted, concentrating on some of his weird gadgets on the table, barely taking his eyes off his work, muttering a 'yeah' or 'hmm hmm' every now and then. Logan decides to leave him out of the conversation for now and beckons Kitty to speak.

"No other attacks in a week. The only injuries reported were minor. Mainly because of Salazar's training," She gives the red-haired woman a hard look. "Some fights between students. And the attacks of the Bamfs. Those little blue bastards found Logan's martial arts videos. You better make sure you lock your belongings up tight."

She points at him with narrowed eyes and an accusatory expression. Logan gulps down his coffee again, pretending not to hear her, though.

"Can't we get rid of them?" Paige asks.

"Krakoa also appears to be settling down, evidenced by the recent drop in tremors, sinkholes and spontaneous volcanic eruptions." Hank says, still distracted. He stops for a moment before continuing. "Although... three days ago Hellion received a small burn on his ankle from destroying some petunias."

"The children like Krakoa." says Lullaby to him and Logan. "It keeps our school safe from any danger. We just have to teach it to control it's mood."

"May I suggest a school handbook? First rule: do not disrespect the flowers." Hank waves his hand and leans close to Lullaby, making the old woman laugh a little with him, their shoulders shaking together.

Logan sets his coffee aside, raising his hands as the conversation escalates, each coming up with something different.

"One problem at time, dammit!" he asks, throwing some papers to Kitty. "I might have solved our money problems. Thanks to Worthington Industries."

At the mention of his old friend, Drake finally seems a little interested in the conversation, sitting up straight in his chair with a smile, a cloud of cold breath coming from his lips.

"Warren is coming too? I haven't seen him in months. How is he doing?" he looks at Logan.

Kitty also stares at the headmaster, with a straight face as if she expects him to say something. Salazar turns to him too, but she has a lazy smile on her face and one eyebrow raised, expecting the same thing from him. Logan swallows hard, giving Bobby a sideway glance.

"Well, it won't be just him." He clears his throat and motions for Kitty to pass more papers to Bobby. "We'll have some more additions."

Bobby is confused for a second, picking up the papers and reading. Logan stares at him, sipping his coffee, although his mug is already empty. He knew that at some point this would happen. Among everyone sitting in the room, and even those not present, he didn't tell Bobby about the Creeds. Or any other part of his plan.

He knows the Bobby and Warren, that much is obvious, everyone knows that. Old friends, members of the First Class. He sees Bobby's white eyes widen for a second before his icy face tightens into a deep frown, his lips pursed as if he's tasting something sour. Logan sighs as the younger man turns to him.

"You will bring Sabretooth's children to our school!" he crumples and freezes the paper between his hands.

The other teachers exchange glances and slowly start to get up and walk away from the table, looking for something better to do around the staff room, looking at the clock. The classes are about to start at least. Kitty and Salazar are still sitting in their seats. Logan opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted.

"You..." Bobby looks at the destroyed paper again, opening and closing his mouth as if looking for words, but he chokes and starts again. "What is this? Do you really want to bring two potentially dangerous children here?! Look at this!"

He throws the paper, now a ball of ice, on the table. Kitty puts her hand on her friend's icy shoulder. Bobby notices the gesture and the way she looks at him, asking him to calm down. She's too calm, brows furrowed in concern, and eyes pleading to him to listen.

He brushes her away, standing in front of the table, glaring at her and Logan.

"Better explain what the fuck you're planning, Logan!" he points his finger at the man.

Logan stares at him for a second with a frown, then sighs and leans back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest.

"I started this, Bobby. I started because I wanted to give these kids somethin' different and better than... living in fear and fighting all the time. I know we've come up with this conversation several times, but it's true.' He says, harsh eyes fixed on Iceman. "I may be the headmaster of this school now, but I'm still Wolverine. I still a killer. Having a school to look after is not gonna that, if anything, it only made it more important that I keep doing what I do."

Bobby rolls his eyes at him. "I know who you are, Logan. But that kind of thing can't affect what happens at our school."

"But it will." Logan says gruffly, standing in front of the table. "The way I see it, it's now our job to make sure any threat is dealt with before it has a chance to show up on the school door. And I think you know what I mean by that. I can't change what I am, and I don't expect any of you to like it. I just don't want to be any secrets between us."

Bobby sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"And why didn't I know about it until now?"

"Because we weren't ready to have them here yet." Kitty answered in a voice that hinted at her annoyance. "The plan was first to get the license to keep the school open. That way we would be sure that we could get them here without any problems."

"That's if we manage to convince them to come to school." Iceman continued. "Logan, did you forget what their parents did?" he snaps his fingers and raises his voice in exasperation. "Hello! Warren lost his wings because of them, Creed almost killed Boom-Boom and Psylocke! Sanguinária almost killed us to get him out of the basament!"

There is silence in the room. Logan doesn't respond, mumbling to himself like he always does, already getting tired of having this conversation over and over again. Kitty is the one who answers, still in a controlled voice.

"We know their parents are terrible. But these two are kids. You haven't seen them, they're not like their parents, I swear. We..."

"And how do you know that?"

"I took them both to Utopia." Says Salazar, still sitting in her seat, sounding very calm. Even smug, Bobby frowns at her. "Before the Inner Circle attack. They're not like Creed and Márquez. They're just kids." she pauses, as if thinking about something, then returns with her smile. "Well, they were raised by their parents to fight, to be exactly like them, so..."

"They are children, and they are alone now." insists Kitty, interrupting her.

Bobby raises an eyebrow in disbelief. Salazar rolls her eyes and continues, her muscular body making the chair groan when she moves to look better at Bobby and Kitty.

"After their mother died, I thought they would be safe in Utopia. But they hated being there. They wanted to leave at all costs. And they only managed to escape when the attack on the museum happened, i took my eyes from them for a second and they... zip!" Salazar makes a movement with her hands, one palm running over the other. "Nobody could find them. Cyclops and the others, SHIELD, anyone. They are all after them. Do you know what they can do with them?"

The room is silent. The other teachers are out the door as the sound of the bell echoes through the halls, followed by the fuss of children and teenagers running and talking. Bobby is still standing, just as Logan is still sitting and staring at him.

"They look dangerous, their mutations can be dangerous. Are you sure you want to bring these two to our school? To be among the other students?" Drake's voice is exasperated again. "If you didn't notice, we just suffered an attack and we still can't even deal with Quire and the Shi'ar prince, and you want to involve these kids too? What are you--"

Finally, Logan abruptly stands up, pushing his chair back and slamming his hand on the table. Kitty and Bobby widen their eyes while Salazar even looks amused by the director's frown.

"I won't say it again. I made the decision to bring them to the goddamn school, to give them a chance. Just one, so they can have a more normal life than what their parents gave them. And that's what I'm gonna fucking do!" He slams the table and huffs, pulling away to grab his belongings.

"How do you know they'll want to come?" Drake insists, receiving an annoyed look. "If they ran away from Utopia, who says they won't run away from us too?"

"Staying with us is better than running away from the government every single day." says Salazar, shrugging. "I know where they are, we're going there today. Let's have a little talk with them."

"What if they don't want to?"

"We can be pretty convincing." she says, a sharp smile on her face. "You don't have to come, Bobby. We just need you to keep the two of them in line while we--"

"Nah, I'll go with you! To make sure you two don't do anything stupid. I just think you guys are making a mistake."

"Shut up, both of you!" Logan raises his voice, starting to walk towards the door. "Classes have started, go get ready, let's go out at the end of the day. Hank, can you keep an eye on the school and the brats?" he walks past the blue man. "Fuck, the bamfs stole all the whiskey!"

Hank just nods as Logan addresses him, not even having the chance to answer. The X-Men are quiet as their headmaster leaves the room and slams the door, one of the frames falling from the wall.

Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada.

Bobby grumbles from his hiding place on the dark roof, his whitish eyes scanning the street below him, following the few people who pass by; so far, he hasn't see anything suspiciou.

He looks at the clock on his communicator, it's not that late but the night is very still. He looks around, looking for his teammates.

"Tell me one more time..." he says softly into the communicator. "How did you find about the Creeds?"

Salazar's voice answers, in the same tone as always.

"I tracked down their mother." She lets out a giggle. "Sanguinária had a bunch of safe houses around New York, I found out that the Creed were present during the Skrull Invasion. After the fight was over, the two kids went back to the hideout and left some things there. It's all abandoned now, but Logan managed to track them here."

"Oh yeah, Logan and his super talents." Bobby grumbles, lowering the communicator.

He looks up past the building across the street. The city lights are colorful, some signs, colorful houses and pine trees decorating the horizon. He even finds the sight a little cozy.

"They are not alone." Kitty says, sitting somewhere near him. "They've been seen in many stops from California to New York. Then they disappeared for a while, after the attack on Genosha."

Logan's voice comes over his communicator, sulking and husky.

"I thought they had been caught, but no, they found another way to get back to Canada without getting caught."

"Why would they come back here?" Bobby waves his hands to the horizon.

"They were raised here." Logan replies, an indecipherable emotion in his voice. "I don't know exactly where. Their parents didn't want anyone to find them."

"They've been seen here from time to time, so they must not live too far away." Kitty continues.

Bobby nods to himself. He gets to his feet and glides across the rooftops.

"How do two high-level criminals stay hidden for so long?"

Salazar's low chuckle echoes through the communicator.

"Nobody knew about the existence of the Creed's brats until a few years ago, after the Snap." she answers. "Sanguinária returned to the Avengers after everything was restored to normal, that's how she managed to keep the three kids a secret for so long."

"Three?" he repeats, gliding down the street.

"Seems like Creed and Márquez liked to play house." Salazar says with humor. As if the thought brought some kind of strange satisfaction to her.

Bobby hears her pause and swallow. He knows that Inferno had some kind of rivalry with Sanguinária, and Creed as well, to the point that they engaged a lot of fights when both women were members of the Avengers, many years ago.

He's never seen Sanguinária outside of fights or major events between the Avengers and X-Men, and the last time he actually saw her on her feet was when she broke into the Institute to free Creed two decades ago.

He knows that woman was dangerous and relentless, the kind of person Creed would want, so he was very shocked when news of her death spread. He didn't care about her death, no one did, maybe someone, like the kids, were sad, but he was relieved. At least he was one less enemy.

But he remembers Inferno being more than satisfied that Sanguinária was gone.

Still, he's suspicious of the way Inferno talks about the woman, how she smiles broadly as she talks about the kids they're supposed to be "rescuing."

"They have another daughter that they "adopted" a few years ago. A former X-Men recruit, who everyone thought had died during the Phalanx attack." She explains into the communicator.

Bobby frowns, trying to figure out who she's talking about. Husk had joined the X-Men after the Phalanx, as had Emma Frost's other recruits. He knows that one of them was presumed dead as soon as they got back. Just can't remember who.

He doesn't remember much of that time, before the Snap, when he turned to dust along with half the universe; however, he remembers that Creed was being held underground at the time. Until Sanguinária got him out.

He shakes his head as the memories flood back. The explosion, the chase, the fight. Warren bruised, blood streaming down his back as Bobby and Hank tried to carry him to the med wing.

It brings a sour taste to his mouth. He looks ahead, thinking of these children raised by those monsters. He wants to once again argue with Logan, tell him it's not a good idea.

"There they are." Salazar takes him out of his thoughts.

He quickly heads to where she is, Kitty moves close behind him. Logan arrives first, leaning over a roof to look down the street where Salazar has been keeping watch. Bobby slides over to them too and Kitty lands beside him.

The city is quite calm and a little cold, so it wouldn't be strange for the three figures covered in scarves to walk in the empty street, looking over their shoulder and to the sides. However, sometimes it's hard to hide your mutant nature even with the extra layers of clothing.

Bobby almost doesn't recognize them, but his eyes widen as he sees the taller figure, remembering the pictures Emma has shown the team after Phalanx.

The girl is older now, taller than she was, no longer a thin and frail teenager. She's hiding her head in a bonnet and hood, but you can still see some of her pink hair and her green eyes. She walks fast, leading the two teenagers with her.

Both younger figures have dark skin like Sanguinária; the oldest Creed is taller and louder, his hair is shaved on the sides, his skin is darker than his brother's, who is shorter and shyer, wearing a beanie over his braids.

Both are a perfect blend of their parents. Bobby recognizes Sabretooth's cat eyes they inherited, and when the older one smiles, his sharp fangs come out, almost as long as his father's, and Bobby can only see Creed there. The thought almost distracts him and he barely notices the golden eyes staring in the direction of the building he and the others are hiding in. Just for a second.

One movement and the three walk into a store nearby with fast steps. It's a completely normal place to be, a simple little market. Logan moves first, throwing himself off the roof and moving calmly towards them. Bobby sighs and follows, still in his ice form.

Chapter Text

It's easy to catch Wolverine's scent.

Even before the old man approaches, Julian Creed knows he is watching. They can hear the sound of boots and the old man's breathing coming from somewhere above the buildings. Not just him. Three people, different smells, heavy and light footsteps approaching.

Wolverine's cigar smell is strong even from afar. They also notice someone who doesn't smell like 'nothing', but makes a strange noise when moving. A woman who smells like flower soap and appears to be very light. And then there's Salazar, who always smells like ashes, much like their mother. However, in a different way that makes Julian's nose itch.

They look in that direction for a second, catching a flash of white ice and red hair. They make a small movement to alert their sister, pretending to be playing in the street, a slow and disorganized movement. As mom and dad taught.

The three of them are more attentive than usual tonight, so it's easy for Clarice and Hunter to pick up on their signals as well. Their older sister gets the message and enters the grocery store, leaving the door open for them and Hunter to follow. The woman behind the counter takes one look at them and goes back to her newspaper, letting them wander through the shelves.

Julian waves her over and tries a friendly smile, their mouth opening to reveal their long fangs.

Clarice pushes them into one of the hallways, Julian and Hunter begin to gather the supplies they need, eyes and ears still alert to the movement outside.

After the news broke about the attack at Salem Center, they were not planning to leave the house anytime soon. It's been months since they left Utopia and only a few weeks since they returned home. So they waited. They knew that at some point the X-Men would come for them and it wouldn't be safe to leave the house.

But it's been a few days since the supplies started running low, and they had no choice but to go out tonight to get more. Although Hunter didn't mind continuing to eat chips for dinner, his siblings were starting to go insane.

Julian can see their sister's anxiety as she searches for the hygiene products, her heart pounding in her chest. Hunter looks very calm, as usual, headphones hidden under his beanie; even so, he has a sharp look, ready to take off if the X-Men attack them.

Not Julian. They keep their ears open, waiting for them to look for a fight. They want to have a rematch with Inferno. The heat in their chest rises at the thought and they wink at Hunter, who is glaring at them. He knows Julian is ready to fight.

He rolls his eyes, deciding that if his older sibling starts a fight in the middle of the grocery store, he's going to let them get their ass beat up. It's been a while since Julian took a well-deserved beating, he thinks as he puts food in the shopping basket and grabs a bag of candy.

"Hey, put it back." Julian says, pushing Hunter's shoulder, with more force than they should.

"Why?" the youngest raises an eyebrow.

"I don't like those, they're too sour."

"Your problem, I like it." Hunter puts it in the basket anyway.

"I like the sweet one. Take 'em." Julian picks the package they like and puts it in the basket. Their little brother doesn't take their bullshit and puts it away, taking the one he likes. Julian groans. "Come on, Hunter. Clarice said we can only take one."

"And why should I take what you like?"

"I'm older." Julian says, their sharp fangs poking out their lips. Hunter frowns and does the same, but his teeth are much smaller and not as threatening.

"I'm smarter, idiot."

They both growl at each other, a rumbling sound coming out of their chests. Completely forgetting the situation they are in. The woman behind the counter tries to get a look and Clarice runs to them, slapping each on the shoulder, ending the staring competition.

"Hey, Hey! Stop it!" she says and the two promptly start blaming each other. The older mutant rolls her eyes and pushes them away again, picking up a completely different package. "Just because of that I'll take what I like. End of story."

"What? Why?!" Julian protests. Clarice is not intimidated by their growl and looks at them very closely.

"Because I'm older than both of you and I'm in charge."

This causes Julian to shut up and sulk. Even though Hunter is upset about not getting the ones he wanted, he still smirked as he watched Clarice put their idiotic brother in his place.

"I don't know if you forget, but we are being followed." Clarice says and slaps Julian in the shoulder. "How many?"

Julian sniffs the air one more time, then wipes their nose like they have an itch.

"Man, how many cigars does that old bitch smoke?" They spit and rub their face with their sleeve. "They're gettin' closer. Old man Logan, Inferno, and two others. One of them smells weird, I think it's Iceman."

"Iceman? They planned everything." Hunter comments in a low voice. Julian pushes him hard, making him stagger, their hands growing warmer.

"I can handle him! And Inferno too!"

"In your fucking dreams."

"Shut up." Clarice rolls her eyes, pulling her hood down. The completely green eyes, pink skin and hair can't be hidden, Julian thinks her disguise is stupid. She should stop trying.

She puts her hand inside her coat, looking around for an exit. There is a door leading to the back. Perfect.

"Go back home. I'll deal with them and meet you there. Pack your stuff and wait for me. If I don't come back soon, you know what to do." she orders, going to the counter, green eyes fixed on the glass window.

Why haven't they entered yet?

Julian rolls their eyes, picking up the groceries and throwing them into a bag, walking to the back door with Hunter, who looks more annoyed than them.

"Are we moving again? We just got back home." the youngest grumbles in a low voice.

Clarice turns to him and leans in with that annoyed expression every older sister has, speaking through clenched teeth.

"Do what I say!"

This time, Hunter and Julian comply. Or almost.

The woman at the counter doesn't move as they open the back door and leave, taking the few groceries they've chosen with them. Clarice puts the necessary money on top of the counter and waves to her, asking for her silence. The woman waves back, pretending not to see the Creeds, as she always has done.

Clarice opens the glass door, her hands still in her jacket pockets.

She can see three shadows approaching, not caring that her hood blows in the wind and shows some of her scarred face. She recognizes Wolverine and Salazar. The other guy made of ice she's only seen on TV, when Mr. Creed would sit down to watch the news about the X-Men and laugh a little at them, telling his kids how to 'deal with them'. They're all dressed like they're on a mission, dark uniforms instead of the flashy yellow.

Iceman is a little further away, but his white eyes are fixed on her, an expression of curiosity and surprise on his white face, as if he is seeing a ghost.

Clarice gives him an annoyed look. "I thought I said to leave us alone, Wolverine."

The three of them stop walking and she realizes what's wrong. There is one missing. Julian said there are four. She searches for the missing X-Men, her attention divided between Logan and any sign that Julian and Hunter might be in danger.

Logan takes his hands out of his pockets, she doesn't, and for the first time, she sees how calm he is.

"I know, kid. But it ain't happenin'." He takes a step forward and Clarice takes one back. "Calm down, we just wanna talk. We're not going to hurt you and your brothers. We don't want to take you three back to Utopia or anything."

"I don't believe it." Clarice spits. "I made it very clear to Frost that I don't want the X-Men help for anything. None of us do. So leave us alone. It's a warning."

"We're not with Cyclops." Iceman says, still looking her up and down as if he wants to make sure she's really there. "I don't know if you heard, but the X-Men split up."

"I heard. And I heard about your new "Wolverine School", it wasn't the best of openings." She rolls her eyes, leaving Logan surprised. "Yeah, everybody already knows about that. Have you come to invite us to join your X-Men?"

Logan and Iceman look at each other for a moment, the younger X-Men shrugging as the immortal man steps forward.

"We know you and the Creeds are alone, so we're here. We didn't come to harm you."

"Oh yeah? So where's the other one?" Clarice looks around and again leaves the three surprised. "I know it's not just the three of you, did you send the other one after my brothers? Tell whoever it is to leave them alone. Now." she orders in a cold voice.

There's another moment of silence as Wolverine decides what to do. She could see the tension in her shoulders relax. He lifts a device to his mouth, speaking in the calmest voice he has.

"Kitty, change of plans. You can come back."

As soon as he takes his finger off the button, there's a beep, then a loud sound behind the grocery store. An explosion. Clarice realizes that her brothers weren't really following her orders when she hears Julian's voice somewhere, followed by a female scream.

"KITTY!"

Iceman runs past Clarice before she can react. She turns her head back just in time to see him create a catwalk to slide down. Before Logan and Salazar can react, she disappears in a quick flash of pink light, faster than they can blink.

She teleports to the alley behind the grocery store behind them. It's darker in there, but she can see Julian and Hunter, the oldest of the Creeds tense, one hand outstretched in front of them, sharp black claws ready to strike, another arm hugging Hunter protectively. And there's Kitty Pryde. Sitting on the floor with wide eyes.

Clarice frowns as she sees the four claw marks on her armor, right above where her heart is. Light marks, but enough to have done a little damage. Pryde must have become intangible before Julian could get their claws in too deep.

"Kitty!" Iceman slides towards them, alerting Julian and Hunter.

Clarice turns to the approaching X-Men, taking her hand out of her jacket pocket.

She pulls out her retractable bow, opening it with just one movement. A thin, pink javelin appears between her fingers, the sharp point aimed at Iceman, making him stop instantly with his hands up. Wolverine and Inferno also stop, claws and flames ready.

"Hey Hey! Calm down! We don't want to fight you." Iceman exclaims, trying to get to Pryde.

"She was followin' us." Julian points to the woman on the floor, their nose wrinkled in a deep frown. "I couldn't even smell her."

Pryde's breathing calms down slowly as she stands, one hand on her chest. She looks down at the marks on her armor, then at Julian's long and pointed claws. Clarice knows what she's thinking. Her brother's face twisted with rage makes they look like Mr. Creed.

"I had to make sure you were really alone. We have no intention to fight." Pryde says, making Julian growl.

"I do. Clarice, let's just finish them off and leave." they say to their sister, their voice deep.

Salazar lets out a sneer, looking at Julian humorously, seeing their young angry face.

"Look at Creed Jr. All tough and shit. He looks like his parents." She crosses her arms and is not the least bit intimidated when Julian and Wolverine snarl at her.

"Shut up, Salazar." The immortal orders and she shrugs.

"Clarice, listen to what we have to say." Pryde asks in a soft voice, raising her hands and moving slowly as if she were dealing with a frightened animal. "Please."

Clarice keeps the javelin pointed at them, her green eyes narrowing; it's hard to tell who she's looking at. There's a minute of silence as she makes a decision. Bobby is tense, looking between the young mutant and Kitty, ready to act if that javelin goes off.

Hunter and Julian are also tense. Waiting for their sister to fire, or for her to put the bow down. Logan holds her gaze, his hands at his sides, his claws still hidden. He doesn't know what makes him sure she won't shoot. Perhaps the way her lips curl, not in a frown, but in an expression of spite.

With a sigh, Clarice slowly lowers the bow. The javelin gets smaller until it disappears. Her hands are still tightly gripping the weapon.

"How can I trust you?" She tilts her head. "Frost came to me offering the same thing you do. What makes you different?"

Kitty sighs and puts her hands down, looking at Clarice with empathetic eyes.

Logan decides that the best person to deal with the three young mutants is Kitty. She speaks softly, patiently, and he can see Clarice and Hunter relaxing a little, yet Julian still seems ready to pounce on them at any moment.

Salazar and Bobby are quiet as Kitty explains everything. About the Schism, about the school. Logan hears her repeat the same dream they all had. Protect the children, create a place where they can just be free. He shakes his head to himself.

He looks at the Creeds, seeing how unconvinced they look by Kitty's words. He cannot blame them. None of them know what the three kids have been through in the years since their family fell apart.

Kitty's voice fades for a minute as Logan watches them.

They look a lot like their parents. He can clearly see Sanguinária in the dark skin and hair they share, the way Julian frowns and tilts their head back. Hunter's flat face and how his sharp eyes analyze each one of them.

He can see Sabretooh too. A little more hidden, but it's there. Cat eyes, pointy ears, fangs and claws. All this is noticeable. But that's not what gets his attention. It's the air. He doesn't know how, but the three of them move the same way Creed does.

Even when Julian rolls their eyes and sneers, they sound a lot like their father. They seem to be more daring and impatient, a bit rebellious. Hunter, however, is quieter, maybe even shy. Logan would describe him as sweet if not for the sharp eyes.

He looks at Clarice. He never met her. None of them did. The little girl they saw in the pictures died a long time ago. This is clear from the stone face she maintains, not the soft, sad eyes she had.

There's confidence in her posture now. And a little aggressiveness. She straightens her back and speaks in a firm voice. Logan can see Sanguinária in her too, and wonders what they taught to turn her into this brave young woman.

He wonders what those three went through.

When Kitty finishes talking, he shakes his head to clear the thoughts.

Julian is the first to speak. Their voice as loud as ever, a roar rumbling in their chest, making their faint accent more noticeable.

"You expect us to follow you like a bunch of idiots? Do you really think we're going to fall for this?!" They look at Clarice. Their older sister has a thoughtful look, a shadow on her face.

"Kid, we ain't here to trick you. " Wolverine says as calmly as he can. "We really wanna help--"

"No way!" Julian interrupts him. "There's no way you want to help us! We don't need you, we're fine on our own. Clarice--"

Inferno lets out a snort, rolling her eyes at the teenager. This makes Julian even angrier with her. The red-haired woman doesn't seem the least bit affected by the whole conversation; in fact, she looks a little bored.

"Oh, yes, I totally believe that." she says with irony. Ignoring Kitty's whisper to be quiet, she steps forward, giving the Creeds a pointed look. "How long have you three been hiding here? How long have they been on the run?" She tilts her head, speaking lower in a serious tone. "When was the last time you saw your father?"

Julian's frown falters for a moment. Wolverine sees a hurt glint in their golden eyes and the teen takes a step back as if Salazar's words had hurt them. Hunter also has a dark look in his eyes though, it's hard to tell when he always has the same dull expression.

Clarice sighed, looking as affected as her adopted brothers. Wolverine raises his eyebrows in surprise, wondering if it's possible that Sabretooth's departure really affected them.

He shakes the thought away. No, they are children. Obviously they would miss their father. As cruel as he was. He doesn't know what kind of person Creed was to his children.

"It's been a long time." Clarice whispers, clenching her fists. Julian crosses their arms and looks away.

"How long?" Kitty asks.

"It don't fuckin' matter." Julian says through their teeth, looking at Kitty. Hunter puts a hand on their shoulder. It's enough to make them relax a little.

Bobby and Kitty are already very tense too, eyes locked on Creed, on their claws. Logan sighs heavily and takes another step forward. Clarice grips the bow in her hands.

"Look, darlin', I know you're worried about your brothers, but we're not the enemy here. We are trying to offer you a chance at somethin' better." he says with a steady look.

Kitty nods, her expression sympathetic even though she still keeps her hand over the claw marks on her armor.

"Clarice, we understand your concerns. But the school isn't just a place to teach mutants how to control their powers." she smiles gently. "It's a family, a community that supports and protects each other."

Julian and Hunter are quiet, cat eyes darting between the X-Men and their sister. So far, Hunter hasn't reacted aggressively or expressed his dislike for them, he also seems a little wary; though, Logan and Kitty think they can see a bit of curiosity in his eyes.

Clarice holds her bow in one hand, moving to stand further in front of her brothers.

"How do I know you won't turn them into weapons like the people who hurt us?" She asks and glances quickly at Inferno.

Logan also looks at the redhead, but decides to ignore the smug look she has.

"We..."

"We needed your help." Clarice continues with a firmer tone. "I needed. I was trapped for a long time, and no one came for me. Only Mr. Creed and Mrs. Márquez found me." she says with hurt in her voice, pointing to Julian and Hunter behind her. "They are my brothers. They were alone for months, and you didn't help them."

"We did what we could." Inferno says, arms still crossed and a stony expression. "We took you to Utopia to be safe from your father. Even then, the two brats fled." She points a finger at the young mutants.

"You took us there and left us!" Julian screams. Better, growls. Hunter is startled and grabs their jacket, trying to calm them down. "We didn't asked for your help! We were better alone!"

"Then you three would have died!" Inferno screams. Kitty and Bobby both turn to her, both putting their hands on her arms, but the tall woman pushes them away immediately.

"Salazar, that's enough." Bobby says sternly.

"You ran away because you wanted to."

"We wanted to find our sister and dad." Hunter mutters, raising his shoulder as Julian's anger makes the temperature rise. Logan feels it too. The air around Julian and Salazar grows heavier and hotter.

"And where is he now?" Inferno asks with a mocking tone. Before Julian can leap at her, fangs clenched, Clarice puts her hand on their chest and pushes them back as Hunter grabs their arm with both hands.

Logan also pushes Salazar back. She doesn't move much, but stops moving forward. He snarls at her, then turns to the Creeds, trying to hide his impatience.

"We ain't like them, Clarice." he says sincerely. His raspy voice doesn't help much. "We're ain't in the business of hurting children. We're here to get you to a safe place. Where you can learn and grow without being persecuted."

Kitty pushes Salazar further back, speaking in a soft voice. Logan is somewhat impressed with how patient she can be.

"Look, I know you're scared, after everything you've been through in the last year. And I know you're scared of your father..."

"We're not." Julian snorts.

"I promise you will be safe there."

"How can we trust that?" Clarice rolls her eyes. It's kind of hard to notice the movement. "You can't even protect the children who are already there."

Kitty opens her mouth, Hunter stops her, raising a clawed finger.

"We saw the video on Instagram. The attack you had on the first day."

Bobby slaps a hand to his forehead, making a loud 'clink' noise. "Damn it, Glob!"

Kitty shakes her head impatiently.

"Not the best first day. But I promise we will do everything to protect you." she says, eyes soft.

Clarice hesitates a little. Turning to her brothers, the three exchange glances. Julian maintains their frown, Hunter looks torn between curious and skeptical.

"What if we don't want to go?" Clarice asks.

Hunter takes her hand. She looks at him with a surprised expression. Wolverine's lips curled into a slight smile.

"We're not going to force any of you. It's an invitation. But if you decide to come, we'll protect you. From SHIELD, the Avengers, your father."

The last comment makes Julian frown once more. They look like they want to say something very rude, Logan doesn't know if it's to defend their father or not. But they stop when a bip comes from Logan's pocket, getting louder every second. His communicator.

"Damn it." Logan murmurs, putting his hand in his pocket. He looks back at the Creeds, who are taking steps backwards.

"Yo sabía que eso iba a pasar." Julian says and Logan realizes that they must have misunderstood.

"Hey, no. Wait!" he walks towards them. Salazar and Kitty close behind, only one of them looking friendly. "We are not giving--"

Clarice wastes no time raising her bow again and creates another pink javelin, aiming at Logan. He dodges when she shoots, the sharp javelin just grazing his helmet and hitting a dumpster behind him. He hears the muffled sound of teleportation.

"Just listen, dammit!" he screams.

Julian pushes Hunter back, the youngest hides his face in his arms and bends down. Logan stops immediately when he sees Julian move their arm back, just like their mother would do. Julian's dark skin starts to glow, red burning on their chest and face, eyes shining as their mutantion activates.

Before Logan can duck, a blast of fire flies in their direction, burning his arm and hair when he falls on the ground. He hisses and moves before Julian can aim at him again.

He was kinda expecting it. Salazar said the kid could already control their mutation and had used it before; what surprised him was the willingness of trying to straight up kill him. However, as much strong Julian is, the attack is still sloppy and reckless.

Salazar moves to stand in front of Logan and Kitty, using her arms to shield her face when Juliam keeps shooting. The fire has no effect on her, and she smirks as Julian continues to try to incinerate her.

"I knew it was a bad idea." Bobby grumbles, sliding in front of Salazar. He protects himself from the flames by creating an ice barrier.

Clarice shoots one more javelin, breaking the ice barrier completely. As soon as the barrier drops, Bobby attacks, using both hands to hit Julian with a wave of snow, making them fall to the ground with a startled snarl, the flames on their arm going out. They're now just a glowing red under the snow.

When Salazar starts running towards them, Clarice shoots at her before she can react. A long, sharp dart sticks through the woman's chest, and in a blink, she's gone.

Hunter also falls back with Bobby's attack, but doesn't attack right away, just dodging Iceman's attack and running out of reach. Logan runs towards him, claws still hidden. The boy reacts, throwing himself to the ground and rolling, escaping his grasp. He doesn't escape Kitty, however, and she wraps her arms around his small body.

"Hunter, please! We don't want to hurt you."

He doesn't listen, squirming in her grip. Bobby continues his attack. Julian tries to get up and activate their flames again. Clarice aims a dart at Bobby and hits him in the forehead, the pink dart goes through his head and he freezes, his eyes widen as he feels his head being perforated, before disappearing too.

She turns to Kitty and Logan, her little brother still squirming in the woman's arms, aiming the bow at them, not firing. Julian stands up with a snarl, the snow in their arms melting almost immediately as their anger rises at the sight of Hunter being held in place.

"Clarice, wait--"

Clarice doesn't blink as she fires another javelin. Not on Kitty. Logan's eyes widen as it hits Hunter in the middle of the chest. The boy doesn't react, he disappears in a quick flash. When Logan turns around again, Julian also disappears with a loud protest.

Clarice takes one last look at Kitty at Logan before disappearing in a flash of pink light.

The two X-Men are silent, looking around the empty alley.

Salazar and Bobby call them on their communicators. Logan ignores them and huffs impatiently, kicking a can to the floor. Kitty claps her hands in her pockets urgently.

"Logan. My communicator." she says, looking around on the floor.

"What?" he growls.

"My communicator. Is not here." She stops and places her hands on her head. "Hunter took it. When I grabbed him!"

Logan's shoulders slump. He doesn't answer, just throws his arms around, muttering to himself. Salazar and Bobby return to the alley, running to help with the fight.

"What the hell? Where'd they go?!" Bobby asks, stopping beside Kitty with a worried look.

"We don't know. Hunter took my communicator. And--" Kitty stops, and everyone turns to Logan when his communicator starts to beep once again. He ignores, kicking more cans around.

"How the fuck three teenagers managed to escape from you?!" Salazar screams at Kitty.

"They also escaped you!" Kitty finally snaps, walking over to face Salazar, looking so small compared to the redhead. "Our plan was not to hurt them! And you weren't helping by talking like that."

"Did you really think it would be easy to recruit those kids?" Bobby gets between them. "I told you it was a bad idea."

"Everything was going well until--"

"Shut up all of you!" Logan orders, turning to them. They stop, and Salazar walks away with heavy steps. The communicator keeps beeping. Logan finally turns it on, mumbling. "Fantomex, what the fuck do you want now?"

"What's up, honey?" comes the mocking voice on the other side. Kitty and Bobby give Logan a confused look, while his frowns get deeper. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Shut up. What the hell do you want?!"

There's a brief silence, a young voice sounding in the background. Fantomex sighs and speaks in a more serious tone.

"I need you to come home early. It's your turn to pick up Evan, have you forgotten?"

Chapter Text

Creed's House, somewhere in the Canadian mountains.

When Clarice teleports back home, Julian is already walking around the room, picking up his most important belongings and putting them in a backpack. She can feel his irritation even as she stood in the doorway. Waves of heat around his body.

The room is dark, the whole house is. The shadow that is her brother moves with aggressive movements, golden eyes glowing.

She stares at him for another minute. Feeling tense, tired, insecure. Lowering her hood, her pointy ears droop a little as she looks around the living room, at the house Ms. Márquez built. Which she has lived in for the past ten years.

The house has been a mess for the last few weeks. It's not that they're messy, they just didn't feel like dealing with it after coming back. The day they were back there was dust everywhere, the food had gone bad in the cupboards, their rooms still locked. They only planned to be away for a few days, just visiting New York for the weekend.

And then their family split up.

The house was just as they left it, neither Clarice nor her siblings felt comfortable cleaning the dust. On their first night alone, the three of them went to their parents' room and lay together on the big bed, under the furs that Mr. Creed had hunted. They still do it from time to time.

"You gonna stand there all night? Or will help?" Julian's voice wakes her up. They keep their gaze on their hands, picking up one of mama's brightly colored blankets and stuffing it in their backpack.

Clarice walks through the door, placing the bow on the coffee table.

"Jules."

"I don't wanna talk." they said through gritted teeth. Clarice sees the way their lips form a pout, like they did as a child. "I don't wanna talk about it. Let's just leave."

Julian turns their back on her and walks into the kitchen, opening cupboards, pulling out canned food and the groceries they made tonight. Wooden doors are slammed, making Clarice's sensitive ears twitch. She lets them do their thing. At least is something to take out their anger.

She helps them pack out. And it fucking hurts. There's nothing for them in the library, only old documents of Ms. Márquez and Mr. Creed, stuff about their missions. And stuff Clarice doesn't want to know about. Julian and Hunter don't use the playroom for a long time, their old toys are left behind in their boxes. But Clarice picks one of Hunter's old plushies. A small bear without a ear. Julian eat it out of spit for not getting candies once, she still remembers.

She goes upstairs with the bear under her arm, a bag in one hand. Hunter is in his rook, packing his clothes. He knocks on the door, giving him the best smile she can as she offers the bear.

"Thought you would like company."

Hunter turns to her with the same grimm face his older sibling has, but he's not angry.

"Thanks, Clarice. But I got one already." He shows her his his stuffed whale shark. A gift so old from Mr. Creed that the poor toy is turning more gray than white in the belly.

"Oh, it's okay." She enters the room, looking around the shelves covered in books too complicated for someone of his age and many figurines of sea creatures. Her brother sure has a hobby. "There's something else you need help with?"

Hunter shakes his head again, face devoid of emotions. "You're offering your help because you want to have somethin' to distract you. Or you want to tell me somethin'."

Clarice stares, green eyes widen, but she already expected that. Hunter has some type of sixth sense that allows him to catch up when his siblings are hiding things. Maybe he just know them too well. He often used it to sntich to their parents, though.

"Maybe." She confesses and sits on his tiny bed, making it creak. Hunter sits by her side, looking to the ground with his shark on his lap. "I have something in mind. I think it's easier to share with you than with Jules."

"He's just sad." Hunter says simply. "I know what you're thinkin'. And I know Julian will be angry. But I agree with you completely." He looks to the open door, the dark corridor leading to their parent's bedroom, it have been closed for a while now.

"How?"

"I want to go the school too. I don't like hiding, staying here all the time, but I don't want to lose our house."

"If you want to go to that school, you know we won't..."

"I don't want to leave the house. But I'm scared. I don't know what is happenin'. I'm just tired of hiding all the time and being scared." Hunter shakes his head, shoulders falling.

"I know everything you and Jules do are to protect me. But I know Julian is just angry and sad, they don't think right when they are like this. I know what is important right now. Whatever you decide, I will follow."

Clarice nods and puts an arm around his shoulders, pulling him to her, he complies, tough his posture remains stiff next to her. She gives him just a few seconds of affection before realizing him.

"Thanks, Hunter."

"Maybe we can convince Julian to the same?" He asks. Clarice chuckles and shakes her head.

"If we knock him under their head and drag him along."

Hunter agrees silently, head down. Clarice feels herself sinking into her younger brother's innocent face. He's always been so little, and he looks even younger hugging his stuffed shark and giving her that look of uncertainty.

"Where are we going now? We can't go back to mama's safe houses, they must know where it's located."

She sighs, looking at Hunter standing in the middle of the living room. The sight brings back a feeling she knows all too well. It's a heavy weight in her stomach and shoulders, like a wave of nostalgia that only brings pain. The idea of leaving her home behind gives her a sour taste in her mouth. She should be used to leaving things behind by now. After losing so much.

Losing the second family she was given was just as painful as losing the first. Too fast, too unpredictably, it felt like a dream at first. However, they are still here. She's still holding her little brother's hand, and he must be just as lost as she is, looking just as confused as she did that night.

This was his family. His parents and his house. Sometimes Clarice thinks about how they were here before her, and thinks it's not fair that she mourns the loss of her home more than he does.

"I don't know. I will find out." She promises.

Hunter's tiny hand grabs one of hers, surprising her. His tiny claws tickle her pink skin, and he never squeezes too hard for fear of hurting her. He smiles, or tries to. His lips stretch into a crooked line, showing his fangs, and Clarice mimickes him. Tired green eyes, scarred and tattooed face looking a little too old.

He looks a little anxious for a moment, Clarice can see it, his tiny claws running through the back of his hands in a stimming movement. She says nothing, waiting for him to go to her. Hunter always had his moments of silence, where he rather keeps his emotions to himself rather than seeking his parents or sibling. But, no matter what it is, in the end, he looks for them.

They finish packing in a few minutes. Right after Julian came upstairs to tell "their asses to hurry up, the X-Men might be following". Only clothes are taken from the house, and just a few pictures. Ms. Márquez and Mr. Creed never liked taking many photos.

Clarice takes a moment to go to their room too, looking for anything high valuable, but not emotionally important, and finds only a few jewelry Ms. Márquez never really liked.

Julian is still sulking. Even more so when they see their brother's guilty face, they can smell there's something wrong, and say nothing to aggravate it. When everything is packed, Clarice and her brothers lock the house, even though there's no need and stand in the porch.

Julian has a grimm gaze that makes him look a lot like Mr. Creed, as he stares at the field where Clarice practices archery, and the trees and mountains behind it. There are still some wooden toys lying around on the grass.

Two years have passed since Hunter last played with his cars. Reality makes him close his eyes and only put his hand on Clarice's shoulder while she hugs Hunter.

They all take one last look at the house. Then they teleport away with a soft flash of light.

The shitty hotel they found is miles away from their house. Julian and Hunter don't know where, but they're sure it's not even in the same province. Yet, they haven't crossed the border of the country either.

They sit silently in the parking lot while Clarice finds them a room. Julian is watching her. The guy behind the counter is clearly not happy by having a mutant there. He thinks he should be the one doing it, but knows his older sister wants to take the responsibilities in everything. It angers him sometimes. She always wants to do things for others.

He gruffs and hides his face in his coat. The air is cold, small puffs of white rise from their mouth. Smoke. He notices he's gritting his teeth and the smoke is escaping between them.

"You're burnin'." Hunter's quiet voice warns them.

"I know." They grunt back at him. They try to calm down, taking a deep breath, feeling the fire inside his chest. He obviously looks like he has a fucking lightcandle inside his coat. And he doesn't want the human in the counter noticing.

Hunter rests his head on his shoulder, surprising Julian with his affection. He looks down to his baby brother, who has his eyes closed, hands covered in gloves close to his chest, enjoying the warmth that Julian's mutantion provides.

"I'm not your personal heater." The older Creed grunts, wrapping an arm around the younger one. His chest warms up slightly more.

"You're now." Hunter murmurs.

They stay still and wait for Clarice, asses freezing in the bench under the cold wind. Julian makes an effort to keep his mutation under control and not hurt their brother. They realize Hunter's goal. He doesn't like touching, even his family has to keep arms at a certain distance, unless he asks for affection on his own. So having the little brother by his side, Julian has no choice but control himself.

"Little shit." Julian rolls their eyes at their brother's attempts of keeping them calm. Or rather just stop them from burning down the whole parking lot.

"What did you do to the chickens?" Hunter asks. Julian moves their head down.

"What?"

"The chickens. What you did to them?"

Julian huffs a cloud of smoke through his nostrils. He had almost forgotten about the animals. After their came back home months ago, mostly of their chickens had died after they spent so long away from home. Surprisingly, a few of them were still fine. Clarice and Julian took care of them the best they could, until a week back when they had to given them away.

"Got rid of them." They say. Hunter looks up with eyebrows high in his beanie, making a face so angry, but Julian ignores. "We needed money. And food. And we had them for a reason, hm?"

Hunter shakes his head. "They're mama's chickens."

"She's not here." Julian grunts. It makes Hunter quiet. Putting his face back in his hoodie, hugging his shark plushie close to him again.

Conversation dies after that. They sit there for a moment longer before Clarice calls them. The guy behind the counter is still shooting dirty looks at them, so Julian makes sure to show his teeth in a large smile, and the look of horror in that guy's pale face makes them feel slight better.

The room they get is crappy. Julian thinks is the type of place their dad and mom would stay during their shitty jobs back before SHIELD. They scrunch their nose and just look around, unpleased. Clarice sees it and turns to him with a tired face.

"It's just for a day, Jules." She says, or rather scolds them. Julian can't control the heat in their chest. They don't want to upset their sister even more, seeing how hard she's trying for them and Hunter, but they can't not think of other possibilities for their situation.

They stare at her while Hunter promptly jumps in one of the bed, kicking his shoes off, headphones blasting music.

"Fine." They sigh and take off their coat too, kicking their shoes to the corner of the room. Clarice can feel how their arms are burning and doesn't protests this time when Julian opens the door once again. "I'm gonna take a walk."

And they leave.

Clarice knows it's useless to try stop them. Without Mr. Creed and Mrs. Márquez around, Julian will mostly do whatever they want. As long it doesn't hurt Hunter, she is not worried. Her little brother can take care of themself, they are just like Mr. Creed, too stubborn to die so easily. The thought makes her uneasy.

Hunter is already setting his stuff next to the bed. She follows his lead and puts hers in the opposite bed, sitting in the old mattress to take off her boots. And that's when she notices the object in Hunter's hoodie.

"Hunter, what do you have there?" She stops and points at him.

Hunter looks at her like he's been caught stealing candy from cupboards. So this is what he's been hiding. Clarice immediately recognizes the round, yellow object with the red X on the back. The communicator they use on missions. She knows that Mr. Creed had a old version of it, broken, in his office. A little "souvenir".

"You stole it from the X-Men?" she asks in a hurried voice, reaching for the communicator device. Hunter takes a step back, shrugging and falling on the bed.

"It was easy. I knew you were going to teleport us back, so I grabbed it before Pryde noticed."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?" Clarice extends her hand again. "What if they follow us because of this thing?!"

Hunter shakes his head, his face is still calm and almost expressionless. "I disabled the tracker."

Clarice is surprised to see how easy it is for him to use the communicator, the screen shows a map, yellow dots moving away from what she thinks it's Mackenzie, going back to somewhere in the States.

"See? They're leavin', Clarice. They didn't follow us here." Hunter points a little claw, tapping the screen. Clarice sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose with two fingers.

"That doesn't mean we can let our guard down. We left home for a fucking reason!"

Hunter looks between his sister and the device, his face falling a little. He nods, putting the object down.

"I understand. My bad." he whispers.

"It's okay. Just..." She takes the device from him, rougher than she intended and puts a hand on his head, brushing the locs from his face. "Don't do that again. I will keep this."

With her voice sounding calmer, Hunter relaxes, shoulders falling. He still avoids looking at her and takes his shark in his arms again.

"What about Julian?"

"He's fine." Clarice answers. Hunter shakes his head.

"He's not. He's angry. Not with us, but..." He kicks his feet in front of him like a small child. He still one. "Julian misses papa, I do too."

"I know." Clarice says softly.

"I just want things to be normal again." Hunter murmurs. Clarice finds no words to comfort him. She's tired, just like him.

She stays quiet as Hunter moves back to lay on his side, his back facing her. He curls up in a ball, arms circling his favorite toy and Clarice only stares at him, green eyes falling shut while she stay sat behind him.

Hours later. September 7, 2018.

Cavern-X, the hideout of X-Force, Arizona.

Logan's boots tap on the metal floor as he leads the way down the dark hall. His expression is stuck in a deeper frown than normally seen. To spare the sanity of everyone on the team, and especially his own, he had Salazar wait in the Blackbird. And she gladly did, still irritated by the failure that was the meeting with the Creeds.

Bobby and Kitty try to keep up the pace.

Logan, of course, had explained about the place (and gotten that look from Bobby), but it was still pretty impressive. The three of them passed the huge paintings hanging on one of the walls. The first X-Force, old faces looking sternly at the camera, Logan, Laura, Jonh, Rahne, Hepzibah e Caliban.

Bobby stops for a moment to look at the last picture, eyes lingered in Psylocke's and Warren's faces. Kitty waits for him, with a empathetic smile that he brushes off. They enter the main room, a large area with a small table in the middle, beer cans, knives and papers scattered around.

"Can you explain what the hell we're doing here?" Bobby asks and notices that he has a guilty look when he turns around to face them.

"Creed's recruitment was a fiasco, I know. But we still have another student coming." he looks over his shoulder to the netal doors in the other side of the room. "And Warren too."

Bobby nods, frowning. He's not liking it, not even a little. He looks down and notices he's stepping in crayons.

"What's this all about?" Kitty waves around.

She sits on the table and sees the knives, obvious Wade's, but also the papers. Are not weird notes and unicorn drawings he likes to make. These are much more innocent. Children's drawings.

She picks up one of them. A small blue figure holds the hands of two people colered with brown, one of them with what looks a hijab around the head, all of them are smiling under the crooked yellow sun. Except for the figure in the corner, which looks a lot like Fantomex. Kitty frowns at the very grumpy face he has.

The stick figure is painted with black and white, the names "Uncle Cluster", "māma" and "bāba" above them. Every page is the same, but different in some way. One of them even has Deadpool with the blue figure.

"Bobby." She calls, showing him the drawings. Iceman takes a moment to look at them too, and is just as surprised as she is with the innocence of the pictures.

He gives Logan an inquire look, showing a page. Logan crosses his arms and sighs.

"Listen, I know I've hidden many secrets, but now I'm here to explain everything. First, Bobby, I need you to be patient." he says, which immediately makes Iceman suspicious. "What happened to Warren...

The metal doors in the opposite hallway open. Logan grunts and turns to give Fantomex a withering look. The masked man just opens his arms out as if to greet old friends, the corners of his mouth lifting up under the cloth of the mask.

"Ah, you have arrived. A little late though. We already had this conversation, honey." He says with mock humor, shaking a finger at Logan. "We already discussed this, drinking late it's not good for--"

"Shut your mouth!" Logan growls for the third time. "Where's the kid?"

Fantomex shrugs. "Packing his belongings, we were having a little chat. I can't say he's happy to leave the base, but he seems excited to go to school."

He crosses his arms and looks at Kitty and Bobby, still smiling when he sees them looking through the drawings. He walks to them and picks the pages from their hands. Kitty doesn't miss the threatening glitter in his eyes as he does.

"He's a good kid, I promise. You won't have any problems with him. Well... beyond what is expected." he says the last part like it's a little joke. Yet, there's a heavy tension on his voice.

Bobby sulks even more, looking from Fantomex to Logan. "I would ask what the hell is going on, but I think I would only get lies."

"I'll explain everything, Bobby. Just... wait." Logan promises, looking at Fantomex.

The doors open again, more carefully this time. A huge robotic figure that neither Bobby nor Kitty recognize walks towards them, stopping beside Fantomex with rigid shoulders, standing still. Kitty and Bobby are staring at the android, until Fantomex extends a hand.

To the person behind the android.

A little boy. Blue-gray skin, indigo curls falling over completely red yet kind eyes. Kitty puts her hands over her mouth as she recognizes that angelic face, eyes darting along the blue lines that run from the corners of the boy's mouth to his ears.

But the last time she saw that face was on another person. Someone much more powerful and cruel.

"Apocalypse?"

Bobby seems frozen in place, mouth and eyes wide open. The boy, who looks young and innocent, unlike the man who he resembles, shrinks under their shocked eyes, his cheeks taking on a darker hue.

He waves at Logan with a timid hand, holding a suitcase in the other. "Hello, Mr. Logan"

Wolverine lifts his chin. His expression changes to something more serene and smooth.

"Heya, Kid." He waves back and turns to Bobby and Kitty. "You two, this is Evan Adel. Our new student."

"Hello. They call me Genesis too." He tells them, red eyes sparkling. "I know you, I saw you on TV with my mum and dad."

Bobby and Kitty can't stop looking at the familiar, young face. They turn their heads to Fantomex. The man's eyes are now cold and grimm, an empty look as he gently places his hands on Evan's shoulders.

Chapter Text

Cavern-X

A few moments before

Evan's red eyes reflect off the glass, standing out against the landscape he's looking at. Sitting alone in front of one of the large windows of the X-Force base, he admires the stars illuminating the arid Arizona desert, where he has been living for the last few months.

He sighs, turning to the few toys he has between his fingers. Deadpool got him some cars and dolls when he noticed how bored he was, being the only kid in the base. Evan doesn't have many people to talk to. He never had, he was always too shy to make friends even when he still lived in Kansas with his parents.

Now surrounded by adults in the middle of the desert, Evan feels lonelier than ever. At least he had Deadpool for company, as strange as the man could be, until he had to go on a mission. Now, Evan can just pretend that E.V.A. and Ultimaton can talk to him.

Sometimes, when Uncle Cluster isn't so busy, they spend time together. Going outside to play baseball, working together to fix Ultimaton, and sometimes Uncle reads to him too.

However, he's not the most soft person around. He seems like he's always too busy, his mind elsewhere. Whenever he looks at Evan, the boy feels that his uncle expects something from him.

That becomes clear that night. Uncle calls him to talk in one of the "forbidden" rooms, where E.V.A. is stored.

Evan surveys the landscape alongside Fantomex, who looks oddly thoughtful, until he speaks:

"There are only three kinds of people, Evan." he turns to the boy, raising his fingers. Evan, as always, is eager to hear his uncle's lessons. "Leaders. Those who take charge, build, inspire and create. Followers. Those who support the leaders and work towards to archive mutually beneficial goals."

The boy nodded, placing his hands on the glass.

"Okay. And what's the third type of person, Uncle Cluster?"

"Destroyers." Fantomex responds more aggressively, with a tension in his voice that makes Evan shudder. "Destroyers cannot find within themselves the willingness to follow anyone, or trust. Their hatred and insecurity are too pure and strong to see strength in any other being. They utterly lack the ability to inspire or create, so they do the only thing they have left."

"Destroy what others build?" Evan whispers, and his uncle poke his nose with a finger, as he always does when he gets a question right in his lessons.

"Exactly. They destroy everything they come in contact with."

"Which one are you, uncle?"

"Good question, Evan." Fantomex keeps poking his nose. "But a much more important one: which one are you?"

Evan frowns. His red eyes fall to the ground, pondering the question. He always knew there was something different about him. In his old town, he always stood out. Being the only mutant, being the only different. Since his powers awakened, and since he helped the X-Force on their fight against the Horsemen of Apocalypse, he feels like there's a weight on his shoulders, and others expect something from him.

He doesn't know if it's a good or a bad thing. He wonders if the way his uncle looks at him has something to do with that. He clenches his fists and ponders his role in all of this.

"There are many things I have taught you over the years." Fantomex interrupts your thoughts. He walks over to Ultimaton and pulls out a small, round object made of metal from his coat pocket. "How to control your shape-shifting powers and your dematerializing blasts. None of this is as important as what your parents taught you."

Evan nods once more. Yes, mom and dad always taught him to be good, kind and humble. Uncle always said this is the true path to greatness. Despite himself believing that he is not a good person. Evan, in all his innocence, believes his uncle is an amazing person.

He shows the object so Evan can see it. Ultimaton activates. Its metal chest glows blue, sparks fly from within as its chest opens.

"Alakazoo! Open sesame!" the robotic voice says, making Evan laugh a little with the phrase that Fantomex taught the android. He sees his uncle's eyes crinkle into an almost smile.

"Listen, the fate of the world hinges on you choosing to be a good man. A good leader." he says seriously.

"What is this thing?" Evan tries to see better. He recognizes that it is the object his uncle has been working on in secret for the last few months.

"The World. Remember? It's like a factory, and it's very important." he explains and Evan tilts his head in curiosity. "It was damaged during our adventure, when we faced the Horsemen, and now it must be stored safely."

He remembers seeing the World destroyed during their fight. And he remembers the machine being much bigger. For some reason, the name World clicks something in his mind, he puts a hand to his forehead, trying to remember.

"Was it my fault?" he asks in a soft voice, feeling really guilty for all the chaos he caused.

Uncle Cluster crouches down in front of him with furrowed brows, gently gripping his shoulder.

"No. There was nothing you could have done. If anything, it was my fault." he shakes his head and Evan sees that his uncle looks more tired than ever, maybe a little guilty. "Your burden is real, Evan. Should you choose the path of the destroyer, you would erode all the beauty, all the light." he says the last part in a lower voice, still firm.

Evan feels the importance of words. Again his uncle puts that weight on your shoulders. Something he can't quite understand. Still, he nods with childlike determination, smiling softly.

"You taught me better than that, mom and dad too." He looks down at his blue hands, stretching his fingers just a little and smiling, the lines in his cheeks stretching. "I want to be a hero, uncle. I want to use my powers to do good things."

A low, husky laugh comes out from under the uncle's mask and his eyes drop.

"I know that you want. That's why you need to trust me. You were forced into this fight too soon. It is of great importance that this does not stain your future."

He gets up and turns to Ultimaton, who keeps it's chest open as Fantomex carefully places the World inside it. The android slowly starts to shut itself down with a continuous, irritating sound, sparks flying from within.

"World secured." Ultimaton says in a deep and robotic voice, the blue light that comes from inside it disappearing until it hangs up.

Fantomex turns his back on the Android and leaves the room, knowing that Evan is right behind him, his toys in his arms, running to keep up with his large strides. The two pass through large glass windows and metal doors, the moon lighting up the desert outside.

Upon reaching a metal door with crooked stars and unicorns painted in bright colors (a gift from Deadpool), Fantomex stops abruptly and Evan almost collides with him. His uncle is quiet for a second, then turns and crouches down to him again, holding both of his shoulders under his gloved hands.

"You know you can't be with me, Evan. Remember I said I would send you to a school? With other kids just like you?"

Evan pouted and nodded, a disappointed expression on his face. "Do I really need to go? Can't I go home? Or go with you to wherever you are going?"

Fantomex shakes his head.

"No. I taught you everything I could, but your time with me can be detrimental to your character. You'll have Logan to help you on your journey, and you'll be staying with other mutant children. You, like them, will be trained to be a hero."

Evan nods once more, shoulders slumping.

Fantomex stands and opens the metal door for Evan to enter. His little room, where he'd been sleeping since leaving Kansas. He puts his toys on the bed and grabs a suitcase, folding the few clothes he has as his uncle watches him from the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Can I see mom and dad first?" he asks, giving his uncle a meek look, his red eyes gleaming.

He notices how his uncle's expression doesn't change under the mask, however, his fingers tighten his coat for a moment.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible for a while, Evan." he says, and the boy sighs. "You'll see them soon, when things get better at home. I promise. And it is necessary to ensure your safety and theirs."

Evan doesn't pay attention anymore. Fantomex sees for the first time how the boy frowns at his words. Usually he seems eager to spend time with his uncle, to listen to his lessons. Now, he is sad, angry. But he won't show. He's too good, too sweet.

Evan has a kind of innocence that could break anyone else. But not his uncle.

"You must dedicate yourself to the path of the leader." Fantomex continues anyway. When the little boy doesn't respond, he walks over to him, placing a hand in his indigo curls. "Do you understand, Evan? You must never quit."

Evan, gathering his toys and only belongings, keeps his head down and nods. Fantomex stares at him a moment longer, standing in the doorway, watching the small mutant with his toys, red eyes full of innocence; an all-too-familiar sight that makes him look away and leave.

Logan sees Kitty and Bobby's shocked expressions. Evan looks uncomfortable, rubbing his hands together and looking between the two X-Men. It wasn't quite the reception he'd expected.

Finally, Kitty closes her mouth and smiles, extending a hand to the boy.

"Hello, Evan. I'm Kitty Pryde. Welcome to the Jean Grey School."

Evan smiles, squeezing her hand. He waves to Bobby, who is still quiet.

Logan crosses his arms and smiles just a little when Kitty regales Evan with questions about his mutation and hobby. Now Evan smiles some more, answering in a meek voice, waving his hands as he asks her about the Jean Grey School.

He doesn't notice the way Kitty flinches when she sees the door open again. Psylocke enters with head down and posture erect, eyes locked straight ahead. To her surprise, Warren also appears close behind. Blonde hair falling over his shoulders, so long it looks like he hasn't cut it in a long time, and he is not wearing a shirt, his metal wings are closed behind his back.

His eyes are still white, but not cold like the last time Logan saw them, after the Seed. He smiles brightly; not because he's happy to see his friends. He looks content, calm, but distant in some way they can't comprehend. Empty.

Kitty looks over at Bobby, seeing him relax a little at the arrival of his old friend. She blinks and smiles back at Evan.

Everyone turns to the new arrivals. Warren waves to the X-Men, smiling.

"Hello, I'm Angel. I will travel with you from now on." he says, expression never changing. Bobby frowns and walks closer to him.

"Warren?" he calls and the winged man turns to him with a face... empty. Just it. A second passes and Bobby gets nothing but blank eyes staring at him. "It's me, Bobby."

"Excuse me?" He shakes his head, confused.

"What?"

"I don't remember anyone with this name." He offers a hand to Bobby, bending his back a little to look better at him. "I'm Angel. Pleased to meet you, man of ice."

The conversation draws the attention of others present in the room. Evan turns around with a guilty expression. Psylocke places her hand on Iceman's cold shoulder, pulling him away to whisper. He turns to her and notices the grim expression she has. As if she was in mourning, in pain.

"He doesn't know who we are, Bobby." she says in a weal whisper. Bobby opens his mouth and looks between his friend and the woman. "He had an accident a few months ago, he doesn't remember anything."

"Anything?" Bobby repeats, waving his hands. "Like, nothing from the last twenty something years?!"

Psylocke doesn't answer. She shakes her head with pursed lips. Reality crashes in on Bobby, weighing on his shoulders. He looks at Warren in disbelief. His friend still seems distant, walking up to Evan, one of the only people he seems to recognize.

Seeing his friend walk past him without so much as a glance makes Bobby wilt and lower his head to hide his face. Kitty walks over to the two, placing a hand on Psylocke's shoulder, making the woman shrink her shoulders and embrace herself.

"I'm sorry, Betsy." she says and the Pyslocke just nods her head. She can't say anything else, but she can comprehend the pain of losing the man she loves. And still have him so close.

Bobby does too.

He looks away from Psylocke's grim eyes, closes his fists and turns to Wolverine.

"What the fuck, Logan! Why Warren doesn't remember us? What the hell are you hiding now?"

"Bobby, calm down, please." Kitty asks. Yet, she also gives Logan a harsh looks, demanding answers from him, not just lies and words of reassurance.

Logan waves a hand at her.

"Warren suffered an accident on a mission, in a battle against the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he was poisoned by a Death Seed, the only way to bring him back was with the Life Seed. We failed and he ended up getting hurt." He says, shoulders slumping. He glances between Fantomex and Psylocke. "We thought he was dead, but he survived. He just … he didn't remember anything."

"He believes he is "Angel". And only that." Psylocke says.

Fantomex agrees, still not looking all that affected by the situation. "He can't stay here, he's a danger to himself and others."

"That's why I'm takin him to the school." Logan tells Bobby and Kitty. "Maybe this will help bring his memory back."

Bobby's ice form changes, his shoulders becoming broader, the icy spikes on his skin becoming daggers as he grows in size, freezing the ground and air around him. The others back away as he approaches Logan. Evan and Warren are amazed at his power, watching with open mouths while Kitty pushes them back.

"I told you that I didn't want the things you do outside of school to affect our students. Our friends." Bobby points a finger at Logan's face, towering over him like a giant statue of ice. "Whatever you do from now on, you better leave him out of it."

"Iceman."

Evan's shy, childlike voice distracts him. He turns to the little boy who approaches with his shoulders hunched.

"I'm sorry. Err... I could have helped, I guess." he says, rubbing his arms as the icy air around Iceman envelops him. "Uncle Cluster said I was important for the fight, but I arrived late and I think I hurt Angel. I am really sorry."

"That's not…"Bobby shakes his head, slowly returning to normal, ice melting from him. His face softened at how guilty the boy looked. He clenches his fists and looks away. "How can this be your fault?"

"I... tried to help..." Evan stutters, looking to Warren. "I tried to heal him. Help..."

Fantomex intervenes, waving at Ultimaton who has so far been standing still.

"Ultimaton, can you take Evan to the Blackbird? The adults will have a little chat." he asks and the android activates, glowing blue, and picks up Evan's suitcase on the floor.

Fantomex crouches down in front of Evan and pulls him into a hug, carefully wrapping himself around him. The little boy reciprocates with a gentle and sweet smile, genuinely happiness in his hug.

"See you later, Evan, stay safe. And don't tell anyone about this or I'll have to kill you. Enjoy school, make friends."

Fantomex ruffles the boy's curls, making him giggle. Kitty and Bobby are surprised at the smoothness of the gesture. Logan tells Warren to go with Ultimaton and he does so with a smile, waving at Psylocke.

"I will. See you later, Uncle Cluster." Evan holds Warren's hand and follows Ultimaton out of the room. "Tell my mom and dad that I love them."

Fantomex raises his eyebrows and almost stutters. "Yes, of course I will." he waves until they are out of sight.

Bobby's white eyes follow the three of them sternly. He sees that Psylocke has her eyes fixed on the floor.

After a moment, Kitty speaks again. "That's a lot to digest. What the hell is happening? Who is that boy?"

Logan looks between Psylocke and Fantomex and curses under his breath.

"Like i said before, I don't expect you to like what I do, I just don't want any more secrets between us." He takes a moment to breathe. "The kid is a clone of Apocalypse."

Silence. Kitty and Bobby aren't really surprised. They would recognize those eyes anywhere. Still, the weight of the words falls on the room. Kitty looks at the chalk drawings Evan left behind. Thinking of a face like Apocalypse smiling while drawing them seems impossible.

To think of such a sweet child having the face of a monster…she closes her eyes and places the drawings on the table.

"I know, I had no idea of his existence until Warren had the accident." Logan continues, raising a hand to silence Bobby when he sees him opening his mouth. Even so, Iceman turns and points at Fantomex accusingly.

"You did this?"

Fantomex shrugs, his face calm beneath the mask.

"What I did was merely guarantee the salvation of mankind. Or rather, our salvation. Apocalypse had been cloned and that child would be used to become the next Apocalypse. We couldn't let that happen. That's why we have Evan."

"Why?" Kitty asks.

"Evan was raised in the World." Psylocke says in the corner. "Chronologically he is only a few months old, but in body and mind he is a thirteen years old child." Her dark eyes fix on Fantomex, as if she also blamed him for something.

The masked man starts to walk around them, talking calmly and monotonously.

"I gave him a whole life inside the World, with two loving and dear parents, I created a story for them so that everything was as real as possible." He stops by the table, picking up one of Evan's drawings. "He believes his parents are immigrants from Egypt who moved to a small farm in Kansas where he was raised. He believes his parents are now somewhere safe in Europe, until he can go visit them."

Kitty and Bobby look at him with hard eyes. The masked man is quiet, lost in thought, before turning away with a crumpled drawing between his hands.

"He has no idea what he really is, I took him out of the World a few months ago and I didn't tell him anything. It wasn't time, he shouldn't have left his chamber so early, he's too young." he says, lower.

"You created him to be a weapon?" Kitty crosses her arms, eyes narrowed.

"I raised him to be a hero. I wanted to see if... if he was raised in a loving, kind family, he could be a good person. Make sure evil isn't built into the boy's genes."

"Why would you do that?"

Fantomex shrugs. "I wanted to know if there was hope for me."

"Then that's it?" Bobby exclaims, walking towards him, almost touching noses. Fantomex does not turn away. "You create an experiment with that kid, give him a fake life and then throw him in our laps? He's a clone of Apocalypse!" he turns to Logan. "It's not enough the Creeds, you want..."

Kitty cuts him. "Is he not aware of any of this?"

Logan shakes his head. He also gives Fantomex a scolding look, and makes it clear that he doesn't agree with any of this either.

"As much as I trust your judgment, I believe the best decision would be to tell him where he came from and who he is, before taking him to our school." the masked man says.

"Many will recognize him." Kitty says. "They'll know who he is, Logan.

"Nah, I don't think so." Logan shakes his head, now looking at Fantomex. "That doesn't depend on you, Uncle Cluster. You had all this time to tell him the truth, he had his whole world destroyed in a matter of seconds. And you continued to hide things from him. I don't think this is a good time to tell him that his whole life and family are an illusion.

"So you're going to prolong things even further?" Fantomex asks.

"I'll tell him when the time comes." Logan replies. "And whatever happens, I'll have to live with the consequences of my choices."

"We all will."

They remain silent, exchanging defiant glances. Until Bobby huffs, turning his back on them.

"Excellent. Nothing can get better than it already is, huh?"

The X-Men and X-Force watch him go, ice melting on the ground where he stepped, the door slamming behind him.

Chapter Text

September 9, 2018.

The next hotel they stayed in was better than the last. Less smelly, a bigger bed for the three of them to share, at least. Though, Julian still spent more time outside in the woods than in the room. And at night, they would curl themself in the end of the bed and turn their back to their siblings.

Clarice was being patient, as much she could. It was only two days since they left and she wanted to give Julian a moment to calm down. She knew trying to hold him inside the room, a space he was not used to, would only anger him more.

The weight of Wolverine's offer still hung in the air. In her mind. The complexity of her emotions knotted her heart as she struggled with the decision that lay ahead.

She knows what she needs to do. As much as she hates the X-Men, her siblings are her priority. She spent the whole time they where there thinking. She kept the stolen communicator in her pocket, easy to grab, and out of sight.

It's a like a weight pulling her down. She keeps putting her hand inside the pocket to touch it, or just hold it. Julian is the first to notice it immediately and every time she does it, he gets tense and waits. Waits for her to say words he doesn't want to hear and the moment they will fight over it.

Every time she does it, he leaves the room and sits outside.

That night, they don't come back for at least an hour, and when they do, Clarice is sitting in the chair in the conner of the room, her leg moving fast in an anxious movement. They know what she is thinking and almost turn around and leave again.

But no, they decide to stay this time. Hunter is watching TV, the old thing is so boring that it only has two channels. His shark is sitting on his lap and Julian takes a seat next to him in the end of the bed, eyes fixated in the screen, waiting.

Clarice stares at them for a long time, a hand inside her pocket. She sees Julian pretending to pay attention on the program and knows she has to do it.

She nods to nothing and leans towards them, waiting for their attention.

"Jules, Hunter..." she starts, swallowing hard. "Listen to me a little, all right?"

"No." Julian says immediately.

Clarice raises her eyebrows, confused for a second. Hunter too, but he knows what his sibling means.

Julian turns to her, his clawed hands on his knees as he sits in the edge of the bed. "No, I know what you're thinkin'. We're not taking their fuckin' offer to go to that school."

Clarice frowns, her lips pursed.

"You didn't even let me speak."

Julian rolls his eyes dramatically.

"It doesn't matter. I'm right. You want to send us with Wolverine. And why do you want to do that?"

"We already talked about this. You know why." She exclaims, waving her hands. It's amazing how Julian always manages to push her patience to the limit so quickly. She has been too patient with them in the last few days, now she is not going to accept his behavior.

"Well, I ain't doing it. No way are we're going to study with the X-pricks." he pushes himself from the bed and Clarice is indignant when he grabs his hoodie and walks to the door of the room.

"Julian, listen." Clarice teleports in front of her sibling and grabs their shoulder, forcing them to turn to her when they try to get away. "Can you listen to me for a minute?"

"I'm listenin', and I don't like it!" They pull away from her touch. "What made you change your mind so quickly? Did you forgot that they hate us? Forgot what they did to us?" He narrows his eyes, prominent fangs bared in an accusatory expression.

Clarice bites her lips, looking down at her hands. Running her fingers over the fine pale lines in her pink skin, intertwining and running down the length of her arm. The places where her flesh fell apart when she teleported with Phalanx.

"They're gonna send us back to Utopia. Or to the Ice Box, to SHIELD, to somewhere worse than this." Julian continues, clenching his fists. His breath starts to get hotter.

"You don't know that." Clarice says, letting her hands fall to her sides. "They said they want to help us."

"They might as well be fucking lying!"

"I know you can smell if they were lying." Clarice turns to Hunter, who is still sitting in the bed, hugging his knees as he listen to his siblings discuss. "Hunter, were they lying to us?"

The youngest stares at her, golden eyes darting from one sibling to the next. Both with hard expressions. Both pissed when he looks away and rubs his arms, shoulders hunched.

"No." he whispers. "I think they were telling the truth, my nose is not as good as Jules'." He says, almost as if that will take the blame off his shoulders. "But... I didn't feel anything bad. Except coming from Inferno."

"She can go fuck herself!" Julian shouts, turning to Clarice. Now she can feel the heat coming from his hands. "That's why I don't trust them. Inferno hates us, she hates mamá even more. She was part of the Inner Circle, she kidnapped us! And left us alone in Utopia!"

"Just because Inferno is with them, doesn't mean they are planning shit against us." Clarice argues and Julian rolls their eyes, waving their hands around impatiently.

"That doesn't even make sense. You're not an idiot, Clarice. You know how liars they can be, mama and papa taught us that."

"They are not here." she says with more asperity than she planned.

Her face softens just a little when she sees Julian's slight shrug. The way they look away. She lowers her voice and places her hands on their shoulders, her sibling goes still under the gentle touch.

"We have nowhere else to go. Do you really want to stay like this? Running and hiding forever?"

"No." They spit, pouting like a child, stubborn just for the sake of being stubborn. She doesn't mind. They have every right to be upset.

Alright, she gives them an understanding look.

"Going with Wolverine is a way to keep you and Hunter safe."

"What if we don't want to go, eh?" they insist once more, lifting their chin like papá does.

"Where are you going then?" Clarice lets go of their shoulders, frowning. "Tell me your brilliant plan so we can stay safe. Because you seem quite determined not to listen to what I have to say."

They don't answer. Clarice can see the embarrassment on their face in the way they turned their face away and hid their hands in their pockets. So stubborn, like Mr. Creed when he didn't want to admit he was wrong. Clarice feels like her mother. Firm voice trying to break through the wall that separates her from Julian.

"To where?" She insists and they shrug. "We have nowhere else safe to go."

Another minute, until Julian whispers between their lips, pointy ears drooping.

"We still have papá..."

Oh.

There is more silence. Hunter is silent, not knowing what to do now. He stays in his spot, hugging his knees and looks down when Julian says that. Their words make Clarice melt. Her shoulders drop and she speaks in a more calm, quiet tone, trying to reach for Julian.

"Julian. Mr. Creed might as well be dead by now." she says, and gets exactly what she expected. Julian pulls away once more. As if the words, or the mere idea of his father being dead, were ridiculous, impossible.

He sneers, showing even more of his menacing and long fangs. Still, Clarice could see some of the pain behind his eyes.

"No way. Papá was strong, there's no way these weaklings can defeat him." he asserts with arrogance. Hunter slides off the bed, his voice neutral, barely above a whisper.

"Mamá was as strong as he was." Hunter says against his knees, catching his siblings' attention, ignoring the ugly look he receives from his older sibling. "Even if Papá isn't dead, he's not here. We haven't heard from him for two years."

"We never went looking for him." Julian insists in a hiss.

"It's not worth the risk." Clarice crosses her arms, shaking her head. "Mr. Creed could have come home to look for us whenever he wanted." She lowers her voice, looking deep into Julian's eyes. "And he didn't. We don't know where he could be. Where he went after mamá died. He never came back. He is either dead or..."

A growl rumbles in Julian's chest, muffled and steady. Not as threatening as it could be. None of his siblings are intimidated. They don't move or blink when he pulls his lips back in a snarl.

"You don't know that. He wasn't going to leave us alone!" they scream. Their arms are tense, their hands twisted into claws. "He would come back for us."

"But he's not here, we've been alone for months." Clarice repeats, maintaining her posture. Trying not to be so harsh. But it's been difficult. Her sibling's stubbornness, as understandable as it is to her, is starting to creep under her skin. "Months. Years. Running away and sustaining ourselves without help."

"What if he..."

"Julian!" she exclaims. She doesn't scream, but her voice is hard. Julian closes his mouth, surprised at the way she cuts him off. His shoulders slump again and he seems to deflate, his expression finally falling into one of disappointment. He knows she's right.

Their father is a villain. They accepted that fact a long time ago. However, Creed is still their father. Not the Sabretooth that appears in the news, dressed in yellow, ripping and crushing the X-Men with a savage and cruel grin.

He was papá. The man who teaches them to hunt, who listens to Hunter play and tells them stories, who's careful with his claws and even if he loses his temper, he never lash out on them. Just like mamá was always the person who gave them affection when they needed it. Not the cruel woman with the cold face they saw on the news after her death.

They know the stories about their parents. They ignore it. It was easier when they were younger. Innocent kids who just loved their parents too much. Now, Julian wonders if all those stories he's heard apply to them too. Papá is a villain. A cruel and dangerous person, who doesn't care about anyone.

He swallows hard and lowers his head, trying to push the thoughts away. But he still feels the weight and fear squeezing his chest.

Clarice's hands touch his chin, trying to look into his eyes. "I know you love Mr. Creed. And you want him back... but we haven't seen him for so long. Do you really think he wouldn't have come after us sooner if he could have?"

Julian pushes her hand away once more. His expression is miserable and sad. He tries to ignore the warm feeling in his chest as his bitterness grows.

He feels a small hand interlocking his and looks down. Hunter stands beside them, trying to calm him down. Julian doesn't see sadness on his young face, they feel it. The depressing smell their little brother has been carrying for the last two years. It makes their nose itch.

"I hate the X-Men as much as you do, and I don't trust them after everything that happened." Clarice continues. "But right now, what matters is keeping you two safe."

"And how could we be safe with them?" Julian asks quietly, just to be stubborn, she thinks.

"It's the best chance we have."

"We don't need to go! Must have..." he continues, and stops, thinking about a reason. Trying to find words. "What about Tía Clara?! Why don't we go with her?"

Clarice sighs. "Tía Clara doesn't call since... it's been years! We don't even know where she is."

"London." Hunter says. Julian nods quickly. Clarice raises her hands above her head.

"And then? We are going to teleport there and go looking for her from door to door?"

"It's better than going to that school!"

"Julian, for once, could you just--"

"I want to go." Hunter says in a calm tone, making his siblings stop shouting at each other and look at him.

He still has the same unreadable face, but he looks calm. Convinced of something. Julian frowns, sniffing. There's a scent of sadness that covers everything else, but something else they can't quite catch.

"What?" Julian growls, surprising him with their tone. He swallows hard and claws at his stuffed toy.

"I... I want to go." Hunter repeats, voice wavering just a little under Julian's heavy gaze. "Clarice is right. What other chance do we have? I don't want to be on the run all the time, hiding from S.H.I.E.L.D. and everyone who hated mamá y papá." he says, giving his sibling a pleading look.

"Are you serious, Hunter?" Julian shakes their head, Clarice ignores them, leaning towards the youngest of the three.

"Are you sure, Hunter?"

He nods, looking a little embarrassed. It must be the way Julian is staring at him. Feeling betrayed that their little brother is on Clarice's side.

"Mamá always told us not to trust the X-Men."

"Mamá is not here anymore." Hunter mutters, cringing. "I know I shouldn't say this, but it's true."

"You two…" Julian rubs their hands over their face in frustration. Irritated. The heat around their body rises and falls as they try not to explode. Their sister and brother move away just a little. "That's it, eh?! We're just going to forget everythin' our parents taught us?"

Hunter cringes even more. Feeling guilty about the idea. Going against his mother is all he fears. However, he knows they have no choice. Still, he hides from Julian's gaze, hugging his stuffed shark to his chest.

Clarice holds Julian's shoulders, more firmly this time, feeling his dark skin grow warmer even with the cold of the night; she blinks away the pain as her fingers almost burn and pushes them back so she can whisper, even though Hunter can still hear.

"Listen, Jules, I know you're scared. We all love our parents in our own way, and that makes this even harder." She touches their chin with her fingers when Julian tries to look away. "But Wolverine's offer... might be the best chance we have."

Julian's eyes are distant, his voice heavy with unresolved emotions. "Do you think I can just forget about our dad? I can't just abandon him. Despite everythin', he is still our dad."

"I'm not asking you to forget him. I'm asking you to consider Hunter's safety and future." Clarice grips their chin more firmly, making him turn to Hunter. The small boy is hugging his toy timidly. "Going to the Jean Grey School does not mean that we will turn our backs on our home forever. That means we're making sure Hunter has a chance to grow up safely."

She gives him a compassionate look, her expression still sad to match Julian's.

"It's what Ms. Márquez wanted, isn't it?"

Julian shrugs, trying to pull their face from Clarice's hand. Their dark skin cools down, he takes a deep breath, trying to put out the fire building inside him.

"What if he needs us?"

"I wish I had an answer, Jules. But now, we have to make a difficult choice. We have to give Hunter a safe place. And that means going to the school."

Julian's shoulders slump, defeated by the weight of his conflicting emotions. Deep down, he knows Clarice is right, but it's harrowing to think about leaving behind the last thread of connection with her father.

Clarice lets go of his chin and holds his hand tightly, just to give him a smile. Julian wonders how long it's been since she smiled with joy, because her face is still tired.

"We're going to the school, Julian. For Hunter's sake and ours."

Julian bites his lip. He feels like protesting all over again, be stubborn until they can change her mind. They know they can't.

"Whatever." they say, and smoke rises from their forearms and mouth.

They push their sister out of the way, opening the door and leaving before they can accidentally set off the fire alarm.

Better find something in the woods to burn or break before their mutation eat them alive. Or their siblings. The last thing they want is to hurt them. So they find a rock in the forest, miles away from the motel, and spend the next hour burning it without Clarice and Hunter knowing.

Despite Julian's harshness, Clarice is relieved, one less weight on her shoulders. She turns to Hunter, holding out her hand. He doesn't smile, or react, just laces their fingers together tightly. Clarice doesn't expect he looks happier. No, Hunter has a look just as heavy as hers.

It's okay, she can handle it.

She takes the communicator out of her pocket.

With the first rays of day painting the walls of the school, Logan finds himself standing in the main courtyard, cigarette in hand. It's quiet. Too quiet. The children are still waking up for the day.

He kicks one of the bamfs that gets too close and hears the other blue imps scream as Krakoa starts chasing them with a open mouth. He ignores it then. Taking a drag on his cigar, he widens his eyes as a flashing light appears in the middle of the courtyard.

A portal opens, the violet, magenta and pink colors mixing at the edges, and Clarice Ferguson steps cautiously onto the stone floor, looking around before closing the portal and walking towards him. She's is wearing the same clothes from their first meeting, and she looks more tired than before.

"Wolverine."

"A surprise to see you here, darlin'." he blows smoke out of his mouth, averting her face. "I thought you didn' want anything to do with us. What made you change your mind?"

Clarice's scarred face is stoic, looking a lot like Sanguinária all the times Logan had to deal with her.

"I..." she stops and widen her green eyes. Logan looks over his shoulders to see Krakoa's giant head smiling at them, red eyes curious staring. Five or six bamfs climb on it, chirping and laughing.

He sighs and waves his cigarette around. "Yeah, yeah. That's Krakoa, the school's grounds. And the fucking bamfs. Stay away from them."

Clarice looks even more confused, but she doesn't ask more. She doesn't want to know more.

He offers to walk with her, opening an arm to guide her through the main courtyard. She accepts and follows him with a respectful distance between them. His eyes go to her pockets and he sees her bow hidden there.

"It's my siblings." She tells him.

"Yeah?"

Clarice nods and her gaze lands on the statue of Jean Grey near the main door as they pass next to it; she has to fight the urge to roll her eyes. As Mr. Creed would say, too predictable.

They follow the path that leads to the open area next to the cafeteria. Mortimer is cleaning the tables and ignores them.

"I though about your offer these past days. And I though I might accept it." She looks down at the red eyes following them in the soil, looking curious at her. Yeah, she's going to ignore it. "Julian and Hunter are my responsibility, and I am aware that our current situation is not the best for them. And as much as I don't trust you or any of the X-Men, we don't have any options left."

"So will you accept? Will you come to the school?"

"Not me." Clarice shakes her head, her eyes moving to the greenhouses in the distance as they follow the path of bricks. The place is beautiful, she thinks. Surrounded by trees. She wonders how far the land goes, maybe Julian would be allowed to run there. He would like it.

There's not many building yet, but the few ones that are open are big, and there's the towers floating above. She can see a few mutants flying from tower to tower. She thinks that, maybe, if she didn't got caught by Phalanx that day, she would have liked living there with the others.

"They need a safe place to stay." She concludes with a distant look.

"And why don't you stay with them?" Logan stops walking and looks at her, brows furrowed, his expression showing what she believes it's worry.

She does not answer. Logan is a little taken aback by her serious personality. Even though he didn't know her years ago, before the Phalanx, she is so different from the little girl that Frost and Husk described.

"I bet they weren't happy with your decision."

"No. Hunter said he wanted to come, he asked me. But Julian…" She takes a deep breath and it's everything Logan needs to know about that kid.

"He seems like a complicated child."

"Yes, they are." She agrees, softly. "But they are also a good child, they have good intentions. Both do. They're just... mourning. We didn't have time to mourn our mother's death. And our father's disappearance."

Logan looks away, puffing on his cigarette. He doesn't like Sanguinária or Sabretooth. But listening to the way Clarice talks about them, her adoptive parents, he bites his tongue to hold back the words he wants so badly to say. He wonders what kind of parents they were.

"Listen, Wolverine." Clarice removes the sadness in her voice. Crossing her arms over her chest like Sanguinária. "I know you have problems with our parents, I understand that. However, my brothers are not like them. They are children, they are kind and smart."

"I never said they weren't." he shrugs his shoulders.

"That's what everyone thinks of them." she bites. "Very few know about Julian and Hunter. Mr. Creed and Mrs. Márquez wanted them to be safe. And with good reason."

"I know." Logan says somber. "I understand it. I don't like your parents, but I understand what they were trying to do by hiding you from the rest of the world."

"I bet you know a lot about us already. You have Salazar with here." Clarice says bitterly. "What she told about us?"

"Nothin'." Logan shakes his head. Clarice doesn't look convinced. "Just what I needed to know about your powers."

"So you know that Julian's powers can be… dangerous." She sighs, remembering all the times her brother got into trouble because of his temper. "He doesn't like this place, if it weren't for me and Hunter, he wouldn't agree to come. He needs guidance."

"And we'll give it to him. We'll teach him to control better." Wolverine promises. "What about the little boy?"

"Hunter asked to come. I think he likes the idea of studying in a real school." She takes the stolen communicator in her pocket, extending it to Wolverine. "He's a smart little shit. And sneaky too."

Logan takes the object, smirking.

"I'll accept your offer." Clarice continues. She steps closer, above him, a pink javelin emerging from her hand. "And I'll be watching. You'd better take care of them like you promised. For if anything happens to them, you will see that we are our fathers' children."

Logan doesn't look away from her. The stern way she speaks is enough to confirm her words. He nods and she walks away, turning her back and opening another portal, the bright light preventing him from seeing where it takes her.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay too?" he calls. "You are also welcome here, Clarice. And I know there are some people who would like to see you."

She doesn't look back, preventing him from seeing the wistful look in her eyes. She shakes her head, no, she prefers to avoid her old life as much as possible.

"Just take care of them."

"Do you have any place to stay?" Logan insists. Clarice ignores him, entering the portal, her form standing out among the colored lights. "All right, be careful. We'll take the boys when they're ready."

The portal closes in the blink of an eye. Leaving Wolverine alone once more in the courtyard. Krakoa rumbles under his feet and he gives it a light kick, turning around to go inside and get ready for the day, smoke curling from his lips.

On the other side, Clarice watches her siblings sleep in the motel. Hunter, finally looking peaceful after so many anxious and melancholy months. And even in their sleep, Julian still looks displeased. Clarice sits in the edge of the bed, still not able to completely get rid of her doubts, but certain that she had made a choice for the good of her brothers. Only time would tell if it was the right one.

Chapter Text

"He looks so different." Bobby says, raising his arm above his head to protect his eyes from the sun.

He and Logan watch Warren feeding the pigeons, sitting alone on the roof of the Ice Castle, like the kids call the building on the left side of the courtyard.

Warren is acting weirdly content. He has been for the last days since they arrived, always smiling, humming to himself, wandering around trying to help everyone and being too nice. Bobby understands is because of the effects of the Life Seed, whatever it is, but it still makes him feel unsettled. Logan had explained him that after Warren was infected by the Horsemen of Apocalypse, he had to be healed with the Life Seed.

And what it does? Restores life by rebuilding it. Erasing the old one and all it's poisons to form a new, pure one.

Warren is different now. Bobby knows he's gone, everyone told him that, but he still has that little hope that he always carried, that his friend can be brought back. Logan seems to feel the same.

The feral looks at the younger mutant with a hint of guilty. "Warren's been through quite an ordel, Bobby. I know you still don't trust me--"

"No, I don't trust you." Bobby turns to him with a reprimanding glare. "Not right now. You've kept so many secrets hidden from us these past few days. You're not like that, Logan. I mean, there's a lot about you we don't know yet, but this is different."

"I needed to make sure everything would work out." Logan says, sounding sincere, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Bobby, I'm sorry for hiding things, and for not telling you about Warren."

"He is my friend. I should..." Bobby avoids his gaze to look up up and finds the spot between the chimneys empty. "He's gone! Logan!"

He and Logan run around the main yard, eyes set on the sky for their friend. The kids are running around, playing games and some are flying above their head. All the way back to the gardens behind the main building and the greenhouses, Bobby screams for Warren's name, though, after the incident he went through, he knows he will won't get an answer.

"Damnit, where did he go?" Logan stops in front of the lake. The area after that is complete empty, only trees following his line of vision. If Warren got himself there...

Bobby runs to Rain Boy sitting alone in the yard in front of the cafeteria. His cold hand holds the boy's shoulder, making him jump in his seat.

"Carl! Oh, I'm sorry." He says, taking a step back. "Have you seen Warren around?"

"Warren?" Rain Boy asks, cleaning his translucid and liquid arm from the ice.

"Angel! Did you saw him flying around?!" Bobby almost shouts.

Rain Boy flinched and hunched his shoulders with innocent eyes. "... we saw him. He was flying to the town." He points to above the trees.

Bobby and Logan know what that means and share worried, fearful looks. Rain Boy notices it.

"Is he alright, Mr. Logan? Angel was acting weird. Saying things about miracles, God and... I don't know. He's just weird."

Logan waves a hand, the other going to cover his eyes. He feels a headache behind them. "He is. Don't worry." He grunts and turns around, giving Carl a last look. "Hey, if you ever see Warren leaving the school's ground again, please call us, okay?"

Rain Boy nods, eyeing his teachers with doubtful look. Bobby and Logan return to the front yard, opening the main gate that would lead us to the road to Salem Center.

Logan sees the apprehension behind Bobby's eyes and puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go after him." He younger mutant says, eyes fixated on the road. "I don't know what he can do in this... state. You don't need to come, you still have a school to take care of." He moves his chin to something behind Logan's shoulder and slides away in a ice platform before the old man can protest.

Logan sighs and looks behind to find another tear of light break the air, lights almost bliding him as Clarice Ferguson opens a portal in the middle of the yard; he signed the other students passing by to mind their business and they quickly leave to their classes.

He sees Bobby is gone already, only a trail of ice left behind. With a deep breath, he prepares himself and walks to the portal.

The Creeds walk together through the portal, bickering with each other. That makes Logan chuckle. Julian Creed is the first one he sees. It's hard to miss the kid, he's loud, like his old man. Hunter hugs a toy on his chest and looks around with curiosity.

Clarice closes the portal behind her, still scolding Julian for something he did and Logan stops to look at them for a moment and think. They're just kids. He tries to look beyond the yellow eyes and traits of Creed.

"You guys got here early that I expected." He says with a light tome.

"Well, we're here." Julian puts his hand on the pockets of his jacket like a moody teenager. "You wanted us here, hum?"

Clarice slaps his arm, making him growl in protest.

Logan wants to laugh. He reminds himself to not take it to heart, the boy is not so different from all the others he took care of; so he takes one of the backpacks from Clarice's hand, putting it on his shoulder. They take it as a sign to follow him as he starts to walk back to the yard.

"I will show you the place." He says and points to the yard. "We still have to fix some stuff after Krakoa's attack, but most of the classrooms are working."

The Creeds look at the remaining roles in the grass and the cracks on the walls of the buildings as they walk on the path of yellow bricks. Above the school, they see the towers floating on the sky. The main building also has towers, but these are not as impressive as the ones on the air.

They are impressed, of course. They have only see things like this during their time in Utopia. And it was only for a few months.

Even Julian can't hide his fascination as his mouth hangs opens while he walks. He leans his head to take a better look and almost falls forward on the grass when he trips on something.

He growls at whatever rock is on his way and gets surprised when two giant, red eyes blink at him from the grass.

"What the fuck is that?!" He shouts, jumping back three steps and pulling Hunter with him, alerting Clarice and Logan.

Krakoa moves, raising his face from the grass and forming a tiny hill in front of them, crooked teeth made of rocks open a smile. The Creeds are too terrified to see it.

Logan raises his arms in a appeasing movement when Julian starts to heat up. "Hey, that's just Krakoa." He says and extends a hand to keep Krakoa in place. The giant mutant just stares with big red eyes, curious. "It lives in our school grounds, it's almost harmless, just don't destroy anything that is green and attached to the ground."

He sighs and tries to push the giant away, but it insists on staying, moving around him to look at the Creeds, making a rumbling sound. Julian is still on edge and growling. Hunter, on the other side, raises his eyebrows and tries to get closer.

"I heard of Krakoa." He says, pushing Julian back and extending a hand to Krakoa. The island actually moves forward to him, rubbing his dirt face on the boy's palm. "Why he's so small?"

Logan's shoulders fall. "Trust me, he's not. He's just being shy."

Clarice shakes her head and pats Hunter on his back, also smiling at Krakoa's loud rumbling that makes the ground shake.

"It's not the first Krakoa you heard about, Hunter. That was his grandfather." She tells her brother. Krakoa narrows his eyes and growls. Loud. Clarice nods to him. "Grandmother? I understand. It was his ancestor. What happened to her?" She asks and Krakoa grumbles again, head going down a little, like it's sad. Clarice makes a face of condolence and puts a hand on her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Krakoa keeps making sounds, still looking sad and all and Logan is dumbfounded.

His eyes are big and his mouth open, he watches Clarice and Hunter pat Krakoa and the older girl talk to the island like Rachel would do with her Telepathy. But Clarice, as far he knows, does not possesses such power.

He looks at Julian and sees that he's also paying attention to Krakoa like listening to a story. The teenager turns to him with a impatient huff.

"What?!"

"Kid, you can understand him?!" Logan asks all of them.

Clarice turns to him and smirks. "You don't?" She asks so simply, like he is saying something foolish. Logan shakes his head with his eyebrows furrowed.

It makes the Creed realize what is wrong there. They looks between Krakoa and Logan, the island shrinks once again and whines.

"He speaks weird. Like a telepath." Hunter tells him, lower, shyly.

"No one can understand Krakoa, only the telepaths." Logan says. "How you can understand what he says?!"

Clarice shrugs, a hand permanently set on Krakoa's forehead. She frowns and looks down. "We don't know."

Another rumbling, Krakoa moves his eyes between them.

"What he's saying?"

"He's saying that Clarice looks familiar." Julian answers nonchalantly, listening to the island. "The marks in her face and the eyes."

"I got them from my grandfather, is a tattoo." Clarice tells him in a more darker tone, eyes narrowing. Besides the pink marks around her left eye, and the triangle in the center of there forehead, she has a long scar crossing the right eye. Logan see it's deep and cut through her eyebrow, but, somehow, she shows no sign of partial blindness.

Logan sees that she does not want to talk about it. And he doesn't want to hear more. There's too many things happening at all once and he feels too old for it.

With a exaggerated movement of hands, he interrupts the talk and tries again to wave Krakoa off. "Okay, enough of that. I... we... we talk about that later. Alright?! Fuckin' God..." He grumbles and kicks the dirt, turning on his heels to continue the tour.

Krakoa makes a loud growling sound, and if Logan could understand it, he knows the island would be cursing his ass. The Creeds say their goodbyes to the giant mutant and follow Logan, smirking to each other.

They follow down the path of yellow bricks.

"We have the main bulding, most of the classrooms we use right now are here." Logan says and points to the biggest building they have, the one who catches most attention. "The teacher's room is in the first floor, and my office and Kitty's are in the second."

There's two buildings in each side of the main one, connected to it only by a wall of bricks with a passage under it. The building at the right looks more modern and has many windows, with two towers connected to it. And the one at the right is made of bricks and is frozen. Ice spiked rise from the walls and roof.

"This is the lab and the art classes building." Logan points to the right, and then to the left. "The other one is the 'Ice Castle'."

"Ice Castle?" Julian repeats.

"Iceman's work. You will have math classes with him, boys." Logan tells them.

They walk in front of the statue of Jean Grey without a word. There's a passage between the main building and the 'Ice Castle' that takes them to another courtyard, a circular platform of yellow bricks with circular tables around. And the main bulding continues now in another edifice with gray walls and tall windows.

"Here we got the cafeteria." Logan presents the door to the inside, where they see long tables and the order area. "All of your meals will be here. We have different hours to that."

He walks back to the open courtyard, going down the steps of brick. They take a turn behind the building to see the rest of the campus. Far ahead there's the lake, a few more houses, plants and greenhouses. And the woods surrounding everything.

Julian takes a look to a distant area surrounded by wall. The memorial. He doesn't want to think about so he looks back to the gardens. He sees students walking around, taking care of the plants and chattering. Reminds him of their own garden back home.

"You make your own food here?" He asks.

"We do. Everything we grow here we use." Logan says, sounding proud of it.

"What about the forest?"

He raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms. "What about it?"

Julian bites back a not so polite reply. "We're allowed to go there?"

Logan is quiet for a moment. Eyes going back and forth between the teenager and the trees far ahead. He could just say no. But he knows the boys, just like him, won't like being locked inside the school all the time. Even more because they were raised hidden in the mountains and away from people.

He sighs. "... you guys can go there as much you want, as long you dont get yourself hurt or killed." He walks back from where they came, ready to take them to their room and go to his next task or class.

Hunter's voice, that is not used to yet, stops him. The little boy points to the bigger tower they have. "What is that?"

Logan sees the curiosity in him, and relaxes a little. "Communication tower. And dorms. Be careful when you go there." He says and takes them to the main entrance. "Ah, remember to be careful when you wander through the forest and campus, Krakoa can feel everythin' under our feet and will keep an eye on you."

"Oh, glory." Julian murmurs.

"We got any labs?" Hunter asks again. "Like... real labs?"

"What you want one for?" Logan looks at him over his shoulder, pushing the front doors, walking down the first hallway to the stairs.

Hunter keeps the same boring face he has since Logan met him, and raises an eyebrow in such sarcastic way, just like Jubilee would do back in her days.

"Aren't you one of the most advanced schools in the country? You need a lab." He says likes is a simple, obvious thing. His siblings smirk at him.

Logan doesn't like that, so he grumbles. "We got many in the lower levels. But students aren't allowed there."

Hunter looks disappointed, pouting at the old man's back.

"Let's get you to your room." Logan says and they follow him to the last floor.

Julian looks around the room with mildly interest. It's almost empty and so boring it makes Dr. Cho's spotless lab look colorful, it's what they think.

Two bed are placed in each side, with one desk between them and a lamp. Two wardrobes close to the door, a small stool in the corner and a trash bin. In one wall of the room there's a single window with curtains closed.

He breaths deeply. It smells boring too. It's not an old, dusty room, it's freshly new. Logan doesn't give them much time to look before pushing his way inside, putting the bag he's holding in one bed. Julian decides that it belongs to him and takes a seat in the mattress.

Clarice puts Hunter's bag on the opposite bed. The little boy and Hunter share light kicks when Julian laughs at him for losing the bed far away from the window.

"So, you guys are gonna stay with us from now on, so you will have to attend classes too." Logan reminds them.

"That won't be a problem." Clarice says with a nod. Hunter also agrees, but Julian remains distant.

"There's a shared bathroom in the end of the corridor, and showers too." He continues with his hands on his hips, looking at Julian with harsh eyes. They don't hold back the growl and he frowns. "We have a curfew here that applies to all students. After 9 PM, no one is allowed outside, an' everyone needs to be in bed at 10 PM."

Hunter and Clarice are listening, nodding at his explanation. Julian is sulking in his new bed, not really liking the new set of rules. They did have their own rules at home, but having to follow new ones at this place feels wrong. They already plan on breaking it.

His ears twitch slight. "Wait. Everyone shares a bathroom?" He asks Logan. "Like, all students share showers?"

The old man takes a moment to understand, staring at him. Julian's ears go slightly flat against their head.

"Look, I'm Trans, and I don't...feel comfortable sharing a place with..." They wave their hand in the air. "All these of strangers. Can I use a different bathroom?"

Logan raises his eyebrows high in his hairline and crosses his arms with a sigh. "We got three bathrooms is the buildings, but they're not for showering."

Julian turns to Clarice, a clear look of stress in their face, their pupils change. Their older sister puts a hand on their shoulder. Logan can smell Julian's axienty growing too quickly.

"Listen, you can use the bathroom in the other floor, it's just as big as the other ones, and no one uses it besides Quire."

"Quire? Like the guy from Utopia?" Julian makes a face. They know the guy and are not happy knowing there's a big chance of them stumbling on him by accident. However, they're less troubled now that they have a different place to shower and change with privacy.

Logan sighs again and rubs his fingers on his head.

"Yeah. He sleeps in the end of the hallway, don't worry about him. We got a rule for mind reading. But Rachel will make an whole reading in our heads everyday, twice a day."

"To make sure we're not planning anything nasty." Julian says lowly, their humor already changing.

"Julian." Clarice scolds.

"Let's go talk to Kitty." Logan turns his back. He just wants to end this day.

Salem Center.

"Buster was a good puppy." The little boy said, holding in his hand a collar, his father keeps an arm around him while he silently cries. His older sister pats the grass where they had buried their dog next to their tree, putting a few flowers she had collected against the roots.

"We'll miss him." She says sadly.

They are startled when a loud, booming voice comes from above. "The sounds of your tears called me from afar, little ones." Warren says, a bright smile on his face as he lands in their garden, large metal wings flapping behind him before folding on his back.

The kids look at him with widen eyes, with awe, but their father pushes them behind when he sees the mutant.

"Who are you?!"

"It's the Angel! From the X-Men!" The little boy points at the blond man with a big smile. Warren is a little confused by the words. He crouches in front of them.

"This is me. Tell me, why do you cry?" He asks gently. The father still keeps his arms in front of his children, eyeing Warren with suspicious.

"A car ran over our puppy and he died." The girl answers, wiping her face with both hands.

Warren stares with his blank eyes. For a moment, he looks quite distant, reflecting on the situation, face devoid of real emotion. Walking to the clumsy spot of soil in the grass, he smiles again at the children.

"I understand that you are sad, death is part of life. It's a natural thing." He tells them. Then he crouches down and digs his fingers in the ground. The kids and their father gasp as he starts to open a hole an pull out the box where they had buried their dog. All while having a calm facade. "However, so are miracles. Let me bring your beloved puppy back."

"Ahhhh!"

"All right! That's enough!" The father shouts.

"Daddy, don't let him take Buster!" The boy pulls his father's arm, crying. The father puts them behind and pulls the box from Warren's hands, holding it against his chest.

Warren looks confused. Not angry.

"I will bring your animal back to life. Would you deny an angel his duty?" He extends his hand and the man steps back again.

"You are not an angel. You're a freak with wings!" He shouts at his face.

Before the confusion could become worse, Bobby arrives at the yard in one of his ice platforms, sliding between his friend and the angry civilians.

"Warren! Have you lost your mind?!" He pushes the winged mutant back, cold hands grabbing his wrists. Looking between his friend and the frightened humans. "You can't do these things! You---"

Warren stares at him. Eyebrows high up in his hair, blank eyes widen. He looks lost. Confused and guilty, but not fully grasping the reason for Bobby's anger. Iceman can see it clear in his face. It makes him feels guilty too.

He pushes Warren back and turns to the father and his kids with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for my friend's actions, he's a little confused. He didn't meant to cause any--"

The man points and shouts at him, still hugging the old shoe box. "I don't give a damn what's wrong with him! Keep this freak away from us!"

Now Bobby is not happy with him. He feels the slight urge to say or do something unasked for. But he doesn't. He sees the little children hiding behind their father, looking at him and Angel with fear. Not a hating fear, but still. Bobby shakes his head and takes Warren by his wrist, pulling him out of the garden; the angel doesn't try to fight him.

"Come on, Warren. Time to go back to the school."

Warren nods and the smile grows back on his face. "Goodbye, have a nice day!" He waves happily to the family as he is dragged away. Not even a block later, he talks to Bobby, now more concerned: "Something is bothering you, Iceman."

Drake doesn't answer right away. Feeling like he's fuming, huffing clouds of cold breath from his nose, he ignores Warren for a moment until they're in the limits of the town. Warren seems to understand his bad mood, because he's quiet for the first time, wondering what could be the reason for Bobby's aggressiveness.

He stops above one old roof and Warren follows him, pulling his heavy wings behind his back again.

"What in God's name were you doing there?!" Bobby yells at him. Letting all the frustration clear in his voice.

Warren still keeps his good mood, once again smiling. "Exactly that. Acting in the name of God." He says with simplicity, certain of his words.

"Warren..." Bobby sighs, pushing his palms on his frozen face.

"Forgive me, I don't know this Warren they talk about so much. Everyone refers to me by that name, however." Warren tilts his head and shrugs his shoulders, like he's sorry for something.

"Because it's your fucking name!" Bobby raises his arms above his head. "You don't remember? Your name is Warren Worthington III. We are friends."

"Forgive me. I do not remember." Warren says. His face drops for a moment. His eyes go down, deep on though, he frowns and shakes his head. Bobby sees something in his face that he can't read. "I am Angel, divine servant. I am here to bring peace to good people." He says slowly, testing the words.

Bobby shakes his head. "You really don't remember that we're friends." He says too low, and then raises his voice, moving closer to Warren and ignoring how his friend looks so distant. "That we've known each other for so long. Don't you remember the Professor, Scott, Hank and Jean?!"

Warren blinks, clueless, trying to remember. He shakes his head, clasping his hands together. "None of these names sound familiar to me. Were they important?"

"They are! They are our friends! Our family! We're the first X-Men!" Bobby screams this time, arms above his head, getting too close.

Warren moves away and he feels guilt. His friends also does, but for the wrong reason. He looks like he's sorry for not being able to remember, like a child when they do something wrong but don't know what.

"I do not remember." He whispers.

Bobby stays in front of him, too close. "What do you remember, then? Do you remember anything that happened more than six months ago?"

"No." Warren replies. His eyebrows furrows and he raises a hand to his head. "I remember... feeling cold. No. First it was all so hot, and bright. It blinded my eyes." He waves to his empty globes. He has an expression of pain and confusion, trying too hard to grasp the things he remembers, the memories he still has. "Then it was intensely cold, like being plunged into darkness."

He moves away again, holding his head, lost in thoughts. Bobby listens intently and doesn't bother him when Warren goes to sit on the edge of the roof they are in, his wings scratching the surface.

He takes another moment before continuing. "Then everything was warm again, but... comfortable. I was at peace again." He says and his smile shows again, cheerful and bright. "I woke up with Elizabeth by my side! And Evan and the chatty man who won't die were there too. They've been keeping me company ever since." He tells Bobby excitedly, forgetting about the headache he felt a few seconds ago.

Bobby feels a pang on his heart, his body feeling heavier. He takes a seat next to Warren.

"Do you remember her? Betsy?"

"Yes. I have been living with her and the others from the so-called X-Force for the last few months." Warren shrugs and kicks his feet. "However, she has been avoiding me."

"She misses you." Bobby mutters, looking down to the street below. His voice is sad, breaking a little. "I miss you too." He continues, not looking up.

Warren notices it, once again trying to read Drake's humor. He carries a sort of melancholy that makes him sound like he's mourning. Warren can't understand for who. But... he tries to be gentle and raises a hand.

"May... may I know your name, man of ice?" He asks and his companion sighs heavily, taking his hand, cold palm sending shivers on his entire body.

"I'm Bobby. Bobby Drake."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bobby Drake." He smiles.

"Yeah... same..."

Julian tries his best to stay still. He doesn't mind the feeling of the needles poking his side. It's Pryde's hands that makes him squirm and flinch. She holds his bicep to keep in place while she takes measures for his new uniform, and he feels that instinct to move away.

Clarice is standing close to him, at least. She also stares at Pryde, having noticing her brother's discomfort from the start. It's worse when it's Hunter. He stays still like a statue, muscles tense and arms stuck in the air.

After that, he hides in a corner of the teacher's room and Clarice and Julian stand in front of him. Logan and Hank are also there, only watching and drinking coffee and not coffee.

"So, for you, we will have to make some different uniforms, but you can use this for a while." Pryde tells them with that optimistic, sympathetic, friendly tone that makes them want to roll their eyes.

Julian takes a plastic bag from her. Their new uniform is the same as all the others they saw when they arrived. Dark green blazer with the school logo on the chest, a green tie, white blouse and black trousers. Hunter is the same and he frowns at the lack of bright colors.

"Why?" Julian asks Pryde.

Beast chuckles, giving Julian a kind look that makes them frown at him. "It's not easier to have clothes that match your mutantion?"

Julian nods and murmurs. "Some of my old clothes are fire proof. Gift from Helen Cho."

Beast looks down for a moment, nodding to himself.

"Then we can get new ones for you. With your style and that won't get damaged by your mutation." Pryde points at his clothes, eyes stopping in the fang necklace hanging on his neck for too long.

"Can I have a skirt?"

"Hm?"

"A skirt. Can I have one?" Julian repeates, slower, moving his hand to touch hunder his knee. "A normal one, not of those weird stuff--"

"We got one for you." Pryde leaves her chair to open the cabinet and takes another plastic bag, handing him only a plain black skirt. Boring. "What do you think?"

"It's cool." Julian shrugs and turns to his little brother.

"Just a jacket." Hunter murmurs behind Clarice.

Pryde gives them all they ask for and finishes with the enrollment process. It's easier than they expected. She is very patient, different from what they thought she would be after their first fight, and different from the rest of the staff that avoids them.

When they're finished with everything, Clarice, who is much more nice than Julian, yet is also tired of being with the X-Men already, politely thanks Pryde and is ready to leave the room with her brothers.

However, it's like the universe is doing everything in it's power to screw over them, Julian believes. Because they can't even cross the doorstep before it opens and Clarice freezes in place, fingers tightening around Hunter's hand.

"Clarice?" Husk's voice comes in a hushed tone. Surprise and fear in her face, reflecting in her eyes.

The whole room falls silent. Logan and Kitty stand up like they expect a fight. Something worse. Clarice breaths in, green eyes widen for a moment before she slips in a facade of coldness. Julian and Hunter also tense up when her heartbeats speeds up in their ears.

Logan hears it too and he crosses the room in hurries steps. Husk, still blocking their passage as she stands in the door, seems to have stopped breathing. Her eyes scan Clarice up and down, taking in her appearance, like the other girl could dissappear. Like she'd a ghost.

"What...? You're...?" Paige steps forward, a hand raising in the air and her voice cracks. Clarice steps away, moving her whole body to avoid being touched. The simple gesture stabs Husk in the chest and she stops, holding up her hand.

"Paige." Clarice says in a voice that is not soft and Husk can't recognize.

"You're alive?!" The other girl exclaims. Logan walks past the Creeds.

"Paige, come here." He calls, softly, trying to hold her because he can see she's starting to shake and the Creed boys are getting tense. "I will explain."

Paige can't take her eyes off Clarice. "What are you doing here?"

Clarice shakes her head, keeping her facade. She opens her mouth to speak, but can't find words. Julian has enough of this. He grabs Clarice's by her hand, and it caughts Paige's attention, and drags her out.

"Come on, sis. We need help unpacking." They mutter and shot Pryde a look. She nods and joins Logan to sooth Paige.

They don't need to hold her. She's just shaken, and confused, eyes watering. The Creeds leave the room, walking fast down the hall and teleporting back to their room. When they are gone, Paige shakes her shoulders, pushing Logan and Kitty away.

"What she's doing here?" She asks. Voice angrier and louder than before. She turns to Logan, asking him with an accusatory tone: "Why didn't you told me before?! You knew she was alive this whole time?"

"Darlin', come on. I will explain." Logan says, trying to take her out of the room.

Beast takes off his glasses and runs his fingers on the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. "Oh, goodness. What else we will have to deal with?"

"Logan!" Bobby's voice echoes in the walls. Everyone looks through the door to find Bobby coming with hurried and heavy steps, clearly angry with something. Warren is right behind with the same smile, waving at them when he sees they wating.

Logan feels a headache behind his eyes. Kitty sighs and taps his arm. "Go on. I will talk to Paige." She says and takes her friend by her arm, gently moving her out of the room before Bobby walks inside, slamming the door behind him.

Warren stays outside, confused for a moment, but stays in front of the door, his shadow tilting it's head.

"He doesn't remember. He doesn't remember a damn thing!" Bobby shouts at Logan as soon they're alone.

Logan raises his hand, as if to try to keep him away, gently. "I know, Bobby. I was there."

"Was it the boy who did this to him?"

"No, it ain't Evan's fault." Logan shakes his head. "None of that is. He's a kid, that's all. What happened to Warren is nobody's fault."

"I didn't... I wasn't blaming him. I just..." Bobby's face falls. He looks guilty for being so angry at the boy they have taken a few days ago. He quickly recovers and points a finger to Logan's chest, white eyes narrowing. "He has nothing to do with this, understand? Whatever bullshit you do under the table from now on. I don't want Warren involved. That's not what I signed up for."

Beast steps between them, his fluffy hands pushing them aside in a gently way, his voice calm. "You can't decide things for him, Bobby."

"He doesn't remember us, Hank!" Bobby shouts at him. "Fuck, our friend doesn't remember us! He thinks he's a real angel, he thinks he can perform miracles or whatever."

"I know." Beast wither, crossing his arms and moving away from them.

"Tell me the truth, Logan. Why did you bring him here?" Bobby asks. Logan frowns.

"I thought bringing him back might help fix his memory." Logan frowns, sincerity in his words. He tries ince again to put a hand on Bobby's arm, but the younger mutant stops him. "I care about Warren too, kid. I just want to help him."

Iceman is not convinced, nor will he falter in his anger. In his mourning.

"I take responsibility for him then. Until he can make decisions for himself, I will help him. He is our friend. From now on, don't involve him in your plans."

"I won't. Promise." Logan agrees. "I trust you to take care of him."

"Should we help him get settled?" Beast asks. He looks through the window of the door. Warren's standing there, chatting with Kitty perhaps, sounding happy like nothing in the world could harm his good humor.

Iceman sighs and runs his hands on the spikes of his head. "Can you do that, Hank? I don't know if I can.... I just need... a moment."

Beast nods with a sympathy look. "Of course, of course. I'll talk to him." He hesitates of course, but goes after Warren.

They chatter for a moment. Bobby and Logan wait for them to leave, Warren seems to like Hank a lot, even if he doesn't remember his old friend. When their voices are no longer audible, Logan speaks again.

"Everything's going to be fine, Bobby. I promise."

Bobby turns his back on him. "It better."

He leaves the teachers room, ice blooming in his heavy steps. He can't go to class right now. Logan won't blame him if he leaves.

"Everything's going to be fine." He repeats to himself one last time, eyes glued to the floor as he also leaves the room to go finish his work, the cacophony of voices reaching him.

Maybe if he keeps saying it, it will help him believe it. He needs to make this work. No matter what.

He walks through the hallway full of students, some smile and wave at him, returning to their lively conversations with bright, playful smiles. He doesn't wave back this time, his mind stuck elsewhere.

Everything has to go well. He can't ruin everything this time. He sees his kids and feels that deep sinking in his chest, the fear of failure weighing on his stomach and mind. Something he hasn't felt in a long time. He sees his kids and thinks about what he wouldn't do to keep everyone safe.

Chapter Text

September 12, 2018

Evan pats his hands against his pants for the thousandth time, trying to wipe his sweaty hands and hide his nervousness. It doesn't do much good. He feels so agitated that he can't stop moving against the wall every five minutes.

After he came to the Jean Gray School there wasn't much he could do to distract himself. His classes didn't started right away as he believed they would, the teachers told him that he needed to wait a few more days until they could get everything settled and so he could start studying at the same time other two students.

So he spent the last days in his new room or in the lab with Mr. McCoy, drawing, writing, or reading. The teachers have been nice so far. Especially Ms. Pryde. She made sure to go talk to him and answer his questions, and she helped him find the perfect uniform the night before. And helped him cut his hair a little, since Uncle Cluster couldn't.

The bright yellow blazer they gave him is a little big on his shoulders, and he has to pull the sleeves up sometimes. The tie is also still a problem, so Ms. Pryde helped him tie it this morning. Evan assured her that the uniform is fine. He likes it. Being able to wear something new to classes seems really cool.

He's excited, even if nervous. Ms. Pryde is giving him his first lesson today and he is happy about it. For now, he has to wait for her in front of the staff room while she discusses something important. He doesn't know what it is, but he believes it has something to do with him. It's clear from the way some of the teachers looked at him.

And at the two other silent students beside him.

Evan recognizes the siblings who moved into the room next to his two nights before. He could hear them arguing sometimes, but never saw their faces. They seemed upset about something, and now he could see it clearly.

Both are shorter than him, the older one only by a few inches; however, while Evan is tall and slender, this person appears to have relatively strong arms.

They look cool, at least that's what Evan thinks. The oldest has their head shaved on the sides, their hair styled in some type of mohawk. The youngest has a blank, bored expression, but from the way he moves his fingers and rocks back and forth, he is also nervous.

So Evan takes a deep breath and tries to be friendly. It would be nice to have some friends to talk to during class.

"Hello." He opens a crooked smiles and waves weakly.

The siblings turn to him. Mirrored confused expressions. The youngest looks away. The oldest frowns and responds in a suspicious tone.

"... Hey." They say in a rough voice and look back at the door in front of them.

It wasn't that bad. Desperately, Evan looks for something to talk about. The teachers are still arguing inside the room.

"I like your..." He looks down. The older sibling is wearing a dark green jacket, with a long black skirt, which seems a little damaged at the end. "Your skirt." He says and smiles.

The older one once again stares at him with confusion and suspicion. Cat eyes sweeping across Evan's blue face, with an intensity that makes him sweat a little. They look incredulous, like they can't tell if Evan is actually being nice or making fun of them.

"What?" They ask, turning a little more, hands in the pockets of their skirt.

Evan's eyes widen when he realizes they are clenching their teeth. And - holy! - their teeth are huge, long and sharp. In a way that they escape their lips when they opens their mouth wide to speak.

His silence must have been interpreted in a bad way, because they let out a sound that is too much like a low growl. Evan is even more surprised. He had never heard something like that come out of a person.

However, everyone is a mutant at this school, right? He shakes his head at the thought and raises his hands between them pacifyingly.

"I said I like your style." He assures. Pointing at the teenager'a shaved hair, red fang earrings, the skirt and the boots. And he they have a necklace of sharp fangs! "It's pretty cool. Where did you get that?"

He points to the necklace of fangs hanging from the teenager's chest, who looks down with a less angry expression. They look at their younger brother, the two exchange silent glances before the older one shrugs and responds:

"My parents. It's a gift." They lean against the wall. Evan relaxes a little when he sees them becoming less bothered. The younger one pats them on the shoulder and the older one snorts, turning to Evan and looking him up and down. "Your... nail polish? It's cool..."

Evan looks at his hands. His nails are a shade of cyan blue, darker than his hair. He looks at the other student with a chuckle. Noticing that they're a little hesitant about their attempt to be nice.

"Oh no. It's not nail polish, my hands are just like that." He laughs. His new colleague widened their eyes a little and looked away. Which makes Evan laugh some more. "Hey, it's okay. Everyone asks me that."

They shook their head and continued looking ahead. The younger brother is still avoiding looking at Evan. It doesn't bother him. He just continues to smile and tries to keep the conversation going until the teachers are ready.

"I'm Evan." He offers a hand. They both wave at him. Evan can see the claws on both of his hands and hides his surprise.

"I'm Julian. This is my little brother, Hunter." The older one points and the younger one raises his chin a little, his yellow eyes are a little hidden behind the locs that fall over his face from the bright orange beanie.

"Is this your first day at school too?" Evan asks a little more excitedly. They both give him a look that he understands it's almost sarcastic and he clears his throat. "I was taught at home. With my uncle. I never really went to school in my hometown."

Julian shrugs, their face becoming a little darker.

"We... we don't either. Our parents taught us." They answer with a slight accent. Evan wonders if it's real and notices they're trying to deepens their voice.

"Are you excited? What grade are you in?"

Julian sighs and looks at Evan from the corner of his eyes, with a little irritation. Evan doesn't understand why. Did he say something wrong? Or did his questions irritate them?

"I'm goin' to 9th grade. Hunter's goin' to 7th."

Evan smiles brightly, moving closer to Julian with his excitement so evident it surprises them. "Oh! I'm going to 9th grade too! So, we're going to be classmates!"

Julian nods slowly, frowning, not sharing the same excitement as him.

The office door opens and a line of teachers rush out at the same time as the bell echoes through the hallways. Evan, Julian, and Hunter all flinch at the sound at the same time. Teachers pass by, some saying 'good morning'.

Ms. Pryde is the last to leave, along with another teacher. This one appears to be older, with tanned, freckled skin, perfect brown curls falling over her shoulders, and pearly white eyes. Evan opens his mouth in awe. This woman doesn't have lines on her face or gray hair, however, she has an air that makes her seem a little older and smarter.

"Good morning, boys." She smiles, her voice echoing like a whisper. Her eyes dart between the three of them. Evan sees Hunter and Julian frown at the same time and don't greet her back like he does.

"This is Ms. Carvalho. You can call her Lullaby. She's a new member of our staff and is teaching geography." Pryde says, touching the older woman's shoulder.

"We know her, Ms. Pryde." Julian says impatiently. Pryde makes a strange face, a little irritated, but trying to hide it. However, Lullaby keeps a calm expression and gentle eyes.

"It's good to see you two are safe, kids."

"Yeah, yeah, we're all good. Ask Salazar." Julian rolls their eyes. Lullaby raises her perfect eyebrows, as if scolding them for their tone of voice. They ignore the silent signal. "How about we just go to class now, hm? I thought you brought us here to study."

Evan shifts uncomfortably, red eyes darting between Julian and the teachers. Whatever's going on, it's none of his business. And he expects them to wait until he leaves to resolve this. Fortunately, Lullaby nods and extends a hand to Hunter.

"Alright, let's go. Hunter, honey, you're coming with me to your class."

Hunter, who until now has been quiet and hiding behind Julian, hesitates to follow her. Looking at his older brother, he receives an encouraging nod and follows Lullaby. He doesn't take her hand, but walks beside her with slow steps.

Julian watches their little brother disappear down the hall with sharp eyes.

"You two come with me." Ms. Pryde points to the other side of the hall with a gentle smile.

Evan and Julian follow her, slinging their almost empty backpacks over their shoulders, walking quickly or slowly according to their mood.

They pass through the new corridors of the Jean Grey School, metal walls merge with plaster and brick walls. Holograms are scattered around every corner, indicating rooms, schedules, notices and such.

Kitty is proud to see both boys looking around with curious eyes. Even Julian seems a little impressed. Especially when they pass in front of the large painting showing the original lineup of the X-Men in a life-size hologram.

Evan stops for a few seconds to look. Then he runs to catch up with Kitty, hands clutching the collars of his jacket.

"There's no need to be nervous, everything will be fine." Kitty says, eyes lingering on Evan's thin, shrunken form.

"There's no one nervous here, Ms. Pryde." Julian mumbles.

Evan shakes his shoulders, the dark lines on his face stretching into a toothy grin.

"I am." He chuckles. Professor Pryde slows down a little to look at him. "I never went to school. Uncle Cluster taught me everything I needed to know."

The corners of Pryde's lips twitch a little. "Oh? Really?"

"Yes. He also taught me how to control my mutation. And he said I would learn more here!"

Julian looks up, looking between Pryde and Evan. A smile appears on their face and Evan gets a better view of their fangs.

"So, we're really goin' to be trained as X-Men, hm?"

Kitty once again purses her lips.

"Not yet, of course. You are not here to fight."

"Yeah? What a shame, and I thought that was all we did 'round here."

Evan stays quiet. Seeing the way Professor Pryde frowns at Julian's comment, who has a very mocking expression.

After a second of staring into the golden eyes, Pryde turns forward, now speaking a little more seriously.

"No one is being trained to fight. You will merely learn to defend yourself and control your powers. That's what combat classes are for. I must warn you that fights or the use of mutations outside the Danger Room are prohibited." She looks over her shoulder, eyes fixed on Julian. Then stopping at Evan. "We're not here to fight. Our school is a safe place."

Julian huffs and stays quiet for the rest of the walk. Evan doesn't know what to do. He continues to steal glances at his new classmate. They cross the main buildin, stopping in front of a door with a sign reading "A-9", next to them is a large window that overlook the gardens.

Creed winces a little at the noise on the other side of the door, their shoulders tense and their frown deepens. Evan notices this and turns to him, almost placing a hand on their shoulder. He decides that must not be a good idea.

"Hey, are you okay?" He whispers to them.

"... super hearin'." They grumble.

Kitty stands with her hand on the door, looking at Creed with concern. Of course, she almost forgot. According to Clarice Ferguson, Julian was never very close to other people. It must be difficult to adapt to a new environment when you can hear a needle drop in a crowded room.

She sighs and thinks about apologizing, but maybe that's not what Julian wants.

As soon as the door opens the class stops jumping around. Kitty walked in just in time to see Prince Kubark flying around the room, holding a book in his hands. He dropped it on Anole's head before flying to his seat. Roxy Washington was shouting something to Hope Abott above the cacophony, and they both slumped in their chairs with feigned innocent faces.

At least Broo and Idie were still on their seats. Quentin, as always, had his legs on his desk. The rest of the room, the few 9th graders, sat down and the noise died.

Kitty placed her hands on her hips and waited, eyes darting over each face reproachfully.

"Guys, it would be very nice if you could be a little polite and wait for me to get to the classroom. In silence." She asked between teeth. The students exchange glances and smirks.

"Is this what I get for all the shit I put Xavier and Logan through?" She shakes her head and turns to turn on the screen that serves as a blackboard, giving some students the opportunity to throw paper balls at each other.

Walking to the door, Kitty puts on her best smile and snaps her fingers to get everyone's attention. Which doesn't really work, but at least half the room stops talking.

"Alright! Can you pay attention, please? Today we have two new students." She says and everyone turned to look, tilting their heads curiously. Except for Quire.

Evan is the first to enter, already smiling and waving. While Julian keeps their head slightly lowered. The room falls into even greater silence when everyone sets eyes on the two newcomers. Or rather, Evan. His sweet face doesn't hide the marks already known to everyone and Kitty can see pairs of eyes widening as they recognize him.

She places her hands on Evan's shoulders.

"Please welcome Julian Creed and Evan Adel."

Evan waves once more to each student. Julian just stares intently to the frame of a Sentinel on the wall.

"You can call me Genesis. It's my codename." Evan says with the brightest and sweetest smile he has.

The only person who doesn't seem too shocked by his presence is the black girl with two-tone eyes in the front row, but she still doesn't wave back.

It takes a few more seconds for everyone to snap out of their little stupor. Ben Hamill accidentally lets a little swear word slip out, and that makes everyone wake up and start whispering among themselves.

Lewis Guthrie leaned into his sister's chair, speaking as quietly as he could. "Hmmm. Is it just me or does that blue guy look a lot like--"

"Nah, it's not just you." Cissie replied, placing her hand over her mouth to muffle her voice. They both shivered when Julian's sharp eyes moved towards them.

"A Creed?" Someone whispered in the back. "Like... like the Sabretooth?"

"Look at his eyes." A boy with a spider mutation poked Roxy in her back. The crystal girl pushed him away with a frown, not wanting to get involved, just keeping her eyes on the new students.

Pryde gently pushed the two to find seats. Julian growled when they felt her touch their shoulder. They shake twhir shoulders to push her away, walking with they back hunched towards the table further back. They ignored the whispering students, some hoping they would sit away from them. So they did, sitting by the window, in the last row.

Evan had more courage to sit in the first row. Beside him, the black girl, with her hair tied up with a colorful ribbon, looked a little bored, but she was polite when he said a small hello to her. Behind him, the purple/gray guy with a mohawk raised his visor to get a good look at him.

Kitty watched them carefully, hoping they were all nice. Broo, right behind Idie, stood up in his seat, stretching his hand as high as he could.

"Professor Pryde, if I may, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new colleagues and say that I hope they find this environment as intellectually stimulating as I do." He said in that excited and strident tone.

Evan looked at him curiously, wondering what kind of mutant he was. Kitty smiled at Broo.

"Oh, wow. Thank you, darling."

Evan nodded to him as well in thanks. Julian ignored the toothy smile the little alien gave them and the small wave of his paws. The landscape outside the window seemed much more interesting to them.

Quentin threw his head back. "I heard that the broodlings are good at eating asses, not kissing them." He rolls eyes when Glob Herman cackles in the other side of the room.

Idie uses her book to hit the telepath's arm. He just protests with a snarl, trying to push her away.

"Don't be mean to him, Quire. He's just trying to be friendly."

"I recognize your attempts at good-natured mockery, friend Quentin, and can I just say that I appreciate the sentiment." Broo smiles at him.

"When the revolution comes, you will be the first against the wall, sleazy." Quentin say between his teeth, pointing a finger at the alien.

"Thank you, that sounds like an honor."

"No, Broo, he's not being nice." Idie patted the alien's paw, he was confused, however, he accepted her words and sat down.

"These people are fuckin' idiots." Creed mutters to themself, putting their head between their hands.

"Alright, enough talking." Pryde snapped her fingers. The students began to open their backpacks and take out their materials. "Let's open the books and start our ethics class."

She saw Julian snort in the back of the room. Of course they wouldn't be as excited as Evan to start attending school so suddenly, but she hoped they would be a little more considerate. She frowned as they began to drag their long claws across the wood of the table, making a smiley face.

Something she had made Sabretooth do once, on Professor Xavier's doorstep.

"Ethics. Cool, just what I need." Julian grumbled.

Quentin's attention moved to him. The telepath saw what he was doing, staring at his claws, and his fangs that emerged when Creed clenched his teeth. He smirked and shook the book.

"I bet you need to catch up on that subject, right Creed?"

The entire room glanced at Creed, then Quentin, and Creed once more. The feral teenager let out a growl, showing their fangs more.

"What you mean with that, asshole?"

Quentin raises his hands, not bothered by the sight of their fangs like the others. "Just think you don't have this kind of thing where you came from."

Kitty moves between them before Julian can stand up from their chair. Their claws rip the wood, making an loud and painful sound. Everyone turns around to look. Ben Hamill and Victor Borkowski are ready to strike but Kitty starts to move her hands to keep everyone in place.

"Hey, hey! Stop it! No one fucking curses in my class!" She shouts. Julian keeps staring at Quentin with anger, but slowly sits down.

Kitty felt the tension rise in the room. She returned to the blackboard. The sooner she starts class, the sooner she can release the students.

As she turned to write the class title, Prince Kubark leaned over to poke Evan's shoulder, a little too hard, making the boy wince and turn away.

"Hey you, frail one. What is your mutation? What you can do?" The prince asked. Evan smiled, believing his colleague was trying to get to know him better.

"My uncle said I can do anything I set my mind to."

Kubark rolled his eyes from beneath his visor. "Your uncle sounds like a complete idiot."

"What?" Evan's smile fell, he turned almost completely back to stare at the other student. "Why do you think that?"

"The standards at this school are abysmal." Kubark crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, speaking with that arrogant tone. Evan noticed his voice was different. They're not speaking the same language.

He could hear the prince speaking his own language, and the small object around his neck translated in real time to him in English. So the object in his ear must be how he understands what Evan says.

"At the Shi'ar Academy, someone so weak and puny would never even dream of setting foot in the school, much less be allowed to associate with warriors such as myself." Kubark continues with a annoying voice, full of himself. "If your parents were honorable, they would have left you adrift from an asteroid as an infant." He smiles at the last part.

Evan frowns, upset. "I do not understand what you mean. Did I do something wrong?"

Idie nudges him and hands him a new book. She still looks a little bored and Evan can't help but notice the scar on her face.

"Hey, ignore them, okay?" She tells him with a hint of sympathy. "The prince here is nothing more than an idiot."

Kubark slams his hands on the table, the wood cracks and Evan jumps in fright. Everyone sighs in irritation when they see the prince ready to throw another one of his tantrums.

"YOU DARE INSULT THE PRINCE OF THE SHI'AR EMPIRE? THE LAST OF THE ROWS OF STROTIAN GLADIATORS?!" He points a finger at Idie, she returns it with her tongue and the middle finger.

Kitty raises her hands and stands between them once again.

"That's enough, your majesty." She screams, putting her hands in her hips, looking at the entire class. "Can you all stop trying to kill each other until the class ends?! I don't know how many times I will have to warn you that I will not tolerate any type of violence between colleagues."

Kubark stares at her with fire in his eyes. Still standing over her and Idie.

"We are a family here, please be nice to each other."

At the back of the room, Julian snorts once again. "Family? This sounds more like a bunch of idiots in a circus. They chose the right person to teach ethics."

Kitty looks at him with a reprimanding look. Creed ignores her as always. She sighs heavily, trying to stay calm. Forcing the Strotian prince to sit in the chair, she walks to the front of the room and begins teaching her lesson, ignoring the tension that follows, ignoring Quire tearing pages out of his new book - his fifth in two weeks.

Seeing Evan still upset, Idie slowly leans into him.

"Are you okay?" She whispers.

"Yes, just..." Evan looks at his book and leans on his shoulders. ".... I don't know if I'll like it here, to be sincwre."

"I understand." Idie says in a soft voice, sounding quite sincere. "I went through that too. It may be a little difficult to adapt, but you will soon see that things here are not so bad."

She smiles. Evan doesn't smiles back at her this time.

Mrs. Pryde's voice is lost under the loud ringing of the bell, and the sound of chairs being dragged back and students talking. After two classes of ethics, Julian is more than just annoyed. He pushes his chair back, his ears ringing with all that noise.

"This day sucks." They grumble to themself. The ethics book is more weight on their backpack, so they leave it behind, not paying attention to Pryde's warns to take it with him when she left the room to guide the students to the next class.

He's about to cross the doorway when Evan Adel runs to him, holding the damn book on his hand, a sweet smile stretching the lines of his face.

"Hey, Julian, you forgot your book!" He says, extending it. Julian only stares at him. Evan takes a second to catch his mood and frowns too. "Er... what's wrong?"

His hesitant tone makes Julian rolls his eyes. But he snatches the book from Evan. "Nothin'. It's just this fuckin' class got on my nerves."

He turns his back and follows the path the other students and Pryde took. Evan comes right behind to walk by Julian's side. He looks so content, like they are best friends going to have lunch together. Julian doesn't know what to do about him. It irritates them even more.

Why is this boy talking to them? And how they're supposed to react? They never had many people of their age so willing to walk by their side, not even during the time they spent at Utopia. And by the way everyone else react to their presence in the class, Adel was not supposed to do the same? He should know there's something off with them.

And with him too. Julian was never stupid, he know right from the start this boy was weird. At first they couldn’t tell what was wrong, but they recognized that face from somewhere. Even if they were all mutants, Evan had not a common face. When they entered the room, Julian could hear their classmates whispering. Idiots, they didn't know he has a perfect hearing?

Apocalypse. Evan has Apocalypse's face. Now, looking at him so close, Julian is sure it's just that. There's something deeply wrong with this boy. Not in a bad way, if it's possible, because in the last hours, Julian quickly learned that Evan is nothing more than sweet smiles and anxiety.

They did not care if this boy is Apocalypse's lost baby or whatever. They want to know why is Evan talking to them so casually.

"It has only been two classes." Evan tells them in a cheerful tone that could infect anyone else. "Didn't you liked it? I thought it was interesting."

Julian stops walking for a moment, pointing two fingers close to Evan's face. Making the boy step back. "Yeah. Two classes, fifty minutes each. It's like a whole eternity."

Evan makes a weird face that Julian can't read. A mix of confusion and the desire to laugh. They can't tell. As another new group of students come their way, heading to Ethics, they both follow their path again, side by side.

Julian has their hands on their pockets, shoulders close to their ears; they avoid looking up, but still can hear shocked gasps and whispers. This time, Evan keeps his eyes down, hands grasping the straps of his backpack. Julian can smell his discomfort, it's sickening. Evan has a unique scent, like nothing Julian ever felt before. Artificial, maybe?

Like something you would find in a hospital room, but also something... sweet. Earth and grass. Maybe it's just because of his mutation. Maybe it's because he has the face of one of the most dangerous mutants that ever existed.

He frowns and shakes the thought away. It doesn't matter. He looks at Evan side-eyed. The taller boy is clearly tense, like a small child feeling shy on their first presentation. But more scared than normal. Heh, Julian wouldn't know, they never had such things before.

Evan chatters alone while they walk down the corridors, and Julian is busy thinking about how Hunter is doing in his own class. They hate that they can't be together. And they're worried about their baby brother, who is more quiet and weaker than them. What if someone is picking on him? If someone is giving him trouble, Julian will break their promise to Clarice sooner than they expected.

Perhaps if they jump the gate of the school without Wolverine noticing him, and without Krakoa seeing them, they can find Clarice and convince her to take them and Hunter back.

The idea is stuck in the back of their mind. They're already done with this place.

"Are you sure we're supposed to go this way?" Evan asks shyly. Julian looks around the corridor. They are alone now. Pryde and the others are nowhere to be seen, but Julian can smell them and easily find their way to the right classroom. They don't want to do it.

"Dunno." They shrug, scratching their neck with sharp claws, looking bored to the grass outside. Oh, they want to run there. They have been in such a sour mood to leave their room until now.

"What? How you don't know?" Evan exclaims, frowning like it's their fault.

"Why you followin' me?" Julian asks irritated, pushing Evan with his arm.

Evan looks offended, that so known face pouting at them, yet looking like an innocent child. "I don't know. I just did."

Julian smirks. "Well, your fault. Your parents never taught you to not follow strangers?"

"I was not following strangers, I was following you."

Julian rolls their eyes, in a exaggerated way, of course, to make it clear. "Dude, you don't even know me. Don't go around acting like we're buddies an' shit." They turn around and follow the smell of Pryde and the other students. Evan runs after them.

"What's wrong with you?"

Julian grumbles. "I just don't want you to think that I like you."

They take a turn in one of the doors and find themself at the foyer, Pryde's smell is strong there and they know she went upstairs with a different class to one of the rooms in the second floor, the rest went straight.

They cross the foyer and follow to the main courtyard, taking another turn to the left. The smell goes to the right. Evan is behind them of course, still pouting after Julian's harsh words.

"You're so mean."

"I'm not. You're just too soft." Julian says without looking at him. Evan whispers something they don't catch and it sounds rude, it makes them smirk.

Crossing the main yard and bypassing the left building, they find a training field. Or could be it. It's just a large area with sand and rocks, some of them torched up, so Julian knows someone uses that place to train their mutations. It looks like their yard after mama and papa finished their sparring in the mornings.

There's nothing interested around there. The school is still smaller than they thought, and there's even less students than they expected.

They're ready to turn around and go find something else to do when Evan gasps loudly and holds their arm, making them jump and growl.

"Hey, it's Krakoa! Look!" The blue boy screams in delight, shaking Julian without thinking. He's right, Krakoa passes in front of them, looking like a little wave of dirt moving around, pushing the soil like a giant mole digging the ground. "Hello!" Evan shouts, letting go of Julian to wave with both hands.

A rumbling shakes the earth and Krakoa takes a turn like a shark going to a prey, red eyes widening. And then it speeds up, rumbling louder as it comes closer to the boys. Julian has the instinct to run away or attack.

Evan is ready to greet the island, giggling as he pats its giant head when it collapses against him. "Hello, Krakoa."

Julian huffs and pats his own arm, the sudden proximity made them feel dizzy. "It likes you." He comments. Krakoa looks briefly at them, rumbling. Julian's eyes widens. "What?" Another rumbling, lower. "Ah... cool."

Evan turns to them, hands running up and down on Krakoa's head. He's shy at first, like he's meeting a stray dog, and slowly gets more confident to pet it. "You can understand him too?"

Julian blinks, looking between the clone of Apocalypse and the giant mutant island. Krakoa is happy, it's clear by the loud growling and the way it's eyes close and it moves closer to Evan, like a horse asking for affection. It's a weird sight. By a lot of reasons.

But, looking at the way Krakoa pushes himself against Evan, he realizes something. Krakoa said its not the first one, the one that fought the X-Men years ago, yet it seems to have a strange connection to Evan.

"It's good to see an old friend." Krakoa had said. Evan cannot understand it fully, or he doesn't understand the meaning of it's words.

"Kinda. Krakoa says... it's happy to have you here."

Evan chuckles.

"I know. He's nice, isn't him?" He rubs Krakoa's head, getting dirt under his nails. "How can we understanding it? Ms. Pryde said only the telepaths do."

"Dunno. Maybe we have a secret mutation." Julian shrugs, looking away from the scene. Thankfully, Evan can't smell them lying. The boy is too entertained by Krakoa's presence.

"You know where our class is? Idie, Broo and the othes?" He asks. Krakoa answers with a low growl, moving its head to the path they came from. Evan looks at Julian again with that pout. "He said we should be at the Ice Castle."

"And? You think I would know that?" Julian raised an eyebrow.

Evan shakes his head. He looks so pissed, Julian expects him to be angry, but he doubts the sweet boy will do anything. Who could tell that messing with Apocalypse boy would be so funny.

Krakoa makes a loud noise again, different than before, and slides down in the soil, moving grass and stones with him as he does. Julian and Evan follow him and meet with two of their classmates. The black girl with heterochromia and other with pink hair and glasses. Krakoa pushes itself against her with a loud purr.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" The black girl asks, patting Krakoa before running to them. "Did you get lost?"

"What?" Evan looks between them. His shoulders fall as he shyly nods. "Hm, yes, we did. We got distracted and couldn't find the rest of the class..."

"We are in the Ice Castle, having Math with Mr. Drake." She points to the place where they came, behind the lab building and the main yard. Of course, they're supposed to be with Iceman right now.

Evan sighs, feeling kinda dumb for not remembering. But... he frowns and turns to Julian, who's smirking to themself.

"You knew where we were supposed to go?"

Julian shrugs. "Yeah. Maybe."

"You... you..." Evan stutters, trying to find something to say. He stops and pouts, looking away.

"What? Me what?" The feral crosses his arms and opens his mouth, taunting Evan with his fangs. "Come on, give me a good one."

Evan stares at them, mouth pressed tight. He looks like a anxious and displeased cat, trying to be intimidating, but failing. He really wants to say something back, because Julian has been on his nerves for long enough. He won't, thought. Mom and dad taught him better than that.

Julian looks disappointed. Krakoa jumps a little when the other student with pink hair groans and throws their hands up, like they're utterly disappointed about something.

"Oh, come on! What are you? Why don't you talk back?" They scream, looking directly at Evan, who looks between them confused, before pointing to himself.

"Hm? Me?"

The pink hair nods and pushes Krakoa away, standing in front of them now. "Don't be such a pussy! I thought you would have more fight on you, but you're just boring." They make a face and sigh.

"What... what are you talking about?" Evan's shoulders rise and he looks at Julian and then back at the pink hair, back and forth like a lost child.

"Who the fuck are you?" The feral growls, not really liking the other kid. Bleh, they smell like cheap hair dye.

The girl, Idie, Julian believes, turns back and pushes the pink hair with her hand. "Shut up, Quire. Don't you dare mess with them too!" She orders, sounding like she already had enough of her classmates.

Julian raises his eyebrows, finally recognizing Quire. It's weird. They saw how he looks on TV, on his mother's work files. Pink hair, glasses, scrawny and annoying. Young, yet older than Julian back then. It was seven years ago.

Quire still looks the exact same teenager. Like he hasn't aged much. Or at all.

The telepath smirks smugly, like in all the pictures and government files, extending a hand to Julian like they actually would take it, getting too close.

"I'm Quentin Quire, A.KA. Kid Omega. Charmed." He grins. Julian shows his teeth, not liking the proximity.

"You wish."

Quire ignores the threat and smiles even more. "So, we're now having as especial exchange program for villains? 'Sabretooh's evil school for wayward chidlren'?" He laughs.

"Back off." Julian warns again. This time they let a cloud of smoke out of their mouth, directly to Quire's pale face.

Idie (Julian remembers the little insect say it too many times) scoffs and looks offended on their behalf, hands on her hips. "Quire, don't go around calling others villains." She's trying to hold back a grin when the telepath takes a step back, coughing.

Quire waves her off. "I'm just curious, Frosty. Logan got the most dangerous villains to share a dorm with us and expected anyone to talk about it?!" He says, smiling like a kid in a candy shop. He's having so much fun. And Creed is starting to get more annoyed. They rather be having Math than have to listen to him talking longer.

On the ground, Krakoa watches them. He's curious and wary, eyeing Quire with worry, then at Julian when it senses their temper getting worse.

Evan is still lost. He shyly pokes Julian's shoulder whispering. "What is he talking about?"

"Nothin'." The feral immediately says. He looks at Evan's innocent eyes, his face dropping at Julian's harsh tone. He has no idea of what is happening. They push Quire back, deciding that it's none of their business to tell, and neither their responsibility. "I advise you to shut your crap. Now."

Quire looks at him, offended and surprised, eyes going between Idie and the boys, and to Krakoa. The living island hovers above them, rumbling something only the feral and the telepath can understand, non-existent eyebrows furrowed.

Julian shakes his head and notices that Quire stares at them, own face hardening behind his stupid colored glasses. Ah, he notices what is happening and smirks. "What? Can't read my mind?"

Quire's shoulders drop. "You're no fun." He says, disappointed. "I expected more of Sabretooh's child. More animal."

"Piss me off and I will show it to you." Julian walks past him, bumping shoulders and almost sending the skinny boy on the ground. It doesn't make them feel better, but helps a lot.

He hears Evan and Idie run after them, and Quire stays behind, disappointed that none of his tricks worked go anger any of them. Julian decides that the best way to deal with him is go just ignore his remarks.

A soft hand falls on their shoulder and they look at Idie's sweet face, a smile on her lips. "Hey, I'm sorry for him." She tells them and Evan in a sympathetic tone. "Quire is a idiot to everyone, just ignore him and he'll not bother you."

Julian shows her their teeth, slowly taking her hand off. "No, I think I want him to bother me."

She is surprised by the sight of the sharp fangs, but hides it better than they expected.

"... I'm Idie Okonkwo." The girl says and extends her hand. Julian only stares at it for a moment. Evan smiles back and touches a hand on his chest.

"Evan Adel." He says with a soft tone that Julian is already getting used to. Still, they roll their eyes.

"She already knows our names."

Idie frowns. "I'm trying to be nice."

"For what? Extra points in Pryde's classes?" Julian walks faster in front of her and Evan.

Leaving Quire behind, they cross the main yard again together, this time heading to the Ice Castle, and Julian can hear the rest of their class inside the bulding.

Drake doesn't stop his class or questions their absence when they enter, Julian moving to the last roll like before. This time, Evan sits by their side while Idie goes to take her seat next to the broodling.

Julian keeps their eyes on the window when Evan leans closer to whisper, annoyed.

"Can't you be a little more nice?"

"No."

Rachel can feel Quentin's presence before he can even turn the corner of the hall. She's always keeping an eye on him, feeling every thought he has, what is incredible annoying and exhausting.

Quentin opens the door of her classroom, swinging his foot in the air for a moment with a smug smile on his pale face.

"Quire." She says quietly, her voice disturbing the peace of the empty room. "You should be in the cafeteria." And she goes back to reading, knowing he will not go away even if she forces him to.

"They don't serve anything good there, anyway." Quentin shrugs and closes the door, walking to her desk with his hands on his pockets.

"What do you want?"

He stops and tilts his head. "Why Logan didn't told us about the new guys?" He grins when she looks up with narrowed eyes. "Apocalypse and Sabretooh's kids are in my class, you expected me to not dig in more?"

Rachel shakes her head. "If you are smart, you will stay out of it." She looks back at her hands above the table, thinking. She looks into his mind, searching inside, she quickly reads everything he had done this morning and can't help the sigh when she sees the memory of his first encounter with Creed and Adel in the yard.

They look slightly different in Quentin's mind. She finds nothing more than his own thoughts, so he didn't read their minds yet, she's still able to block his powers. Good. She don't want to think the mess it will be if he see their minds. Or anyone's else, to be fair.

He is still swaying on his feet when she pulls away from his brain, not letting go of that connection she made to block him.

"Logan decided it would be good to keep a secret for a moment. But it's none of your business." She says calmly, yet harshly.

"They don't know." Quentin says. "I mean, Apocalypse boy doesn't know. What he is? I can't read their minds." He runs his thumb on his forehead, frowing, trying to use his powers beyong the range she defined for him. "You're blocking me, aren't you?"

"Of course." Rachel shrugs. Quentin looks offended at her. Yet, his stupid grin comes back and he tries to keep that facade that Rachel already uncovered. She feels his annoyance and something else inside him. That same need to chaos.

"You're planning or telling the rest of the school? At this point everyone knows they're here."

Rachel rolls her eyes and stands up, putting her hands on thr table to lean in front of him. Her voice becomes harsher and lower.

"Quire, I swear to God if you try to say anything to them, I will send you back to your chamber in Utopia and this time you won't have a date to leave."

Quentin huffs, making a 'tsk' sound on his mouth. "There's only space for one super villain in this school." He states and lifts his chin, putting his hands on his hips.

Rachel scoffs. "And that would be you?"

"I'm planning on bringing down this school by myself, when I get tired of it. I don't want the new guys to steal my spotlight." He shrugs.

Now this is becoming ridiculous. She cannot have the same conversation with him again, going through the same steps over and over.

"You're just as much of a villain, as I am an flerken." She mocks him and sits back down, opening her book to resume her studies, not giving Quentin a second look. Exactly what he needs. She stills makes a face with her own words. Too much time with the Shi'ar she learned a few things. Ugh. "Go to lunch, kid. Now. And don't dare to say one word about Apocalypse, to anyone, whatever happens here it's the teachers decision's to make. Keep your mouth shut." She looks briefly, eyes glowing, before parting again.

Quentin expects something more. He waits and his mood sours, Rachel feels that he expects her to act, do something to nurture his need for chaos. She will not give him the attention he wants.

His face becomes red and he turns on his heel, boots kicking the floor as he exits the room. "Yes, ma'am."

The door stays open. Rachel sighs and runs her fingers on her head. She will need to talk to Logan about it before Quire or other student catch on Adel's situation and ruin it for him.

Chapter Text

Prince Kubark stares behind his glasses.

He sees one of the new students walk past him. The smaller one with dark skin and claws. And just like in Professor Pryde's class they walk to the back of the class, away from everyone's sight. It picks his interest.

He noticed the way everyone is scared of them and the other blue kid. And he doesn't understand why. His classmates move away and avoid them in fear, but when he arrived no one even treated him that way. They didn't even looked at him. How dare they? Kubark is a prince now. The son of the current ruler of one of the greatest civilizations in this universe.

He's not... jealous. No, no. He thinks it's a outrage. He can't stand the treatment they give that terran.

He looks back at Creed sitting in the last row of chairs and doesn't see anything great about them. Not even in their harsh stare and long claws. Even the way they dress is pathetic, their tunic is torn and the tie is missing. They can't even dress the uniform of the school properly.

The prince looks down at his impeccable uniform and tie and smirks. He hears his weak classmates whispering about this new students.

Finally he snaps and pushes the stupid canvas in front of him and pokes the lizard boy he's supposed to be partners with until he turns around.

"Hey! Hey! Why is everyone so frightened? What's so great about these two weaklings that joined us today? You're all acting weird!" He asks in his native language. It takes a second for his translator to send the right words to the terran's ears. And when it does, the boy raises a eyebrow.

"Dude, you're serious?" He asks indignantly. "They put a Creed and Apocalypse boy in our class." He points to Adel and Creed.

"And what is so great about them that makes you shake?" Kubark spits in his usual tone. The lizard boy makes a movement to silence him.

"Hey, don't speak too loud. Don't you know these two are dangerous!" he says and Kubark crosses his arms. The boy suddenly realizes who he is talking to. "Ah, I forgot you're from another galaxy. You don't know shit about Earth, right?"

Kubark shrugs with arrogance. "Naturally. I don't care about what happens in your useless planet."

The lizard boy massages his temples with one of his hands, the one without claws.

"Of course." He mutters and leans closer to whisper to Kubark, his smaller hand covering his mouth. "They're dangerous, you know? I heard Professor Wolverine needed to fight them to bring them to the school."

Kubark is interested now. He raises a eyebrow and puts his hand on his chin, checking the blue boy with red eyes standing next to the window, trying to put his canvas up for the art class.He's shy and thin, and doesn't look like a great warrior. Unlike the prince himself, of course. The black teen with claws at least has a harsh stare and looks tough, like any respectful warrior should.

"Shut up, Anole. You don't know it." Kubark turns to see the girl with crystal skin, Bling!, slap the lizard boy in the shoulder. Oh, he remembers fighting her in the food hall.

One blond girl with pink stains in her skin also enters the conversation. Kubark doesn't remember her name, just that she's related to Professor Husk.

"Ms. Pryde told us to not be mean to them. We shouldn't be talking about them behind their backs." She looks back to see if one of the new students is listening. "Also... didn't Sabretooth had like... super hearing?"

Her words make the small group around Kubark stop whispering. They all look back at Creed with careful stares.

"Cissie is right." Anole whispers the best he can. "I don't want to get in trouble with Creed so let's stop talking. What do you think he can do if he gets angry?"

"He's not going to start a killing rampage in the school." Bling! exclaims, crossing her arms.

"His father did." Anole shrugs.

Kubark snickers at it, only listening to his classmates discussing.

"Now, that sounds interesting." He says and they all turn to look at him with wide eyes. "I might give this Creed a try and see if he can handle my powers."

Cissie Guthrie has a worried expression in her face and she leans to him. "You shouldn't fight Creed. That guy must be as crazy as his parents."

"Huh? As crazy as his parents? So he is that dangerous?" Kubark chuckles, ignoring her words. He crosses his arms and leans on his chair. His classmates stare at him and then start to walk backwards. "I've seen a lot of crazy things in my life. This guy won't stand a chance against me!"

He flexes his arms, an arrogante smirk on his face. He's startled when a warm hand falls on his shoulder, holding tightly, sharp claws almost digging in his uniform. Kubark looks at the hand, then at Julian Creed stading right behind him.

"Oh, yeah?" They say in a mocking way, tilting their head and opening his mouth to show his teeth like an animal would do to intimidate a prey. "Why don't you come say it on my face?"

Kubark frowns at him. His translator takes a moment, enough to his classmates to leave, walking back to their seats to avoid both him and Creed.

Cowards, Kubark thinks. He looks Creed up and down behind his visor, and doesn't find anything too great about them. He looks down at the hand on his shoulder again.

"Hey, watch where you're putting your claws! Those things are sharp, dude. I'm sure you don't wanna get in trouble for hurting me, no?" He smirks and slaps Creed's hand away.

He's taller and way stronger. Creed needs to lean his neck back to look at him. Good, just like it should be.

"You're talkin' about me, dude. Seems like you are the one lookin' for trouble." Creed growls, like, really growls, putting their face close to Kubark's.

The prince looks down at him, his smile only growing wider. Finally someone wants to face him. Since he arrived, everyone has been avoiding him. Maybe it was because of the show he did during the attack of Krakoa. Maybe the cafeteria.

Or because Warbird is always behind him. But she's not right now, he asked (demanded) her to take a walk. There's no one here to stop him from getting into a good fight.

"You wanna fight, P'Gath?" Kubark asks. Creed frowns when he barks the last word that his translator doesn't catch. "Let's do this."

Kubark launches himself towards Creed. Sending him flying through the wall and out of the classroom. He hears his classmates screaming and ducking in surprise, some of them throw insults at him when Creed drops an shelf with paint on the floor.

"Dude, what the fuck?!" He hears Anole screaming behind him. He ignores and floats to Creed. "Someone call the teachers! The prince is fighting again!"

The hole in the wall is big enough for him to pass through and he can see Creed laying in the grass outside, pieces of debris and dust on his new uniforme. He sits and looks at Kubark, his golden eyes narrowing with fury.

"Motherfucker." He says in a low, threatening voice. Kicking the grass go stand up. Kubark sees him flexing his fingers and claws. "I'm gonna kick your teeth down you throat now!"

Kubark laughs. He didn't expected this guy to lose his patience so easily. It's not like he punched him that hard.

"Well, let's throw a real punch, then." The young prince says, before flying against Creed again, but this time with a headbutt. He hears a crack and Creed falls on their back, blood dripping from their nose. "You're not so tough, huh?"

"Oh, fuck, I am!" Julian shouts. He closes his fist and his entire arm engulfs in flames, burning the sleeve of his button shirt and jacket.

Kubark raises his arms to protect himself from Creed's attack, the fire burning his own uniform, leaving him with only his strontian armor under it. The fire doesn't hurt his skin, but he can't see trough it and needs to step back.

"Ah, fuck. He got fire too?!" Anole screams, watching the fight through the window with the rest of the class.

Creed's hand punches Kubark through the cloud of flames, cracking his visor and making him stumble back with a groan. They grab Kubark head and pull it down, hitting him in the face with their knee.

Kubark coughs and groans, as his visor and nose get broken. He touches his face in shock, looking at Creed. Purple blood in his glove. The fuck?!

He gets angry. He never bleed during a fight. Only when he was traning with the Imperial Guard, with father, with the Warbirds, and once when he was forced to "train" with Deathbird when Vulcan was still on the throne. It was pathetic. But Deathbird was a strong warrior and he was still a kid. This guy, however...

"He's just a terran."

"You..." He says, dumbfounded. Now Creed is smirking, his golden eyes widen. Kubark wipes the blood from his face and touches his fists together. "Now you're asking for it."

"You started it, motherfucker!" Creed shouts.

They choke when Kubark kicks them the gut, causing them to throw up before he kicks them again. Sending them against a tree.

Kubark hears a grumbling, like a animal hurt. He looks around and finds one of Krakoa's giant, red eye staring at him. They must have hurt it. He sees the ground cracking under his feet and quickly dodges when Krakoa opens a fissure in the ground, flying above while watching Creed with a smirk.

Obviously the new student didn't knew about the living island. So he is taken by surprise. Giant roots come out of the fissure, wrapping around Creed's waist tightly, making him groan in pain. He curses whatever the creature is, his claws tearing pieces of it while he kicks the air.

Kubark watches with satisfaction as Krakoa launches Creed away, sending him flying. The other students inside the class are watching everything and he swears he sees some cameras poiting at them.

He's too immerse in his own amusement to notice Krakoa's roots coming for him. He yelps when he's whipped in the same direction Creed was.

"These two are idiots." Idie mutters to Broo and Evan. By her side, Bling! and Anole hold up their phones and record everything.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Evan asks in horror. Krakoa peacefully goes back to sleep under the ground. Idie shrugs and walks out of the classroom.

Kubark bounces in the grass until he stops in a little crater in the middle of the gardens, next to the lake. He sees some kids watching him, not really surprised to see him there. He has fallen in the same place in the last two weeks after some fights. He looks to the side and finds Creed there.

The other teenager is standing up and Kubark raises his eyebrow in shock. His arms are twisted in a weird angle. However, Creed is not even screaming, only cursing under his breath, and when he stand up his right arm cracks back in place, then the left, and his fingers slowly go back to where they belong.

"You freakin'-- you think you're tough shit?! I will roast your ass back to your dad and see if you still laugh!" Creed says. His body moves in a weird action, like a broken doll having her limbs put back in place.

Kubark only stares at him, mouth open and eyes widen behind his cracked visor.

"What are you?" he asks.

Creed looks at his ruined uniform, his shirt is already burned and torn, his skirt is covered in mud. He turns back to Kubark, now bending his knees a little and arms tense at his sides, his claws ready.

"Oh? You still down for more?!" Kubark laughs and touches his fists again, moving his shoulders back. "I don't wanna knock you out yet, Creed. You're more entertaining than these other weaklings."

He gets in position and flies against Creed, punching him in the face, but this time the feral boy ducks and slides away. He grabs the back of Kubark's collar and swings, throwing him in the opposite direction. The prince bounces in the ground again, taken by surprise.

He gets up quickly and sees Creed already coming for him, his arms lighting up in flames again.

"You are fun too. Let's see if the strontians are really fire proof!"

And he tries to punch Kubark. The prince dodges and floats above the feral. It doesn't stop Creed from shooting fire against him. Again and again. While the prince only hovers around. The fire touches him sometimes, but does little to hurt him. He only laughs the whole time.

"You think that will stop me? Haha, that's just silly."

He tackles Julian, flying through his last attack, covering his face with his arms until he's close enough to tackle Creed on the ground and start punch him relentlessly. The ground under them shakes. It surely will wake up Krakoa again.

"I'm just starting to get warmed up. Do you wanna give in yet?"

Creed can't speak through the punches. Everytime Kubark breaks his skull with his fist, he heals immediately, blood soaking his uniform and his face. Kubark hears a crack, once, twice... he keeps punching, but Creed immediately heals.

"You are incredible resilient."

His attack stops and Kubark hears Creed's skull cracking, healing the wounds. Its a pretty ugly sight. Seeing his face being smashed and then pop back in place. A golden eye opens and stares at him. There isn't any hint of weariness in his expression as he chuckles to himself.

"Do you know how to survive this...?"

He pulls away, flying above Creed. A blast of laser beams emits from his eyes, shooting toward Creed, making him sink in the grass.

Kubark stops and puts his visor in place, waiting. He hears a cough and Julian's hand waves the cloud of smoke on his chest, flesh and bones closing again. Kubark can see that he is angry, and it makes him laugh. Seeing Creed stumbling out of the little crater, holding his chest.

"Do you yield? P'Gath." He grins widely.

"You sonna--" Julian runs to the prince, mouth open wide, his sharp canines now red with blood. Both him and Kubark are startled when Warbird falls between them, hands tight around the sword she presses against Julian's throat.

"Warbird!" Kubark protests at her presence and rolls his eyes.

"If you want to touch the prince, you will have to go through me first." Ava'Dara says coldly.

Julian steps back. Kubark can see him bending down a little, much more blood than he expected coming from the wound on his chest. And he still standing?! The prince is surprised, he admits.

He wipes his nose and puts his glasses back in place, landing behind his guard.

"Warbird!" He groans. Oh, he really forgot her name. "Stop interrupting me when I'm having fun!"

"My lord, I need to prot--"

"Do you really think I need protection from this little meat worm?! You saw how the fight was going. I would have probably knocked him out by now." Kubark says, pointing a finger to Julian. Warbird looks between them, their disheveled states proves the prince right.

Julian growls at him. Like a real beast being provoked. Warbird once again pushes him back with her sword.

"Don't you dare." She warns.

"Step back, pigeon lady. This is none of ya business."

Wabird pushes Julian away, embedding her sword in the ground, she points to Kubark behind her, speaking with uppermost respect that all Warbirds seem to have.

"This is the Prince Kubark of Shi'ar, I am Ava'Dara Naganandini, deathbringer-class Warbird. By his father's request, I am here to protect him from any harm that comes his way. Therefore, anything that you do to him, I will make you pay ten times ."

The translator takes a minute to decipher everything. Julian waits, bored, and then rolls his eyes.

"What?" Warbird hisses before Julian's lack of respect, the feathers in her head, neck and cleavage ruffling.

Julian sees Kubark smirking and puffing out his chest, like he's the biggest idiot around. Creed can't understand what's wrong with the prince, and doesn't care for his title. He knows about the new Shi'ar Empire, of course, but why should he care? He wonders how much diplomatic trouble he will get if he rips off that smirk from Kubark's face with his claws.

One way to find out. Like dad would say.

He doesn't have the chance, unfortunately. Ava'Dara is one moment away from cutting off his neck when Prestige intervenes, using her power to stop the Warbird and keep her frozen in place. Julian is just spooked by the feeling of another mind flooding his.

His knees almost give up under his weight and he needs to stop a moment to breath. Kubark is in the same situation, shaking his head, trying to push Rachel away from his brain.

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE? WHAT..." Is the first thing Julian hears after the world came back to normal.

Not only Summers, but Pryde is also there, standing in front of them with her hands tight in fists, looking at the state of the two students, their uniforms destroyed. Creed is in a much worse situation. Their uniform is all torn and covered in blood, dirt and vomit. Kubark would he almost naked if he did not had his armor under his clothes all times.

"PRINCE KUBARK! MR. CREED!" Pryde shouts at them, louder than they ever heard. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU ARE TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER?!"

Both teenagers stare at the teachers. Not feeling slightly guilt. Julian looks around to the destroyed grounds, seeing that they had not done much damage, but is still pretty bad. There's some students standing far away, watching everything with fearful faces.

They finally turn to Pryde and points a claw to the prince by their side. "Hey! He started it! I was just defending myself!"

Kubark protests, raising his voice once again. "I'm not doing anything wrong. He's the one who attacked me first."

"The beast attacked the prince during his lectures, they deserve the punishment they received." Warbird says, putting her sword back in place on her hip.

"Hey! Shut yer mouth, you stupid bird!" Julian yells at her and hurries to explain. "Prince Mohawk here was gossiping about me with the class, he said he could beat me and I doubt, so he attacked me. Everyone saw it." He points to the students watching. Though he knows none of them testify his words, by the look in their faces when he addresses them.

Kubark laughs again. "And I will stand by that. This guy cannot match me." He waves his hand to Julian injuries. "That is proof I am the best fighter."

Rachel shakes her head, hands going to her red hair. Pryde looks worse than Husk, ready to have a crisis in front of them.

"You two..." She looks at Kubark, her hands shaking in front of her, then turns to Ava'Dara. "What were you doing during the fight, Warbird?! How many times we have to tell you that your job is to protect?"

The Shi'ar soldier tilts her head to one side like a confused bird, looking quite unbothered by all of this. "My duty is to defend the prince."

Kubark only chuckles to himself, clearly amused.

Pryde took a deep breath, hands around her face. She blinks and takes a moment, before speaking, in the most calm voice she can must right now. "Let's go to my office. Were going to decide your punishment."

"And what is that punishment, Professor?" Kubark asks in a bratty tone, not moving from his spot. Julian obeyed, he scoffed. "Maybe you should be punishing the guy who started this."

"Silence, your highness." Rachel warns, her eyes glowing. Kubark winces and lowers his head. Julian wants to smirk when he shakes a little under her power. "You will receive your punishment. Both of you." Her cold eyes go to Julian, unforgiving.

Headmistress' office, Main Building.

Kubark is only half listening to the scold. He's used to it. It's not different from having to listen Counselor Araki or Chancellor T'Kao talking and talking after he accidentally destroyed one of the towers of the castle back home.

He keeps moving in his chair, only humming when Summers or Pryde talk directly to him. Warbird is in position behind his chair, and Creed is sulking by his side, now in new clothes provided by the teachers, but still holding their stomach. He smirks a little seeing the damage he caused.

Summers keep her eyes on them, like she's expecting them to do something drastic. Kubark is annoyed that she seems to be paying more attention to the beast child than him.

Who she thinks is the bigger threat here? She saw him fighting before, she knows what he is capable of. And she thinks a simple punishment like that is enought to teach him... what was it again? He was not paying attention. Oh, yes, helping Inferno in the Danger Room.

If anything, Kubark is sure he will have a lot of fun in this "punishment".

Pryde shakes her head with disappointment at the end of her speech. She also knows there's not much she can do to punish Kubark. He has political immunity and is too stubborn to listen to them. The only thing in this galaxy and every other solar system around that scares him is...

"... and I also have no other options but tell your father about the situation and your behavior, your highness."

Kubark's face immediately drops, his arms falling by his side. Julian rolls his eyes and makes a 'tch' sound between his teeth.

"I doubt his dad will care. This bitch looks like he never got a spankin' in all his life."

Summers shots him a reprimanding glare. Warbird's mouth falls open and Kubark is suddenly taken aback. He glares at Julian and then his face twists into an expression of anger.

"Say that again, punk! I dare you. This 'bitch' can kick your ass any day of week, so I advise you to watch your tone!" He makes another move towards Julian, but Warbird intervenes and pushes him back down on his chair.

"This is enough. If you don't stop this, I will put you two in the detention room." Pryde warns.

"What's wrong with that?" Julian growls, shrugging.

"You can't use your powers in there. No fire, no flying, no laser beams. Nothing. What do you think?"

Julian looks surprised. He takes in her words, looking down at his wounds that are completely closed now. Yet, he's sore and without his healing factor, he doubts he can stay conscious. With a displeased grimm, he nods.

Kubark groans and shakes his shoulders like a petulant child.

"Fine, but I bet I would not need to anyway. I'll kick his ass with just my fists." He points at Julian, showing his tongue between his teeth. "No powers means that you cannot use your fire, but I wonder if I couldn't beat you without my flight or my lasers."

Julian shows him the middle finger, also moving to punch him again. A blade on his throat stops him.

"Warbird, stop it. Everything is already settled, no need for violence." Pryde stands up, Ava'Dara keeps her sword in Julian's face.

"The beast seems to not have learned yet. Maybe if..."

Julian growls at her, loudly, this time showing teeth. "Do it then, bitch! Let's see if I don't come back again to roast your ass!"

"Creed." Summers says, eyes glowing. Julian turns to her, blinking away the tears when a strong pain explodes on his head.

"You're serious using your powers on me and not her?!" He shouts, wincing, yet not backing down. Warbird has not put down her sword, and Julian is seriously thinking about turning around and plating his claws on her face.

He looks at Pryde, who finally circles her desk and holds Wabird's sword by the blade, taking it off Julian's neck. The guard is displeased, more than that, she bares her teeth at Pryde.

"I told you, you can follow your duty or whatever, but do not harm our children." Kitty says, putting a hand on Julian's shoulders, she helps him stands up, checking his body. Any wound that he received in the fight is gone, smooth dark skin already healed and closed.

She couldn't see the state he was after the fight, but she saw what Kubark can do. She looks worried at Julian, but he slaps her hand away, cutting her fingers with his claws.

"I'm fine." They growl, their tone impetulant and impatient. "Can I go back to my classes now?"

Pryde holds her hand, frowning. "Yes. Go on." Julian turns his back. "But..." He stops and looks over his shoulder. "Remember that you still need to help Inferno in the Danger Room tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah. I will be there. Anythin' else, ma'am?"

Pryde glares. "Don't get in any other fights again, Mr. Creed. Don't make all of us regret accepting you here. We're giving you a chance--"

"I never asked anythin' from you." Julian says through his teeth. He looks at Kubark one last time before leaving, not limping anymore, slamming the door on his way out of the office.

Kubark is grinning, spinning in his chair. He stops when Summers holds the back of the chair, making him look at her again.

"That goes for you too, your highness. Remember your father sent you here to learn to control your powers and keep yourself in check. And any rule you break here only delay your time to go home." She points at him with a harsh expression.

Kubark rolls his eyes and floats out of the chair, ready to leave the room.

Pryde tells Warbird, pointing at the young prince: "Keep him in check. We don't need a bigger conflict happening because he can't control his temper."

Warbird glares. "Is my job."

"You're not doing it right, then."

Kubark watches all of this happen. When him and Warbird leave the office, heading to the last class of the day, he can't find Creed anywhere in the hallway. He sees only muddy footprints heading to the opposite way they should be going.

What an idiot.

Finally at a certain distance from the Headmistress office, he holds Warbird by her shoulder plates, floating above the ground to be taller than her. She, however, looks unfazed by his show of immaturity.

"You're not gonna do anything?!" He asks in their language. The stupid translator interrupts him and he rips it off, so no one else can understand him. "You will really let me get in trouble because of a guy I could kick his ass with my eyes shut?"

"It's not about your show of power, my lord." Warbird says in her dry voice. "It's about your immature behavior and your lack of self control. You know you're not allowed to wrestle with your colleagues, yet you started a fight with one of them. I believe the Headmistress and Rachel Summers are right. In punishing you." She admits, looking down.

Kubark groans. "And what about it?! He was asking for it! And you should have done something besides just standing there like an idiot with your sword on his face!"

Ava'Dara stays still, her posture showing no signs of weakness as she stares the strontian in the eyes. Kubark, for the first time, is shocked.

More so when she also gets closer to him, feathers still.

"I need to remind you, my lord, that I have orders to protect you." She says calml, her stone face never changing. Never showing any emotion. Just like she was trained to be.

"But also protect others from you." She points to his armor, to the symbol of Kallark on his chest. "Your may be the prince now, but you are a strotian. You serve the empire just like I do. These Terrans are right about one thing: It's time to learn how to control your power and your temper, before it brings you ruin."

Kubark is silenced by that, as he scowls. The prince can't believe he was just reprimanded by his bodyguard, someone who was supposed to back him up no matter the situation.

He expected this to be an easy time, where he could do whatever he wanted without getting into trouble, but he's instead been told to learn to control himself and his powers.

"I do not serve the empire. I own it. I am the heir to my father's throne, and I'll rule our galaxy someday. If anyone should learn their place, it's you."

Warbird blank eyes look him up and down. "Your forget that you are not royal blood. Your father has risen to the throne out of necessity." She tells him in that cold tone. Kubark unconsciously starts to fall, his feet touching the ground again.

"You were raised as a commoner. If you want people to respect you as a prince, you need to earn that respect and show you are worth it. It's time to learn, your highness. After all, you are a soldier. Like me."

This makes Kubark mad, really mad. He stares down Warbird for several seconds, before growling. His hands clench his fists tightly, almost wanting to hit her, but he holds it back, barely.

With his teeth baring, he stares deep in her blank eyes one last time and then turns away from the soldier with shame. How dare her? He feels that incessant urge to destroy. To break something under his hands. Anger boils under his skin.

He takes flight and leaves, moving in the air as fast as he can, going back to the tower where his room is located. He flies past it and lands at the top of the tower, where no one else besides him and Ava'Dara can reach.

With a scream of anger, he punched the air, over and over, trying to hold that anger, to not show Warbird that her words actually hit him.

"I bet I could take down that punk Julian if this school didn't stop me from using my powers!" He shouts to the sky, sitting in the border of the plataform, hugging his knees to his chest. "All I'd need were my lasers and it would be over in an instant. Damn it!"

Julian is completely done with this school.

They don't go to the last classes of the day, no they find a nice spot in one of the towers to hide, between two walls and too high to anyone to reach. No one goes looking for them this time, but they see that Krakoa circling the yard, rumbling something only them can understand.

They feel Summers in their head. A faint presence on the back of their brain, she goes away only when they get out of their hiding spot and go to the cafeteria for dinner, many hours later, when the sun is slowly siking behind the trees. They make sure to keep their thoughts nice and calm while she's there.

It doesn't work. She can feel they're angry and she's wary of them.

When they enter the cafeteria, their humor goes sour again. The other students are chaotic and talk too much. Julian walks with their head down to the order area, shocking shoulders with anyone in their way. Fuck them. He growls to those who try to tell him off for it.

With a tray in their hands, they are ready to go back to their new favorite spot when Hunter's smell catches their attention. They find the little brother sitting alone in a desk close to the windows.

"Jules! You... look terrible." Hunter says when they put their tray next to him, almost spilling the food with the amount the strength they have. The younger Creed shrinks and looks them up and down. They have new and clean clothes, but a part of their hair is missing. "Are... are you--"

"Do I look alright?" Julian growls, an angry expression that Hunter is used to. Makes them look like their mother. Or their father. Their golden eyes are burning on him.

Hunter lowers his head, shoulders around his ears in a position of submission. "Sorry. I heard you fought the prince of the Shi'ar. Why did you do that?" He asks worried. "You could have died--"

Julian shakes his head. "He can't kill me! Nothin' here can! I'm fine, let it go! If I get in trouble, it's on me, worry about your stuff!" He points at Hunter and slams his hands on the table.

They ignore the not-so-subtle-stares coming from the other mutants around. Julian holds his spoon son hard that Hunter is afraid it will either melt or break. He moves his food around the plate, not really liking the taste, is too different from the food their parents make, and gives Julian side-eyed looks.

The older brother is too angry to think about holding back their powers. A faint trail of smoke rises from their ears.

It takes a few minutes until they're calm enough to feel bad about screaming with their baby brother, so they swallow the food and ask, without looking at him:

"How was your first day?"

Hunter turns his head, eyebrows high in his beanie. A faint smile and feeling of affection grows on him.

"... cool." He mumurs with hesitation. Julian waves his hand to tell him to keep talking. "Lullaby taught us about the first nations and the... forgot the word... the limits of the lands and shit. Then we learned about the first civilizations. Not only the Egyptian or Sumerians, but the Lemurians and Okkari too! It's so cool!" He beams and flaps his hands in the air.

Julian smiles a little, but their mood is still dark. His little brother talks fast. If he had a tail, it would be wagging behind him

"Ah, and someone ate paint at art class. And I answered some questions for McCoy. He said it was interesting having me in his class." Hunter shrugs and uses his spoon to throw peas on Julian's plate.

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun." They murmur.

"I did. And you?"

Julian glares at him. "You ask me that again and I will shove this spoon where you can never find it."

Hunter pouts and nods. He sees his brother's mood has not improved, but he, somehow, knows that threat is not completely real. Like their father, Julian tends to use harsh words to hide their weaknesses. It's just... the way they are.

They are ready to go back to the silence when Evan's scent comes rushing to them. Julian looks up in time to see the blue boy almost trip on his own shoes and hit his face on the table. No, he grabs Julian's shoulder to keep balance. Hunter's mouth fall in surprise.

"Hey, Julian. Are you alright?" Evan asks, exclaims, almost screams on his face. Julian is staring right at his soul with angry golden eyes. "Oh! Sorry, sorry!" He retreats his hand and standa up.

"What do you want?" Julian pats his shoulder. He looks at Adel and Idie Okonkwo and the little broodling trailing behind.

"Wanted to know if you survived. And... how?" Evan says shyly, grasping his hands together in a anxious tick.

Julian frowns. So Adel really don't know anything about them. Everyone else knows that they can heal, or at least has the powers his dad had. But Adel... he looks at them with too much worry and innocence. Julian wonders if this boy was raised under a rock. A rock under the sea. Far below Talokan. It only can be it.

Hunter leans back to look at Evan. "Jules can heal fast like our dad. You cannot kill them so easily." He explains calmly.

Evan is surprised. He stares at the siblings with widen eyes, but then it hits him that he saw Kubark cause damage beyond repair. And here is Julian having dinner with only a chunk of hair missing.

"Thank God." He hears Idie breath out behind him. Broo nods eagerly.

"I'm sorry we couldn't help you." Evan says to Julian. "We went after the teachers as fast we could."

"So you called them." Julian says slowly, eyes narrowing. A trail of smoke leaving their mouth.

"Of course!" Evan chimmers. "Idie said that the prince could be dangerous and I got scared! I thought you were going to die!"

Broo interferes. "That would be impossible. And antithetical. The teachers would not allow anyone kill--"

Julian stands up, making Evan take a step back and almost push Broo on the ground. The feral does not try to hold Evan, but they are too close to be respectful and any less threatening.

"Listen, next time you mind your business." Julian tells him in a growl. "Stop trying to be nice to me. It's better if you just stay away from me if you don't want to get in trouble."

They leave their tray behind. Putting their hands on their pockets to try to cool down, their flesh is burning. It's enough to heat up a room. Evan is still looking a their back until they turn the hallway and leave, students also listening and looking.

Hunter also leaves his seat, looking shy and nervous at Evan, Idie and Broo. He stutters and scratches his hands.

"I... I'm sorry. Jules... thanks for calling the teachers." He stutters and runs after his brother.

"... you're welcome." Evan's shoulders fall and he looks back at Idie and Broo, lips pursued in a disappointed frown.

Idie takes pity on him and pats his shoulder. "Like I said, ignore them. You did the right thing, Evan. Creed's just a idiot like Quire." She assures him and takes Broo with her so they can finish their dinner.

Evan is too embarrassed to go back to his table. And too disappointed. He looks at his hands and sighs, going to find some place to be alone and forget his disastrous first day of school.

Chapter Text

Not even a day had passed since the fight between Creed and the prince and now Idie would have to deal with the two idiots during combat class. Incredible. As if being part of Quentin and Kubark's team wasn't bad enough.

That morning, she prayed that Mr. Logan would take their class to train and not Inferno.

The literature class didn't bring anything interesting. Ms. Husk was anxious as always, but strangely somber, especially after Julian Creed joined them. Quentin was as annoying as he could be, teasing Idie and Broo and disrupting the class.

When the last period of literature ended, Husk was quiet and became even angrier when she had to stop Julian and scold him after he made Quentin fall face first onto one of the tables. Idie was laughing internally when she saw the telepath being taken to the infirmary with red dripping from his nose.

"Why are you laughing, Idie? That wasn't nice." Evan told her as they took the elevator down to the lower levels. Broo had already said goodbye, heading to his own classes. "Quentin could have gotten seriously hurt."

Idie sighed, shrugging. "Well, it's not the first time Quentin's attitude blew right on his face. Also, he kind of asked for it."

Evan pouts, the lines of his face stretching a little, red eyes narrowing. He looks adorable, too innocent and too soft. And Idie feels kinda like a jerk, almost like Creed or the prince or Quire. She shakes her head and tells herself is not the case, her new classmate is just too... nice...

Still, there was something deeply wrong with him. She could not point it out, however.

"I'm really excited for this class!" Evan said in a sweet voice, smiling bright to Idie. They stayed behind from the rest of the class while they waited for the teacher, standing close to the wall in their uncomfortable bright and tight uniforms." It has been months since I trained with Mr. Logan."

Idie raised an eyebrow, curious. "Did you meet Mr. Logan before?"

"Yes, he works with my Uncle Cluster. He's part of the X-Force."

"Really? I thought he was part of..." Idie trailed off, trying to remember which teams their old teacher was part of. She knew he was with the X-Men before the Schism, but before they met, he was also with a different team.

"The X-Men?" Evan said, smiling, she shook his head and he pursued his lips, thinking. "The Fantastic Four, then? I heard he worked with them before."

"Who hasn't?" Idie chuckled and touched his arm with her elbow and Evan smiled more.

"What about the Defenders?"

"I'm pretty sure he was never part of this team." Idie shrugged. She doesn't know about all the super heroes groups, and all it's members. Back in Nigeria, she heard plenty about what happened in America, but never engaged much. She's still not interested in knowing too much. "Mr. Logan is very popular. What is surprising. He's not the most..."

"Friendly?" Evan said, looking back to the class, he saw that their classmates were very entertained by watching Roxy Washington and Kubark engage in an arm wrestling game. "Yeah, funny isn't? But he's nice... sometimes." He whispered at her, making her giggle.

The simple sounded sweet, innocent, but she soon stopped and became serious again, looking back to their classmates. Evan did the same, frowing a little.

He heard Julian's voice coming from their side and almost jumped. His classmate is always too quiet, not only in his behavior, but also in his movements, walking with such light steps that Evan can't predict where they are or what they will do. He thinks it will take time until he's used to it.

"Oh, yeah, pretty nice. Proganda boy of friendship and all that crap." Julian said in his usual bad humor, voice low. Evan noticed his voice is not deep, but the growls make it a little more rough.

Julian is also wearing the yellow uniform but is even more uncomfortable on it than Idie and Evan, the material is hot and tight, hugging his skin. It makes them itch. And they don't like the way it is just in their body.

"Aren't you supposed to be in detention?" Idie asks in a accusatory tone, not happy having to deal with Creed.

"Bein' around you is enough detention."

Idie crosses her arms, pushing the wall and standing in front of Evan, glaring at Creed with an intensity she had built in the last months of fighting as a soldier with the X-Men.

"Creed, if you're not going to be nice, then don't talk to us."

Julian looks at her, golden eyes bored, his lips pursued in a way that made his canines jut out of his lips. They shrug and hide their hands in their pockets, deciding that watching Roxy Washington drop Kubark on the floor is more fun.

Evan holds their arm, stopping them. "Julian, what happened to Quentin? Is he alright?" He asks, genuinely concerned. For Quentin or for Julian themself, he's not sure. Both are idiots, but only one can survive getting their face decked on the floor.

Julian winces at the touch, using their other hand to make Evan let go. The claws don't cut, but they are give Evan an uncomfortable feeling.

"Why do you care?" They ask and Evan frowns. Annoyed and disappointed. Julian let go of his hand, smirking. "He's fine, just has a broken nose." He says with a hint of pride and good humor. His words do not help to appease Evan. "What?" They snap.

Evan shakes his head, holding his wrist, finger running in the slight marks left in his blue skin. Like when you accidentally pet a cat on the wrong place, you get the claws.

"That was not nice, you know it. He could have gotten seriously injured." He says and Idie backs him up by standing by his side, giving Julian her best judgement glare.

Julian rolled his eyes in a dramatic way. "I did nothin'. It ain't my fault he doesn't look to where he's going." He shows his tongue between a wild grin, turning his back on them before they can keep nagging.

Thankfully, Logan saves their morning by walking in the Danger Room with the same face of someone that is not happy doing their job, quitting the chat among the students that were cheering for Roxy as she and Kubark tried to push each other.

"Cut that crap. Bling!, prince, hold that energy to the class." The old man grumbles, snapping his fingers to call everyone around him. The students, happy to not have to train with Inferno, quickly form a circle around their teacher.

"Good morning, Mr. Logan." Evan smiles and waves, making everyone look at him.

Logan sighs, not really in the mood, but not being able to resist the sweetness that Evan carries with him. "Hey, kiddo." He nods to him and Idie. And Martha Johansson, because she's nice. "So, what Inferno did last week for training?"

The students all groan and start to whine together, filling in about their last exhausting training with Salazar, some even exaggerating about it.

"She tried to kills us!" Lewis Guthire said, his shoulders falling and arms becoming jelly.

"She... the last training was for us to test our capacity to work as units." Another girl said with a sour face.

"But she tried to kill us!" Anole protested.

"She sent fake Sentinels after us and made us run in the Danger Room for two hours!" Glob cried.

"And we didn't even learned shit." Roxy shakes her head.

Logan shakes his head. He will need to talk to Salazar about her methods. Combat and defense is the only class she is responsible for and being older than him and having years of knowledge about war, Logan thought she would be a good choice to train the kids.

He did expected her to adopt the same way she was trained in The Inner Circle. He never met many members of that cult, but he heard Lullaby's stories about the way Santiago trained the kids. Up until exhaustion. Or much worse.

He cursed on his mind (and heard Martha Johansson playfully scolding him through telepathy) and made a mental note to "talk" with Salazar as soon the class was over.

"Today we're doing the same, but without mutations." He said and the kids' mood immediately changed to worse. He wave for them to follow him to the closet of equipments.

The kids gathered around him, curious and cautious to what he had planned for their lesson. They doubt Logan would be more nice with them just because they had a rough day with Salazar last week, but they trusted that the would wouldn't make them run around the room while he hunt them for the next two hours the same way Salazad had threatened to do.

Thankfully they were sparred of more dangerous training and they spirit got better. Logan handed each of them a black vest with sensors and a little light gun.

"We're gonna play laser tag?" Lewis Guthrie was the first to ask, a little incredulous.

He, Creed and the prince were the ones who didn't looked so interested in the promise of the training. Julian because he never played anything like that, Kubark was confused why the gun was a toy.

The rest of the class shoot him glares, but they had big smiles on their faces. Logan ignored his comment and continued to explain the class, counting the number of students.

"Three teams of five, everyone will get one set of these and use it to hit the other teams on the vests. If you're hit three times, you're out." He explained, tapping Glob on the chest. "The team that has more members standing until the end wins."

"And what about mutations?" Hope Abott asked. Logan smirked.

"You can use it to fly or move around, but anythin' else. You use your mutantions against a classmate, I'm draggin' you out of this room myself, get it?"

"This is unfair!" Kubark immediately shouted, raising in the air. Everyone rolled their eyes and

"Shut up, prince! You still can fly!" Logan pointed at him with no patience, looking to the rest of the students, eyes stopping in Glob and Anole for a moment. "I don't wanna see any of you using your mutantions to attack. No laser beams, fire, energy blasts, webs, nothin'! You'll learn how to fight without relying your powers all the time!" He pointed to each students as he spoke.

Glob slowly raises his transparent hand in the air and Logan has to hold back a growl.

"No, Herman, you can't light yourself on fire."

"What about...?"

"No, using your tongue to hold the others is disgusting, Anole."

Victor Borkowski shrugged, ignoring the way his classmates made disturbed faces. "But it's effective. And I'm not using it on a offensive way."

Logan sighed. "Alright, fair, go on."

"You better not try this shit on me." Lewis said, giving Victor a side-eye glare.

"Now, the teams, let's get over with this." Logan turned to Martha, who has been secretly gossiping with Hope Abott through telepathy this whole time. "No-Girl, this time you'll stay with me and be my second pair of eyes."

Martha's presence was light inside everyone's heads, different from Quire or Rachel, it was more soothing than pressuring. A little, sweet giggle echoed in their heads. She was in a good humor and not upset at all that she had not received a vest or anything. Well, it's obvious she can't participate in the game.

"Sir, yes, sir!" She said in a loud "voice" and everyone knew she would have fun in this training, despite not being able to participate, because of the risk of her jar being broken.

Evan looked at her, a little confused and worried. He had noticed Martha yesterday and how she could only interact with the others through her telepathy. No one seemed to have a problem, and everyone took turns pulling the chain of her jar to help her go from one class to the other.

He did not asked why she was... well, a brain in a jar. He knew that would be rude. But he couldn't not worry.

He asks Anole, in a whisper. "Why do they call her No-Girl?"

Anole shrugs. "Because she doesn't have a body. Duh." He waved to Martha as she followed Logan outside the room. "And she's a girl."

Evan was even more upset now.

"... that's mean."

"Yeah, that's a little fucked up, man." Creed agreed, eavesdropping the chat.

Victor was not bothered by it, at all. Like calling their bodyless classmate 'No-Girl' was the most sane thing. "I'm sure she doesn't mind."

"... I would." Creed whispered to himself.

Evan agreed silently.

Logan choose the teams, without a leader, he made sure of that, and this time there was nos timer. And somehow, that was much more chaotic.

Idie, Kubark, Anole, Trance and Lewis were team blue, and they could be in accordance if it was not for the prince's impatience. Then there was Julian in the team red with Glob, Cissie, Roxy and Evan, and he did not missed the way they were standing far from him. Team gold had already chosen Match as leader and were ready to win.

The teams went to different corners of the Danger Room, whispering among themselves.

Evan was excited to train. Truly was. First training to be an X-Man? He couldn't stop grinning, swaying on his heels.

He felt a strong hand poking his shoulder, making him stumble foward. Glob Herman leaning to him, Evan couldn't help but shudder a little, the proximity allowed him to take a good look on Glob's internal organs.

"Hey, blue boy, what you can do?"

Evan takes a step back and repeats what he had told Kubark the day before: "My uncle says I can do whatever--"

Roxy intrudes the conversation. "We heard that. What can you really do?"

"Ah, well..." Evan counts on his fingers. "I can fly, I'm not that good, and I don't think is a good choice in this secluded space. I can shoot blaster energy."

His hand glows in bright blue, sparkles flying in the air. He won't use it. Against the rules. Instead, he enlogates his fingers and wrist. Not like Mr. Fantastic does. Less fluid and malleable. He could enlogate, yes, but he still needs to be careful with the limits of his body.

"I can change form. Not really change. I can alter my body mass."

Roxy nods, impressed by his set of mutations. "Cool, cool. We can use it. You stay in the air, after Hope and Kubark and the others who fly."

"I don't think--"

"You're the only one in our team who can fly." Roxy insists and Evan shuts his mouth. "Creed, you go after Idie. And Match. Tell me you can control these flames for somehing useful."

Julian shoots her a ugly look. "You think you can give orders, Diamondhead?"

Roxy's crystaline face changed to utterly offended. Glob and Evan step back when she closes her fists and walks to Creed, stomping the metal floor.

"What the fuck did you called me?!"

"Don't go around actin' like you're in charge." Julian stays still, growling at her face.

"Someone needs to take the lead."

"Logan didn't assigned anyone to be leader." Cissie says in the back of the group, hiding.

Roxy turns to the rest of her team. "And were supposed to run around like a bunch of idiots doing whatever comes into our heads? We need a plan."

Julian scoffs. There's a change in the atmosphere that indicates that he is not happy with the way Roxy talks. Certain of herself and confident. Angry and not easy to manipulate. He could respect that if he wasn't so sure she would use it against him.

Evan feels their body heating up. The air around them hot. Like seconds before they started the fight with Kubark the day before. He steps between them and Roxy.

"Er... Bling! is right, Julian. It's a exercise to practice our team work." He says in the most not convincing tone ever. Julian growls at him.

"But who choose her as leader?"

Glob crosses his arms. He's not one to defend others, not really, and he's more antagonistic than anything. However, he doesn't like Creed, not even a bit. So, it doesn't hurt to defend his oldest classmate for a moment.

"Roxy has more experience being an X-Man than us. She's been here since Academy X." He says with a smug tone that is not clear with his lack of facial expression. "Me too."

"And I'm the only one taking initiative." Roxy raises her chin, hands in her hip. "Or you want to make the plans? Save me, Creed." She raises a hand when Julian opens his mouth. "I'm here to win this exercise. If you don't want to cooperate, scram."

She snaps her fingers in front of his face and gathers the others, leaving Julian behind to burn a hole in the back of her head with his eyes. Evan follows her, sometimes looking at them to make sure they won't really try to make a hole in her head.

The fight does not go unnoticed by the other teams. Or Logan and Martha. The teacher is already regretting the choice of teams. Or his entire career until now.

"They're already fighting?" Lewis smirks and whispers to Anole. "This is gonna be easy."

The rest of team blue agreed, some reluctantly.

"Do you guys also have complains?"

Idie raised her hand in the air. "I don't think we necessarily need a leader. As long we stay together and cooperate, we can take them down, they're already fighting."

"I disagree!" Kubark shouted. The other teams looked at him, and he lowered himself on the ground, trying to keep his voice in an acceptable volume. "A team must have a captain to give orders and calculate the risks. We need someone who has experience in fighting!"

"And that would be you?" Anole asks.

"Correct."

"No way!"

"Kubark, we're not having a leader this time." Idie said, shaking her head and putting a hand in front of him to stop the strontian from moving. "Is a friendly exercise. We will work together to take the other teams down. It's better this way."

"Nonsensen, if we don't have a leader, how we will function? Someone needs to guide the others."

Lewis rolled his eyes. "Alright, forget it, you do whatever you want. Someone else?" He asked and the others just shrugged.

"Let's just start it!" Hope Abott, Trance, cheered. She sat on the ground, her astral form raised from her body that went limp, eyes closed. Her translucid new appearance was beautiful, but scary when you looked too close.

Kubark and Idie were looking with open mouths. The prince shook his head and pointed a finger on Lewis face.

"You're committing a mistake. I will show you."

And it started. With a boom of powers echoing on the walls and a flash of mutations. Logan and Martha stood in the window of the control room and watched, with no surprise, as the kids jumped on each other and started shooting with their light guns. Some flying, hoping and gluing on the wall and others just grabbing anyone they could reach.

The obstacles served as protection and plataforms, however, not all of them stayed on the same place for too long. Anole tried to stay up in a plataform and soon it was gone and he fell back on the ground. The others had to hide behind walls and then run before it could dissappear back on the floor.

Kubark was flying in light speed around the Danger Room, too high above to be reached so the rest of the class ignored him for the moment. Hope used her powers to move around and push others, but her body was left on the floor only staying safe because Alaya Anderson from team gold used her mutation to protect, sending her bees at anyone who got too close.

Idie built a wall of ice and the others stayed behind it, shooting. It didn't lasted long before Julian and Match melted it, and repeated every time she tried to rebuilt her protection.

Idie let them melt the wall a last time before sending her team to split. She was surprised when Julian hit her vest on the back.

"JULIAN CREED! YOU IDIOT!" She shouted and ran while Julian went after her on all fours, cackling.

Evan loved the opportunity to show his mutantion. And how he had learned to control it with his uncle's tutoring. Flying around in circles, he was almost as fast as Kubark and he was trying to hit the prince with his gun. However, while the prince was gracious and light in his movements, Evan was clumsy.

He hit the walls and the ceiling many times when trying to make the curves. Sometimes only his shoulder or foot. Other times he had to pause after colliding with his back on something.

"Evan, you're not having a good time up there." Martha commented in his mind. "Are you hurt?"

Evan stood in a plataform in the wall, coughing to hide his embarrassment after being caught. "Yes, I am. Thank you."

"You can answer in your mind. Hehe."

Evan found Alaya still protecting Abott's body and Lewis trying to not get stinged by her bees. Evan lowered down a little and grabbed Lewis, lifting him up to the air and then let him go, allowing Lewis to glue on the wall and aim.

Abott was hit straight in the chest. She stopped mid air and turned to Evan as he kept flying after Kubark.

"Hey, that's unfair! No energy blasts!"

Evan looked over his shoulder. "I was not using my blasts! I'm was giving my teammate a push!"

"Mr. Logan!"

"It's not against the rules." Logan said through Martha's telepathy. He couldn't watch all the kids at the same time and Martha was having fun talking in everyone's head like a sports commentator.

He looked back to Lewis and found the boy had slipped from the wall and fallen on the ground, his vest destroyed and he knew immediately who did it.

"Prince, no laser beams!" He shouted. Kubark fled to the window and stomped his foot on the air.

"He asked for it!" He shouted and was hit again by Lewis, who was still groaning on the ground, holding his gun in the air. "Hey!"

"The prince is out."Martha giggled, feeling Kubark's fury before her mockery tone.

"Get your ass back here." Logan ordered and opened the door of the room.

Kubark shoot a second laser beam in the wall close to the window, marking the metal around the glass, before doing what Logan said, sulking. Lewis was disappointed, but cheered for his sister.

Julian was difficult to catch. He ran in all fours around, jumping and climbing on anything he could bury his claws in. The metal of the walls was destroyed and Idie had to rebuild her towers of ice all the time. Logan kept an eye on him the same way he did go Evan, noticing that Julian was running from the other teams and chasing one by one.

He found Anole hiding on top of one of Idie's ice plataforms, crouching to aim the others on the ground. It was easy for Julian to climb up there. Going behind the lizard boy, they shot him on the back of the vest, startling him.

"How did--" Anole did not waste time jumping from the plataform, holding himself in the wall. "No claws!"

Julian shrugged, chuckling. "It's part of me. What should I do about it?"

Anole flipped him off and moved far away from them.

The game went on, Cissie was declassified by Hope and Idie, three shots in her chest and back. Then Logan's voice entered their heads with Martha's help.

"Herman! I told you to not light yourself on fire! You and Hamill get up here!"

Glob and Match left first, running to find an instiguer to put out the flames on Glob's wax body before he destroyed something important. Alaya's bees did nothing against Roxy's crystal body and she was declassified, the little insects going back inside her skin.

Team gold had good members. A boy who could teleport, and took more ten minutes before Hope grabbed him. A girl with telekinesis who was out after having her hands frozen by Idie. And another boy who could only mimic voice. Julian and Roxy took him out with the guns, ending the team.

The class was near the end and until now they had no major problems. Except that it was obvious team blue had the advantage. They had taken most of the other teams alone, while team red was still struggling to even keep themselves up. Logan was not seeing much of team work among them.

Idie and Anole were back up in a tower of ice, each one aiming in a different opponent, Hope's body behind Victor, limp. Her astral form was racing against Evan in the air.

Julian was hiding behind an wall, counting before it could dissappear and he would have to run to the next one. Idie was aiming on him and he could see she was smirking like a devil, waiting for him to leave.

Roxy joined him behind the wall, pushing her gun against his back with a grin. "Hey, Creed. You got a good aim, come with me." She moved her head to indicate the ice tower. "I will give you a push."

Julian nodded, not really happy with following her around, but he thought it was a good idea.

"Alright, lead the way, Diamondhead."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Stop orderin' me."

The wall in front of them made a buzz and moved back down on the metal floor, too fast to process. Julian was already running forward. He looked up to Evan after Hope, both trying to shoot each other.

"Hey, Peter Pan, pay attention!" They shouted and did not looked back to see if Evan had heard them. They were busy running from Idie's shots.

Roxy stopped next to the tower and put her gun aside, joining her hands in front of her in a shell, using her super strength to push Julian up the second he steeped in her palms. It surprised them. They were not expecting Roxy to be so strong and they felt that pit in their stomach.

No time for it. They grabbed the edge of the cold tower and climbed up, dodging Idie's and Anole's shots and jumping on them. Idie moved out of the way, grabbing Hope and forming a plataform to slide down safely. Anole yelped when Julian's body collided against him, their arms holding him.

They both fell down in a painful 'bump'. Logan and the others up in the control room looked concerned. The moment Anole tried to get up, Julian kicked his leg and he fell again. Roxy came running and skillfully shot him on the chest.

"Hey!"

Martha cheered in their heads. "Anole's out. He got a nasty fall." She laughed. Anole was not happy.

He stood up and grabbed Julian's arm. Green claws gripping firmly. "You could have killed me!"

"You're alive." Julian pushed him away and kept going with the training.

The last ones were him, Evan, Roxy, Idie and Hope. He was not sure what they could do. He heard someone say that Idie was good with her ice powers. Hope Abott was the challenge. They could not out their hands on her while she was in the air. They could try to take her body, that was being protected only by Idie now.

They had to take Abott first. Julian, Roxy and Evan already knew what to do. The feral jumped on the wall and grabbed a plataform that had just emerged, counting the seconds before it was gone. Roxy ran after Idie, shooting on her face.

Evan was on the air, after Hope. She was cursing him and trying to go faster, both flying in circles, when Julian jumped on her, ready to shot her vest. Abott took them both out by moving out of the way fast, making Evan, who couldn't make the curve right, hit the wall and fall. Julian she had to punch in the chest.

They scream when her power hit them, destroying their vest in a explosion of sparkles. Logan ran out of the control room when he saw Julian falling. Evan tried to grab them but they were already on the ground, groaning with smoke coming from their chest.

"Creed's out." Martha announced in a less cheerful voice. Everyone was looking, stretching necks and pushing each other to see.

"Fuck!" Julian punched the ground and pushed themself up, limping to the exit. How luck they are to have their face blew up in two days consecutive.

Evan had no time to ask if they were alright. Roxy screamed at him.

"Come on, Apocalypse boy! Gimme a hand."

"A-Apocalypse?" He looked confused. Obeying, he jumped on the floor, going after her.

"Roxy, don't call him that." Martha asked in private. Now she was not having so much fun.

Evan held Roxy by her armpits, helping her get in the top of Idie's platform. She tried to send a punch, Idie doged and tried to push her away. She failed, of course, and her hand was hurting now.

"Come on, Frosty! Freeze them!" Kubark shouts against the glass, raising his fist on the air when Idie pushed herself against Roxy's body, circling her arms around her waist.

"Hey, the losers can't give tips!" Anole protested.

Everyone gasped when both girls fell from the plataform. Evan and Hope were pushing each other on the air. The girls rolled on the floor, letting go of each other. Idie quickly went on her feet, walking backwards when Roxy kept avacing, sending blast of ice to keep the crystal girl away.

Useless. Roxy could easily break the ice and keep walking after her.

"The time is running! Oh! Who's going to win?!" Martha giggles. "Come on, girls. The class is almost over!"

Evan was up in the air. He and Hope were in a match of who could push the other first, hands gripping on each other's. Hope was winning. She was pushing him down to the ground, the light coming from her astral form hurt his eyes. Evan saw Logan standing in the exit, carefully watching them.

He kept trying to win the round. Hope wouldn't lose. She was forcing to go down, pushing him to fall.

Everyone was cheering for her this time. Actually clapping and screaming. He could not hear what they were saying with the sound of Hope's power on his ear.

However, the sound of cheering stopped abruptly. Another explosion of light filled the room. Everyone looked away, and when they looked back, expected to see Evan on the ground, not Hope. Her astral form was gone.

"What? She fell?!" Lewis pushed Match away to see his teammate sitting up, her real body moving again, holding her head.

Logan ran inside the Danger Room. Screaming to the computers to shut down. The kids followed him, pushing each other to get down there first.

Roxy and Idie had not finished their fight, but they decided it was already over. Roxy let out a breath and helped Idie get up, pulling her by the arm like he did not weight nothing.

Logan crouched next to Hope. Evan descended, letting go of his light gun. He had a guilty look on his face. He had pushed her? He couldn't remember. He had lost control. He saw Logan's look of anger, or maybe just worry, and his shoulders fell.

"Team blue won." Logan announced in a firm, harsh voice, helping Hope stand and checking her for injuries. The room inrupted in protests.

"What?!"

"But he hit Hope! She fell!

"Adel won the fight!"

"I said to not use your powers to hurt your classmates." Logan shut everyone. No one said another word. They could see he was not in the mood. "Abott, yer okay?"

"Yes, just my astral form was hurt." Hope shook her head. She was fine, physically. She tried to smile, but it disappeared from her lips when Evan went to her with guilty eyes.

"I'm sorry, I lost control." He murmured. "I think I just... went in panic and used my energy blasts by accident." He extended a hand to her. "I'm sorry."

Hope looked at his red eyes, mouth pressed in a tight line. Her friends circled her. She shook her head again. "... it's fine."

Evan frowned when she moved away and Cissie and Match stood between them, back to him, asking her if she was really fine.

"Idie and Hope won. Good job, team blue." Logan said, patting Idie in the back.

"What about us?" Alaya Anderson asked, the rest of the team gold was disappointed by their poor performance.

Logan rolled his eyes playfully. Addressing everyone this time, he tried to speak in a more light tone.

"All of you. You did good, used all your mutantions to make plans and get to your opponents, even with limitations. And actually worked together."

"I could have won all alone." Kubark scoffed.

"You still need to clean the room after class."

"SHUT UP, LIZARD BOY!"

Martha once again entered their minds. "It's time for lunch, Mr. Logan!"

"Alright. Get the hell outta my sight, all of you!" He patted some of his students on their backs, messing with their hairs and pushing them to the dressing room.

"Finally! Lunch!"

"Bye, Mr. Logan. See ya tomorrow."

"Goodbye, Mr. Logan!"

"Just leave! Kubark! Creed! Don't forget you have detention!"

Evan was behind the two troublemakers as they groaned and cursed Logan, his head down between his shoulders. Logan kept his eyes on him until he was gone.

Chapter Text

Julian was finishing his third sandwich in front of the Danger Room N°2 when Kubark came waking to him, this time stomping his perfectly clean boots on the floor.

"Get out of my way, Creed! The prince is coming through." Kubark pointed at them, stopping in the middle of the empty hallway.

Julian stuffed his lunch on his mouth, hands on his pockets to hide the temperature. He gave Kubark a empty stare. "What? You big fucking forehead can't pass under the door with me on the way?"

The strontian was silent for a second. The translator slowly deciphering their words. Then, his face turned a more dark shade of purple.

" .... YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH!"

Julian was grinning devilish. So, it only takes some childish insults to rile him up. They would have fun.

"Watch that thing when you get in." They laughed more when Kubark's face and ears blushed deeper, after they flicked his hair.

"You think you're funny?" Kubark grabbed their collar, lifting them from the ground up to his face. His deep voice in his own language, followed by a composed voice in English is a weird contrast. "I will see you laughing when I punch you into a boneless pulp. Again."

Julian takes his hand out, ready to roast the prince in the face. And he can see the red glow behind the glasses. They're about to open a hole in each other's skulls when Salazar's voice echoes in the hallway, her tall frame turning the corner, her displeasure clear.

"You two are finished with the useless banter?" She asks. Grabbing Kubark by the back of his collar and pulling him away from Julian. The prince stumbles when she almost throws him on the ground. "We got work to do."

The Danger Room was still a mess after their class. Julian had not paid attention before, with everyone fighting about the end of the training and with Hope Abott getting hurt in the end. She was not really hurt, he saw her, but... he had a feeling they others would still hold Evan accounted for her nasty fall.

Salazar did not said anything as they got inside, simply handed them a broom, a mop, a bucket and a plastic sack.

"What do you want us to do, Salazar?" Julian probed, already irritated. He hates the woman, and not because of her quiet, smug personality. It's the way she raises her head and looks down on them. Like they're the reason for all misfortunes in her life.

She crosses strong arms and blows smoke between her teeth, like a threat. Neither of them is impressed, even if she's at least two heads taller than both of them.

"It's either 'professor', 'Ms. Salazar' or 'Inferno', brat."

"You don't look like the type to be called 'Ms.'." Julian says in a sour voice. They can see Kubark take a step back to hide his desire to laugh.

"Careful with the attitude, Creed. I'm not as nice as the others, you're aware of that." Salazar says. Her eyes glow orange, like pools of fire.

She waves a hand to the destruction surrounding them. Pieces of debris on the floor, parts of the metal walls and some of the plataforms hanging by wires. Julian swears he doesn't remember when it happened, or how. However, he knows the smoking lines and holes in the ceiling are from Kubark and the almost imperceptible marks of claws are theirs.

"I got a class in an hour, you two just need to clean everything and get the controls ready until then. Not the punishment I would like to give you, but Kitty decided it for me." Salazar shrugs, like she's disappointed, eyebrows high in her hair.

Julian could say she is almost sad that she had not the chance to choose their penalty for their little stunt yesterday. He doesn't want to know what types of discipline methods she used when she was still the Third Pillar of the Inner Circle.

Kubark laughs. Touching his knuckles together, the armor on his wrists making a metal noise. "That's it? That's easy! I will be done in ten minutes. Maybe less." He throws his head back to smirk at Creed.

"Just get going. I will be back later." Salazar walks past them in heavy steps.

Julian throws the broom over their shoulder. "You should stay here to watch us."

"I have better things to do."

The metal door slides back in place. A buzzing sound tells them that they have no choice but stay there. The light in the locking panel turns to red.

"Stupid punishment." Creed curses between his teeth.

"Can't even call one." Kubark comments. "If it was back on Chandilar, we would be hanging by our ankles in the open mouth of a Chitauri Leviathan."

"I bet she wishes we were." Julian says and for the first time they seem to be in an agreement.

Kubark did not finished his task in ten minutes.

Cleaning the Danger Room proved to be more difficult than they expected. To avoid more conflicts between them, Julian and Kubark decided to stay in opposite sides of the room. The prince lifted debris, putting them in a corner, pulling the pieces of metal that were already destroyed, filling the room with a painful noise of metal being ripped.

Julian was trying melt the ice Idie Okonkwo had left. He thought that by now it would have melt. No, most of her ice towers were intact. Burn marks also stained the ground and there was webs from one of their classmates glued everywhere.

Tying their jacket around their waist and rolling up their sleeves, Julian's arms were swallowed by fire. They carefully tried to get rid of the ice.

They had no idea what were supposed to be doing there. It was too much of a mess for two students to fix.

The prince was less careful. He grabbed one of the plataforms on the ground that was stuck. Pulling it from its place with his sheer strength and then throwing it above his shoulder to the pile he had made.

Julian's ears hurt with a ring. "Hey, be careful with this, mohawk!" They shouted, pressing the side of their head on their shoulder.

Kubark was flying close to the the ceiling. "Stop calling me that! It's 'Prince Kubark'!" He fell next to Julian, putting a hand under his chin. "Or... 'my ovelord'!" He laughed.

Julian gave him another of his looks of judgment, his expression letting him know about the absurdity of his words.

"WHAT?!"

".... you're ridiculous." They shook his head and went back to the tower. Already done with the task, they moved their arm back, then foward and shot a blast of fire.

Made to destroy, their power brought the tower down. Ice cracking and falling at their feet. Melting in a puddle that soaked the entire floor. The dirty under their shoes got stuck, like muld.

"Cool, now I have to wipe this. Why I never think everything through?" Julian scolded himself. They put the fire out and waved their arm to get rid of the black smoke raising from their skin.

Above them, Kubark shouted. "Creed! You're wetting the floor! Use your powers in a useful way at least!"

"Shut up! You're just throwin' things around!"

"I'm still working faster than you!"

Julian flipped him off. The prince didn't know what that meant, so he just stared blankly. They took the mop to wipe the water on the ground.

Kubark is trying to get rid of the webs in the walls, both annoyed and fascinated with the substance that sticks on his fingers.

The throws what he can on the ground, so Julian also has to wipe it later.

"This is ridiculous!" The strontian curses, the translator once again not giving his words the intensity he has on his voice. "I'm a prince, I'm not supposed to be on cleaning duty. This is a job for peasants."

Julian rolls his eyes. He doubts that the strontian ever had to clean after himself, even before his father was made Emperor. Watching him silently trying to wipe the walls without a clue of what he's doing, Julian can even feel amused.

They do their part of the task flawless (not entirely), silently passing the mop on the floor, going back and forth to wring it and then go back. How many times dad made him fix the mess he made when he tried to use his powers without permission? Or mom made him help her clean the kitchen when he insisted to Hunter that he can use his fire to cook?

The only difficult part of this task is knowing what to do with the... weird stuff.

He drains the mop again in the bucket and goes back to wipe the floor when he stops in front of a weird, pink mass.

"This is... Glob's wax...?" He hesitates, poking it with the mop. It smells like his classmate.

Kubark joins him a second later to take a look. Poking it with his foot, he shakes his head and gives Julian a sharp push on their ribs.

"Just wipe it out, Creed. Hurry up, I want to leave as soon as possible." He flies away to empty the bucket on the other room, spilling water everywhere. Of course.

Julian leaves the mop and uses his hand to take the... well, the parts of his classmate. He will recover from this moment of his life.

"It ain't like we have anythin' interesting today. Don't even have a teacher to give us language classes." He throws it on the bucket when Kubark comes back, even melting some pieces that are stuck on surfaces.

"I still rather be anywhere else but here with you."

Kubark watches Creed use their mutantion. A small fire blooming on his palm. They have a perfect control of the flames, by what he can see, he also focus on their nails, sharp and long, different from what the other terrans have. And strong enough to hurt him.

"What else you can do with your power?" He asks casually, resting his shoulder in a wall and crossing his arms, just looking at them. Julian looks at him side-eye, a little annoyed. "Can you light yourself on fire like that other guy in our class?"

"Match? No, not yet." They shake their head. Finishing with the wax, now with a bucket full of it (disgusting), the fire is gone. "And it's none of your business!" They curse at him and leave the bucket there.

Kubark stays where he was and Julian walks around the Danger Room, looking for something else to clean. A large piece of debris, one of the plataforms, he believes, has fallen against another wall, still stuck to it by wires.

Julian turns to Kubark. "Help me with this."

"And why should I?" He asks with ignorance.

"Because if you don't we're gonna be stuck here all day!"

Instead of giving them another snark comment, Kubark lifted the metal piece. It was three times his size, for sure, yet Kubark could raise it above his head, a huge smirk on his pale face.

"Watch my amazing power." He says, taunting Creed. "Cut the wires with your nails."

"Claws, please." They show their hand, the sharp end of their talons stretching futher. They do as Kubark ask, or demands, and cuts the wires, so the prince can put the huge piece of metal in the ground.

Julian is tired, really is, of this task, and the school, and the prince. The whole deal is stupid and pointless. Locking him in a room with Kubark, making him clean something he shouldn't be, only makes him hate the X-Men even more now. He looks down at the debris he and Kubark were holding, if they were different people, they could have died just by trying to take it off.

He's lost in thoughts when Kubark holds them by the shoulder, griping it too tight to be friendly or even an acceptable touch.

"You know, you're not as bad the others." Kubark says, getting too close. Close enough to Julian rip something if he gets too angry. "I think you're way more interesting. I think I might fight you again to see if you're worthy of my time." The prince smirks again, eyes moving behind his red lens, pushing Julian back while still holding them by the uniform.

"You sure have a ego." Julian grabbed the hand holding them. The armor Kubark wears is resistant, strong. Their claws do nothing to hurt him.

"What can I say? I am the best here." Kubark's eyebrows raised, a corner of his lips lifted in a expression of pure mockery.

Julian bares their teeth and blows a small cloud of smoke through their nose. They're starting to heat up.

"Sure you are."

"You want me to prove it?" He lifts them higher, their feet leave the ground. "There is no one else here. Warbird and the teachers cannot save your ass this time."

"I don't need it!" Julian barks and stretches his claws. "You wanna finish what you started yesterday?!"

The door unlocks with a loud ring, moving to the side and the fire teacher enters. She can see Kubark holding Julian before he tosses them away, the feral stumbling to keep themself up.

"Are you two done?" She asks in a annoyed sigh. Looking around the Danger Room, instead of trying to find out whatever was happening there.

Julian pats his shirt, taking off the dirt. His clothes are starting to smell. And his shoes, that he already hates having, are wet.

"Yeah, yeah. What we do with this?" He points to the debris and rests of Glob's wax.

Inferno dismisses them. "I will deal with it. Leave. And go back to your classes."

Julian and Kubark are still glaring at each other as they walk past her, and when the teacher's back is face them, both look at her shoulders with sour faces.

"Yes, ma'am." They say together. Julian shows his finger at her, Kubark doesn't know what it means, his face lights up like he learned something new and amazing.

They leave the Danger Room and wait for the elevator in the end of the corridor. It's a confined space, and they stand with their backs against the walls, facing each other. Kubark is not smirking anymore, he's clearly annoyed.

"Inferno is a pain in the ass." He says when the doors open. Julian doesn't want to agree, yet he nods. They are stopped again by Kubark's loyal bodyguard. "Ugh. Warbird." He says and throws his head back.

Ava'dara Naganandini's empty eyes are on Julian, her stone face letting it clear she has not forgotten what happened yesterday, and probably never will.

She raises her chin with an air of superiority, and bows to Kubark. "My lord, are you finished with your cleaning duty?"

"Yes." Kubark answers dryly.

"Then we must go back to your lectures."

"Not yet. I'm starving." The prince pushes her by her shoulder and takes flight to the kitchen.

"My lord--"

"Leave me, Warbird. I'm going to the kitchen to fetch myself a meal." He says and then, stops in the middle of the corridor, thinks, and turns back to her, poiting a finger. "Actually, I think you should do it for me."

Warbird opens her mouth, standing still in her place. Julian watches the feathers in her head raising, like a cat ready to strike the hand petting it. She is torn between listening to Kubark, or trying to set him in the right path.

Kubark does not give her time to decide. "Come on, I won't wait." He flies away.

Julian curses. "...what a jerk."

"Who I am to judge, hm?"

Warbird turns to them, a hand falling on the sword on her hip, feathers now fully raised. "Silence, Creed. I will not tolerate you disrespecting the heir to Shi'ar behind his back."

"Then go after him and tell him what I said." Julian says with impatience. Her tone is already pissing him off. He ignores her and follows his own path to his next classe, leaving the alien.

"WARBIRD! THE ONLY TIME I WANT YOU TO FOLLOW ME, YOU'RE SLACKING OFF?!"

Ava'Dara sighs heavily. She truly does hate children.

When the headmaster enters the teachers room, there's a commotion happening, like it always is. This time is not about who is going to clean the bamf's mess or why does Henry keeps opening dimensional portals in the yard at exactly 3AM.

Lullaby and Husk are scolding two students of 7th grade. He swears he never saw them so angry, voices louder, not screaming, just enough to let the situation sink in the boy's minds.

Desmond Diaz, a little boy from 2th grade, is sitting in a chair, green face wet with tears. Cannonball and Coral are by his sides, trying to comfort him and offering him hot cocoa.

"What happened?" Logan asks Hank, who is tiredly sipping his tea and watching the scene with disappointment. The cientist takes a look on the arrow stuck on Logan's chest and the knife on his back. Normal things. Carry on.

"Mr. Williams and Mr. O'Leary were bullying Desmond." He answers, pointing to the 7th graders who have their heads down while Lullaby and Husk talk. Not in shame, though. "Krakoa interfered and Mr. Williams tried to use his powers to control it."

Logan scratches his nose, trying to remember the boy's mutantion. Like Desmond, Jacob Williams can control plants. By the look of the two students, covered in mud, grass and sopping the fucking recently cleaned floor, he guesses it did not worked.

"It didn't work."

Hank shakes his head.

"No. Krakoa kept them inside its mouth for a hour until Rachel convinced it to let them go. It gave them a good scare." He takes sip of his intricate mug, a small smile on his lips.

"Good. Why they were bullyin' Desmond?"

Hank shrugs. Logan sighs and walks to Desmond, crouching in front of him. The little boy has his hands on his lap, kicking his feet in the air.

"Alright. Kid, how you feelin'?"

"Fine." Desmond murmurs, wiping his tears with his sleeve. He looks very embarrassed for being in this situation.

"You sure?" Logan asks gently and Desmond nods. "You can go back to your classes if you want, or you can go to your room. Coral, follow him."

Desmond gets out of the chair. Cannonball hands him water and he smiles, just a little.

"Thank you." He whispers, sniffing. He gets his hot cocoa and leaves the room with Coral, holding her hand.

When they're gone, Logan grabs O'Leary and Williams by the collars, they're smelling like mud, and when their feet leave the ground and they're taken from their seats, their eyes widen in absolute panic, lips trembling.

"You two don't have anythin' better to do?!" Logan growls in their faces, eyeing both boys, actually glad they are scared. He has already lost the count of how many times he saw them in the teacher's room. "Next time I see you here or hear you've been messing with the cubs I will tie both of you together upside down above the lake! Get the hell outta here!"

He pushes them back in the chairs. Cannonball walks behind them and puts his hands on their shoulders, smiling devilish.

"Come on, boys. You'll have a lovely time in the detention room." He forces them to move. At least Williams nods and walks by himself, head down, O'Leary is sulking and trying to keep his feet on the ground.

"And you better don't try anything while you're there." Logan warns them.

O'Leary, still trying to prevent his punishment, holds Cannonball's hand, his fingertips heating up, making the teacher let go of him.

"Why we get detention room when the Shi'ar prince and Creed only got a scolding?" He screams at Logan, smoke coming from his hands. Not as threatening as they could be.

"Because you have been caught messin' with the kids many times and we already told you to stop. This was your last warnin'." Logan barks at him, not wanting to deal with the boys anymore, and tells Sam to take them out of the room.

O'Leary keeps cursing all the way out until Logan can't hear him anymore. He sighs heavily and throws himself in a chair nearby, hiding his eyes behind his hand.

"These kids are impossible." He says to himself. The knife in his shoulder goes deeper in his body. Another thing to deal with. He walks to the bathroom in the end of the room, standing in front of the mirror to take it off, shooting curses under his breath.

"Why are you bleeding?"

He looks at Rachel in the door. She's not do impressed by the view, it has been years they became used to finding Logan either bleeding or losing parts of himself.

He shakes his head and pulls the knife out, blood dripping and staining his new sweater. The wound heals in seconds and he groans in relief when the pain dissipates.

"The bamfs. Don't ask, pass me the bottle." He tells her. Rachel hands him a bottle of whiskey in the table, and watches him take a big sip before putting it down to take off the arrow in his chest. Repeat the process. "What's it, Rachel?"

"It's about Evan." She says and Logan drops everything to look at her, the arrow still in place.

"What about him?"

Rachel's eyebrows shot up. She sees how he became so worried, she can feel it, even when his expression shows more annoyance than anything. There's a spark of... despair? Fear? Inside his mind, she can see scenarios running through his brain.

"He did nothing wrong." She assures him, letting him relaxes at least a little. "Nothing you need to worry about. I don't think we had a student more well behaved than him in the last ten years."

"Then why are you--"

"You need to tell him." She states firmly.

"No." Logan shakes his head. No time for doubt. Rachel opens her mouth in surprise. He takes out the arrow and breaks it in two, still drinking his whisky as he pushes her out of the way and goes back in the teacher's room.

Of course, she follows him.

"You can't hide it from him forever, Logan!" She screams, holding his arm to stop him. "Everyone in the school knows who he is. Or at least, they know there's something wrong. Kitty's right, everyone knows his face and they are scared of him."

Logan looks at the rest of the room. The others are staring, of course, but just like when he told Bobby about the Creeds, they look away and let him solve it.

"Did they tried to mess with him? Say anythin'?"

"Not yet. They are afraid. But it won't last forever." Rachel says. "Soon they will see that he is no danger - not yet - and will go after him. We already have other kids fighting with Creed, they will try to do the same to Evan."

"We can't just tell him. He just arrived here, he's still adapting, it's his second day, Rachel."

"Lo--"

"You don't get it." He interrupts her. Matching her tone of urgency. "He believes that everything that Fantomex put in his head is real. His family, his childhood, his life. If we tell him right now, he'll won't take it well."

"So you'll wait for him to build a bigger trust on us, keep feeding him the idea that his parents are real and that he'll soon be back with them, just to then tell him that he won't?! What do you think is worse?"

Logan shakes his head again, a hand touching uncombed hair. The blood from his wounds stick on his skin and drives him crazy. Rachel's voice becomes louder and louder and he keeps avoiding her eyes, looking to his hands, to his shoes, everywhere but her face.

"You don't know... how it is to... live a lie, and have it shattered in front of your eyes." He says, lower, hesitant.

He knows he said the wrong thing when Rachel goes silent, and the rest of the room stops. When he looks up, lifting his head just a little, he sees Rachel's eyes are narrowed, lips pursued. He knows that look.

"That's what you think?" She asks slowly.

"Rachel, I didn't mean--"

Rachel stops him, stepping closer and poiting a finger to herself, her voice becoming harsher. He can feel her powers creeping into his mind. That known pressure behind his eyes growing.

"Logan, I came from a different future. A future that is only a few years away. A future that was shattered, everything I know from my first life is gone, and everyone from the family I had here is dead!" She shouts on his face, teeth baring. "Don't you dare say that I don't know how it is to lose things."

Slowly, her tattoos show again, red marks blooming in her face, her eyes glowing in yellow.

"Don't you dare say that I don't know how it is to be manipulated and live a lie. I was a Hound once."

The silence feels heavier. Filling every creak of the room. Lights flicker and shake. Logan feels like there's water inside his brain, his head heavy, every sound is distant. He doesn't take his eyes of Rachel this time. He cannot.

He gives her a moment to compose herself. The tattoos are still visible, she runs a hand on her hair to clear her vision, a sigh shaping her lips.

"That boy is too sweet. He trusts us, he... admires us. It will shatter him to know that we've been lying to him this whole time."

The lights stops flickering. Logan holds himself on the table with one hand, other touching his temples. Rachel let go of his mind.

Hank clears his throat, hesitant in getting too close, always so polite it annoys them sometimes. Logan catches Coral trying to pretend she's not paying attention, but every pair of eyes are on them.

"Dear, I know this situation is rather..." Hank starts and shuts up when Rachel narrows her eyes.

"Go to the point."

Hank nods and holds his hands together. "I agree with Logan." He said and immediately started to explain himself before Rachel could call him out.

"We should wait before telling everything to Evan. He's new here and he's just a child. I think it would be better to let him adapt and feel safe at the school, before revealing his origins. What if we tell him and he ends distancing himself? Being alone?" He gets closer to put a hairy hand on Rachel's shoulder, talking softer.

"Give him time, then, when he's more comfortable and has people to rely on, we tell him."

"You want to wait for him to make friends." Rachel said, cold eyes going from Hank to Logan, and back. She crossed her arms and Hank takes a deep, long breath between his teeth.

"I'm worried of how he'll react if we do it so soon."

Logan finally spoke, shaking his head to get rid of the remains of Rachel's powers. "He's still scared after the battle with the Horsemen."

Rachel's eyes soften, the yellow glow slowly dissipates, her face melts, but there's still worry, and anger and sorrow in her features, the lines under her eyes are still visible and she looks so, so tired.

She keeps her head down for a moment, mind running. No one could ever know what she hides. Logan feels guilt.

Finally, she raises her head and straightens her postures, back into her expression of bravery.

"... You better solve this. You better be really careful with how you will handle this." She warns Logan, he frowns, tilting his head. "At least, we need to stop the other children from spilling the truth before the time."

"Quire is already on it." He guesses. Of course. He expected Quentin to be the first one to try to pry into Creed's and Adel's matters. Children related to infamous villains? It's like the perfect opportunity to him to cause mayhem.

"Then I believe we--" Hank says and Rachel raises her hand.

"Let me. I will talk to them. I will make sure that they don't talk to him about it. I--"

"No." Logan says in a cold tone. He sits on the table and puts his hands together, running a finger on his knuckles.

"I will talk to him."

Chapter Text

"I keep getting red. I don't know why, I'm writing it right." Lewis complained to his sister, running a hand on his black hair. Cissie was sitting backwards on her chair so she could help him.

They were not being discret about it but Doop was not paying attention. He rather have the kids chattering among each other than have to actually engage with them. So he let them do whatever they wanted as long they finished their assignments and let him drink in peace.

Everyone was sitting in groups, not really working. Cissie and Lewis jumped in their chairs when Julian Creed addressed them, sitting in the table next to theirs.

"You're doing it wrong." The feral said, using the pads of their thumbs to press buttons. The constant bips coming from the tablet on their hands indicate that they were doing fine.

The Guthrie twins exchanged looks before looking again at Julian, still wary of them.

Julian rolled his eyes and kept writing sentences in Spaniss, not as fast as he could because his claws get in the way.

"You're writing it right, but you're forgetting to use the right pronouns to indicate the gender of the words. You keep using 'el' for the wrong word." He explained.

"The gender?" Cissie repeated and looked back to the big red words she had written.

"Yeah, in spanish the words are separated in feminine and masculine." Julian showed his tablet screen, he got thirteen points already. "Like, you're writing milk with a masculine pronoun, in Spanish the word milk is 'feminine'. It's 'la leche', not 'el leche'."

Lewis scoffed, but he was paying attention. "And how you know it?"

Julian gave him a grin, fangs out to be seen, dead eyes giving him a eery look. "I'm Colombian. Guess what my first language is."

Half Colombian, of course, but that was irrelevant. And Julian would be haunted in his dreams by Abuelo if he ever had shame of his mama's heritage.

The Guthrie twins ignored him after that, going back to their tablets, they used their phones to search the right pronouns and started their work all over again, this time getting the right answers.

Julian went back to the torturous task of pressing the screen slowly, sometimes his claws making that 'click' sound when he moved his fingers wrong.

Once again, they felt Evan's unmistakable presence behind him. This time he didn't touched them. Julian could have fainted if they were not so used to weird things happening to them; Evan's face was so close, but his body was still sitting in a table next to the window, where he, Idie and Broo had moved their chairs together to a conner

They moved their head to the side to better see Evan's neck enlogated all the way to their seat. Right, they will not ask about it.

"Can you help us, Jules?" The boy asked with big, dark red eyes.

"Don't call me that. Only my brother can call me that." Julian warned him. Evan murmured an apology. "But, yeah. I can, but you better make it easy for me." He put his materials inside his backpack again.

Idie pulled another chair next to her and whispered to Broo. "He's such an idiot."

Broo shook his head, innocent big eyes widening, he silently asked Idie to not be so antagonistic. Evan put his neck back in place, a shiver running on his spine, he was smiling, still. Idie and Broo also choose not to ask too much about it.

Julian joined them with little to no complains and he actually looked in a better mood. He helped them with the work, talking slowly in Spanish and correcting their mistakes, explaining and answering any questions about verbs and pronouns that they had.

There was silence among them, while the rest of the class chattered (and Kubark complained loudly in the front roll), with only the tap tap tap coming from Julian and Broo.

They broke the silence suddenly, rough voice souding less antagonistic. "It's not so different from Arabic, hm?" He asked Evan. "The phrases in your language are separated in masculine and feminine, right?"

"Oh, yes. It can be really confusing for new speakers." Evan agreed. "We have different ways of saying the same phrases or words depending if we're regerring to a man or a woman."

Broo pushed his glasses higher in his head, eyes shining with curiosity. "Could you give me an example, friend?"

Evan put his tablet down. "Hm... 'How are you' is 'Ezzayek' if you're talking to a woman, and 'Ezzayak' if you're talking to a man."

Broo also put his tablet on the table and took his notebook out of his backpack to write it down. Evan chuckled and helped him write it the correct way and also how pronunciate it.

"Egyptians also use 'Aamel eeh', that is almost like 'what's up'."

"For masculine." Idie pointed.

"Yes. 'Aamla eeh' is for feminine. If you're talking to a woman."

"And what would it be the correct answer?" Broo asked, kicking his little legs in the air.

"You don't need to be so worried about the 'gender' then. 'Kolo tamaam' means 'everything is fine'."

Broo wrote it as fast his little paws could. He looked at Julian, hesitating for a moment before the feral's stone face.

"Er... could you teach me a phrase in your language, friend Julian?" He asked sweetly.

Julian was tapping in his tablet. "I'm almost done with my assignment." He announced.

"It's easy for you, you speak the language." Idie said, wanting to scold him for ignoring Broo. Julian, however, was already putting the tablet on the side, speaking in a very calm and slow tone.

"Use 'Cómo estás' for 'how are you'. 'Pésimo' if you're not fine, 'Muy bien' if you are." He explained, letting Broo write it. A smirk shows in his face. "And 'Jodate, pendejo, vete el Diablo' if you don't like the person."

"Julian!" Evan gasps, already knowing what it means.

"Don't teach him swear words!" Idie narrowed her bicolor eyes. Broo shook his head.

"I think I prefer not to use the last example."

Julian made a 'tsk' with his tongue. He didn't mind, the look Idie was giving him was funny. They looked at her, and noticed she had a accent, they had heard before, but could not point it. Different from Evan. A weird thing. Evan had a familiar way of speaking, not how Julian would expect.

It was not the time to ask it. So they brush it off and looked to Idie.

"Hey, what language you speak?"

The girl is surprised by his curiosity. Julian watches her advert her gaze to her hands, shoulders raising. Posture tense. Her smell changes to something melancholy. Depressing.

"Hm? Igbo, I'm... I'm from Nigeria." She says weakly.

"Oh, that's cool!" Evan says with a smile. They all look at her, the topic of lanagues not forgotten yet. Broo and Evan are eager to learn about her, Julian is just trying to decipher why she always looks so... painfully guilty.

Idie, not wanting to cut the peaceful conversation they were having, sighs. "My language can be separated in gender. Hmm... it's separated in classes, not necessarily masculine or feminine, but can be..." She stops, words escaping her. Her lips close tightly.

"Characterized." Broo points out. Idie nods.

"Yes. Characterized as gender. But it's separated in classes are... I don't know how to say it in English! But I know!" She says with frustration, closing her fists.

Julian raised his tablet. "Would you mind if I search?"

"Go ahead. God, these words are hard!"

Already had finished the lesson, Julian uses the tablet to search about Idie's language. He's not sure if he has permission to use the school device like that. But who cares?

"Ah, here it says that "the nouns, the classes, are indicated by prefixes attached to the nouns"." He reads for the others. Idie is nodding along. "Kinda like how Yoruba has neutral words but can be attached to others to indicate gender if it's necessary."

"Yes... sorry, I'm still having difficult changing languages." She smiles shyly. Adjusting her bow in her hair, like Evan moves his hand or Broo scratches himself when anxious.

"It's alright. Not everyone starts perfectly." Evan assures her. "You speak very well. I also had trouble learning."

Idie gives him a thankful smile. Julian raises an eyebrow at him, eyes narrowing.

"I think is because... I had a telepath.... 'inserting' the words in my head. So it's confusing."

Evan assures her it is nothing something she should be embarrassed of, and then turns to the alien on his right.

"Oh, Broo, does your species have a idiom?"

The little broodling also shrinks, red insectoid eyes going from one face to another. He could look shy if it wasn't so hard to read his facial expressions.

"It can't be categorized as a language per se. My species is connected through a hive mind, and we don't have voice cords to produce sound like Terrans do. We communicate through the collective mind or... with a specific sound only the brood can produce."

"Like ants and bees?" Julian asks. He had heard Hunter say insects (animals, whatever) can do something like that.

"Yes...?" Broo shrugs. "We are able to understand each other by clicks and body language. And since we share a mind we always know what our peers are thinking. And what our mother needs us to do."

"But... you can talk." Evan points. "You have voice cords, no?"

"I am a mutant too. My mutantion disconnected me from my hive when I was a larvae and altered my physiology. Yes, I have vocal chords that resemble human's, that's why I can produce sounds that, for you, can be categorized as 'talking'."

"Categorized?" Idie repeats.

"Just because the brood talk through clicks and mental connection and we can't understand them, doesn't mean they aren't talking." Julian says. He's not sure, it's more a kick of luck, but Broo smiles and sits straight, more confident now.

"It's a language." Evan agrees, rubbing his chin. "You can still talk to other broodlings?"

"Of course, it is still part of my physiology."

"Well, I don't think we would be able to ever talk your language, Broo." Idie chuckles, patting his head.

"Maybe if we had a universal translator like the prince's, we could at least understand." Evan says.

"I don't think we can speak his language either." Julian crosses his arms and leans back in his chair, putting his legs above the table.

Idie pushes his feet out before he can get too comfortable.

"Of course we can, I think Ms. Summers can speak Shi'ar. She said she met Kubark before he came here."

Evan's eyes widens. He jumps in his chair, face lightning up. "Oh, that's cool. Do you think he would think it's nice if we tried to?"

"People connect through sharing experiences." Broo says. "Learning another language can bring people closer and built a sense of trust and camaraderie, if we wanted to befriend the prince, showing that we care about his culture would be a very respectful way of doing it."

Julian scrunches his nose. "Yeah, but I doubt he would like it." The others look at him, one more annoyed than the rest. "The Shi'ar are not known for being friendly. Also, they work strictly in a system of 'who's on the top, who's at the bottom'."

"That doesn't mean Kubark will act the same." Evan says, lower, hesitant.

"He already does." Idie said. "He's not happy being here and has been acting like an idiot since the moment he arrived." She stops and covers her mouth when she notices she had just sweared. Broo raises his eyebrows higher, if possible.

Seeing Evan's expression changing, his smell becoming more sour, Julian shakes his head and pushes his chair back. He takes the tablet and his backpack. Idie and Broo take it as a sign that their little study sessions is over.

Evan is still upset, so Idie touches his arm with a soft expression.."I'm sorry, Evan. But sometimes people are just... difficult to reach."

Her eyes go to Julian, who is already crossing the classroom to drop his tablet on Doop's desk, leaving before anyone. The bell rings. One last class before free time.

Evan discovered a nice place to read behind the main building. Now, he is a bad mood, he desires to go there and stay quiet for a moment. The others have moved on from the conversation, not really noticing his mood changing, or maybe not caring. Or understanding.

Truth is that Evan hoped to find some peace at the new school, and some good relationships. Until now, he has not found it. The place is so....

He shakes his head, not finding the right word.

His mood doesn't improve after physics class. Mr. McCoy is a brilliant man, kind and calm, Evan was looking foward to learn with him. However, only fifty minutes in a lab with him was, like Julian said before, an eternity.

It was not so bad, he told Julian when the feral left the lab with a expression of defeat, like he had been forced to run a marathon in the hot sun, instead of only having to learn a few calculations.

The bell rings one last time, the bamfs screech somewhere in the roof, and the school say is over. They are free to follow with any activity they choose, there's not many, as the clubs are not open yet and there's not enough teachers to take care of the extracurricular classes.

Julian goes to find his little brother in his class, only giving Evan a grunt as response to a gentle goodbye.

"Thanks for the help, Creed." Idie says when the feral passes by, still dry, trying to be nice, and he turns around to look at her and Broo.

"Hm?"

"I said 'thanks for the help'." She repeats in a less pleasant way. Julian stares. Evan sees he is confused and hesitant, but it changes and the feral shrugs and walks away faster.

"Whatever."

Idie rolls her eyes and pats Broo in his head. "Come on, Broo, I will show you that cool book I found."

"Delighful! Goodbye, friend Evan!" The little alien smiles and waves.

"Goodbye." Evan returns the gesture. Something to help with his bad humor.

His class leaves, flying or running outside to enjoy the rest of sunlight before the curfew. Cheerful voices and screams everywhere. Evan has to get used to it. Back at his parents farm, they were distant from the town, it was calm and silent at this time of the day.

Mama would be sitting in the porch crocheting and baba would take him out of his room to play a game of baseball. Mama joins them when she's feeling a little brave, swinging the bat at baba when he got a little too playful. After Asar, she would take Evan inside to help her set the table.

With a faint smile on his lips, Evan sits alone under a tree behind the budding, holding his new books on his lap. Other kids run around and he feels a strong sense of loneliness, different from what he is used to. If it was back home, he had no friends, but he had his parents.

He wonders how they are doing in wherever place Uncle Cluster has sent them to be safe.

Soft giggles and the sound of branch snapping makes him sit up straight, hands glowing in blue. He's still not used with the bamfs, the little blue devils crackle at his reaction, had succeeded in spooking him. Evan frowns and shoes his tongue at them.

They do the same and only run away when Logan arrives, kicking a rock at them. And they laugh as they flee.

"Hello, Mr. Logan." Evan greets and hides his powers, smiling despite his poor mood. Logan, with his hands in his pockets, and a stain of red/brown on his chest, smiles back and stops next to him.

"Hey, kid. What yer doing?" He asks. Trying to look interested.

Evan shows the books he found in the library last night. "I found these books for my philosophy class. I heard we don't have a teacher so I need to get the material if I want to get good grades."

"Goin' after the material on your own? Way to go, kid." Logan grunts as he sits down. Like baba after a day of work. Evan giggles and moves to give him space.

They sit in silence for a few minutes. Evan admits he gets a little nervous, fingers itching, running on the cover of his books. He never knew what to do when a person is too quiet next to him. And Mr. Logan is not just quiet, he's grumpy, worse than Uncle Cluster and Ms. Psylocke.

"You like it here?"

Evan tries to drop his shoulders, looking down at his hands, picking on his nails. "Three days are not enough to form a definitive opinion. However, so far there has been nothing very dangerous happening, nor anything very bad." He says and looks foward to the place where he saw Julian falling last morning. "There was the fight between the prince and Julian."

"Oh yes?" Logan asks, clearly annoyed.

"I was scared." Evan admits. "I thought they were going to get seriously hurt. But it looks like they are both quite resilient and strong." He says, feeling a shiver in his body. He remembers how beat down Julian looked after the fight. Not as bad as it could have been, according to the younger Creed.

Logan moves his head, resting his arms in his knees. He has a expression that Evan can't read. Blue eyes always so harsh, he looks troubled, angry at something. Maybe because he's worried the students would get hurt?

"Yeah, they have a dangerous skill set. Better be careful. If there's a fight again, you call us." He tells Evan and the boy nods fast.

"I will. Promise. I don't... I don't think anyone could do something at the time."

His grip in his own hand is tight, fingers letting light marks in his blue skin. He remembers mama trying to make him stop doing it when nervous. Holding his hands in hers, fingers running in his knuckles until he stops. He does it, but it's not the same as if it was mama.

"Did you make friends?"

"I talk to Idie, Broo, Julian and Glob. But I don't think Glob was being friendly. And with my team during the training. Most people have avoided me so far." Evan looks away.

He misses the way Logan winces and closes his eyes, lips twisted. He hides it before Evan can see. The boy, so optimistic, and so innocent, raises his head and his hands up, trying to look confident, red eyes shining.

"It must be because I'm new here. Ms. Pryde said it would be good for me to have friends, so I don't get lonely and to have people to help me if I'm in trouble. Or just... in need."

"That's good advice." Logan admits. He feels Rachel in his mind. If he could see her, she would be glaring intently at him.

"Are you alright, Mr. Logan?" Evan moves to look better at him. The face of a monster doesn't fit on him. There's too much kindness in these eyes. "You look worried."

Logan moves away, scratching the back of his neck, a fake smile on his face. "Headmaster stuff. Lots of paperwork to sign." He pretends to stretch, and Evan tries to smile.

He's not convinced. He lets it go, though. "Did you receive a message from my uncle? I want to know how my parents are."

"No, he's out of the country on a mission. We've lost communication for now." Logan quickly answers.

Evan's face drops once again. He sits back against the tree, hands together, running his thumbs against one another. Logan gives him a moment to be sad, only sitting there and watching the kids running close to the lake.

"I miss home." Evan murmurs. "I hope uncle comes back before the holidays. I want to spend the end of the year with my parents. At home." He takes a deep, deep breath, blue lips quivering, a sight that always makes Logan gets tense. "I miss them." His voice cracks.

Logan rushes to put a hand in his shoulder, too rough, too heavy. What he can do?

"I know, kid. But they have to stay away. For safety." He assures Evan, who nods weakly and presses his forearm against his eyes to hide his tears.

"I know." He says under his breath. Sniffling, he cleans his face before he can cry. Logan pats his back. "Thank you for bringing me here." Evan says, sincerely, trying to keep his voice cheerful. Or at least close to it. "I hope I can make good friends and learn how to use my powers. Mama and Baba will be so proud when I tell them everything!" He says with a fake smile. There's a hint of hope in his eyes. Weak, but there.

Logan stays with him until he calms down. He's not as useful he wish, only patting the boy's head and sitting with him until his breath slowed down. Evan was not in the mood to talk, he kept looking at the sky, trying to hold back from crying.

It's not like he is ashamed. He just... doesn't believe he needs to. He arrived at the school a few days back, he will have plenty of time there yet. There's time to make friends, there's time to miss home, and there's time to mama and baba to come back. He can't cry in his second day of school.

He is Uncle Cluster's biggest hope. He has too much hope in Evan, for something he can't understand comprehend, but... he can't just disappoint him.

The free time is almost over. Evan thanks Logan for staying with him. He puts a smile on his face, Logan can smell how sad he still is. He can't do it.

He watches Evan go back to his room with grimm eyes, and he growls softly when Rachel lands next to him, arms crossed with reprimand.

"You're hesitating."

Logan turns to her. "I'm tryin' to protect him. He's a kid. He's already alone, sad and homesick. He doesn't need anything else fuckin' with his head." He says, not letting her get into hid head this time. Not leaving space for debate.

The telepath sighs. "One time or another he's going to find out and it's going to be worse."

"No...maybe..." Logan looks down with defeat. He's still angry, but the guilt of everything and what he and Fantomex did is heavy. Eats him out. Just like what he did to Warren. And Idie.

"We can't do that. He's already sad. Give him time to settle in and form some friendships here. Give the boy something to hold on to when things get bad."

Rachel looks into his mind, still not happy with his decision. Logan holds her arm with urgency.

"He's my responsibility, Rachel. I decide. I brought him here and put us in this situation. I take the damage."

"You better know what you're doing." Rachel hisses to him, taking her arm from his grasp, she pushes him away and walks to the main building with decisive steps. Logan dreads what she plans.

"What will you do?"

She stops close to the gardens, eyes closed, hands in her head. He feels her power in his brain, powerful and heavy. Close to the lake, he sees students also stopping their game of catch, looking around. She's in everyone's mind now.

"Putting a suggestion in the minds of others." She answers.

"At least from those who know."

The book slips out of Julian's hands and falls to the floor with a loud 'thud', disturbing the peace of the library. Nobody says anything. He holds his head, blinking away the feeling of water in his ears. He is not the only one.

The other students around also stop reading. Hunter is looking down, paws at his head, confused. Unlike his brother, he never had a telepath inside his mind. Prestige is more careful when she is doing her "psychic patrol", they can barely sense it. Now, they are well aware of her presence.

"Attention, students." Her voice echoes in their heads, calm but serious. "Today's announcements will be passed via telepathy, as I want to be brief."

Julian rolls their eyes, bending down to pick up the book they dropped. The library returns to its usual minimum of noise, the students believing that nothing much is going on. Only when Rachel continues do they pay attention again.

"A few days ago, we welcomed new students to the school, who had joined classes the day before. I'm sure you've noticed the resemblance between your new classmates and some well-known individuals."

Julian looks around with narrowed eyes. They see Anole widening his eyes and leaning in to whisper to Rockslide. There is a small buzz among the students as Rachel confirms her suspicions about Evan Adel.

Hunter tenses. Julian doesn't try to see if anyone is spying on them. He holds his little brother's hand and leads him to the farthest table in the library, ignoring the gossip going around.

"And I know that some of you have had antagonistic reactions towards them. I know that some of you are worried because of the events of the previous day." Rachel continues, trying to sound as understandable as possible. "Principal Logan asked me to assure you that we have already dealt with this. And he asked that I warn you that any discrimination against colleagues, whether new, old, it doesn't matter, will not be tolerated. I ask that you be understanding and do not try to hurt your colleagues."

Sitting in the Danger Room with his colleagues, Julian Keller lets out a mocking snort. Hisako Ichiki glares at him, scolding him. Alone in the gardens, Quentin is frowning, Krakoa tries to cheer him up by making flowers grow around him.

There's a sigh coming from Rachel that everyone can hear.

"I see some of you are on the fence, so I'll be more direct." She takes a second and then her voice becomes more serious, the presence in the minds of the students and teachers becomes heavier, more threatening. It's as if the color red floods their vision.

"And I don't want to hear, feel, or think that any of you are purposely trying to bring up the familiar topic of the three students who arrived yesterday. Any issues you have with these colleagues are the faculty’s job to resolve."

The pressure is gone. The students relax and lower their heads as if Rachel can see them. She can. Her consciousness sweeps through each of their minds, making sure everyone has received the message.

Sitting in his room, Evan remains oblivious to everything, his mind as passive and quiet as ever. Idie Okonkwo and Broo are sitting at one of the tables in the canteen, reading together, also unaware of what is going on in their colleagues' minds.

Rachel decides to finish the message.

"So be warned that anyone who tries anything will be punished."

And she disappears.

Julian feels like the animosity in the room won't go away. Not distrust or concern. The school is peaceful again, but there's tension among the students, specially now that the source of their fear remains unaware of his own influence.

Chapter Text

September 17, 2018.

The weekend went by too quickly, Evan still had hopes of getting closer to his classmates, however, he had the feeling that they were avoiding him.

He tried to ignore this feeling. He tried to stay positive about the next few days to come. Things got difficult when his classmates still refused to sit next to him in class.

In history class on Monday, he sat in the back of the classroom next to Julian. His clawed classmate didn't seem so pleased, however, he wasn't rude or tried to scare Evan away.

The sharp sound of the brush running across the white surface of the painting hurt Evan's ears. Not as much as Julian's, as they were sitting next to him with a bored look on their face. Evan was trying to ask them to sit upright, the way they were slumped in the chair was already bothering him.

"...the asteroid was at least 9 miles long." Logan continued to explain the history subject, his thick and boring voice had the incredible ability to make students fall asleep.

Evan was paying attention. He really was. Writing down everything the teacher dictated and wrote on the board. It was just difficult to follow the material when he had already missed three weeks of class.

Beside him, Julian stopped writing. "What the fuck are miles?"

Broo, sitting three tables in front of them, turned to him with a big, crinkly smile. "About 15 km long, friend."

Julian took note of this, mumbling something Evan couldn't understand.

"The impact with the surface caused a 'winter' that stopped plant photosynthesis and caused the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs. Mammals, birds, lizards and anythin' that was on the ground." Logan continued, writing everything very quickly, his handwriting becoming an enigma to the students.

Cissie Guthrie raised her sparkly pen in the air. "Plants too?"

The entire class stopped and turned to look at her in one movement. Logan pressed the tip of his brush to the board, circling the word 'extinction'.

"Anythin' on the ground. The fuckin' asteroid impact destroyed the surface of the planet, the winter that followed made it practically impossible to grow anythin'."

Cissie grimaced, her nose in the air as she wrote, and her brother nudged her and laughed softly.

"Marine animals also did not survive. Among the extinct animals are sharks, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, fish, molluscs and plankton." Logan stopped and looked up, thinking. "At least 75% of Earth's animal species died after the impact."

In front of the class, Quentin had his legs on the table, almost asleep. "He talks like he researched all this five minutes before class started."

Logan stoppped in front of the telepath's desk, pushing his heavy boots off the desk, almost making the teenager fall on his butt.

"Thank you, Quire, for offering to help me clean up the classroom during free period. I'll be waiting here at 4:30 PM." He grins savagely, the little patience in his eyes disappearing. The class laughed softly behind their hands.

Roxy then raised her hand. "Professor, if most of the planet's species were extinct, what happened to the mutants?"

Evan stops writing and turns to where Roxy is sitting, as do the rest of the class. The others also seemed curious, agreeing with their colleague's question, Evan was more curious. He didn't understand why she had to ask such a thing.

Logan took a moment to think, hands on his hips, then shook his head and responded calmly.

"The part about mutants, especially about Okkara, we'll talk about after we finish the entire Mesozoic era and are at least halfway through the Cenozoic period." He waved the history book in the air. "I'm teachin' y'all everythin' from the beginning."

Roxy nodded and wrote something down. The class was a little disappointed. None of them were really interested in learning everything from the beginning. Evan was a little lost.

In front of the class, Kubark slammed his fist on the table. Miraculously, it was much weaker than all the other times, so the table came out intact.

"All these dinosaurs creatures are weaklings! How could they die to an asteroid?!" He screams.

The other students let out sighs and grunts of irritation.

"Here we go." Lewis almost hits his forehead on his desk.

"Professor, are we going to learn about something more interesting?" Kubark continues, this time a little more politely, not noticing, or just ignoring, the discomfort of the rest of the class. "Like the expansion of the Shi'ar Empire during the First Age?"

Logan sighed slowly. "Kid, we're in the Jurassic era of Earth. And I'm not qualified to teach anything about the Shi'ar."

Kubark stood up in his chair with a sharp smile, holding the hem of his jacket.

"I would be happy to take that role."

Immediately his colleagues began to protest, someone threw a small ball of paper at the prince's back, but he couldn't turn around in time to see who it was. Logan began yelling at the class, adding to the confusing cacophony.

"Shut up, prince! No one wants to listen to you!"

"Come on, guys? Let's hear it!"

"Shut up, Adel!"

Logan banged his fist on the board. The room fell silent again and anyone who had been standing was seated again, now just the teacher shouting at the front of the class.

"Y'all shut your mouths and write what I put on the fuckin' board!"

They comply, of course, sounds of pens running across paper being the only thing present. Evan keeps his head down, trying to hide his face because, for some reason, Glob was laughing a little on the other side of the room, and Match was using his hand to hide his invisible mouth.

However, when he turns his head to the side slightly, he notices that Julian has one hand against one ear.

Logan returned to the board, dragging the chalk so hard that it began to fray. "The reas--"

The sound of the bell at the end of the hall echoed in the walls. Class A-9 got up from their seats in a hurry, grabbing their backpacks and notebooks. Logan didn't like it and screamed once again.

"I'M THE ONE WHO TELLS THE CLASS TO LEAVE AND NOT THE BELL!" He made everyone sit down again, writing a few more things on the board, before throwing it on the desk careless. "Other causes for extinction were volcanic eruptions, climate changes, as I said, and sea level rise. You can go."

Evan sat in the chair, trying to write the final part of the article, moving his head as his colleagues passed in front of the board, taking photos to write later. Julian stood too, still pressing his hand to his ear.

"Homework, sir?" Broo asked Logan.

"Not today, kid."

"In any way, I will love to delve deeper into the subject." Broo shrugged and jumped out of his chair, following Idie.

Roxy stopped in front of Logan's desk with Hope. "Hey, Mr. Logan, what about the visits?" She asked and Logan looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Mrs Pryde said she was planning weekend visits to Salem Center."

"Yeah, it's getting boring being stuck at school all the time." Hope agreed. Not only her, some students who stayed behind agreed.

Evan joined them to listen, Julian also seemed interested, despite his sour expression. Logan crossed his arms with a frown, the one he gets when students ask for things and they know he'll let them.

"I'll see about that." He said and the girls grinned. "If you stop trying to kill yourselves every damn day, maybe I'll let you go to the village. If you behave!" He shouted the last part.

"Then he screwed us." Julian muttered and left the room. Hope and Roxy laughed softly. Martha entered her colleagues' heads shyly.

"Can someone help me get to Ms. Summers' classroom?" She ordered and Hope grabbed the chain of her capsule. "Thanks!"

Evan rocked on his heels next to the statue of Jean Grey, back and forth, playing with the buttons on his white blouse. Cannonball had advised students not to wear their everyday uniforms to gym class, as most of the time they ended up getting dirty. On purpose or by accident.

Idie stood beside him with Broo, both wearing knee-length shorts and white blouses. Idie tied her hair high while Broo had his glasses hanging on his blouse.

"What are you doing, Evan?" Idie asked.

Evan kept moving. "Waiting for Krakoa. I want to say hi, I didn't see him over the weekend."

"Professor Coral said it was helping her and Mr. Toynbee expand the gardens." Broo told him. The three waited for the sentient island, classmates ran past to get to the gardens first.

It didn't take long for the familiar purring to reach them. Krakoa came gliding over, opening it's giant mouth in a smile.

"Hello, Krakoa." Evan patted the island, while Broo sat on its head. He lowered himself a little when he noticed something inside it's mouth. "What you got there?"

Krakoa stuck out it's tongue, dropping some round, transparent stones into his hands.

"Aw! Thanks!" Evan laughed, shaking his hands to get rid of the mud between his fingers. Krakoa was pleased to see that he accepted the gift, following the children to the gardens behind the school, letting Broo ride on it's back.

The A-9 was ready for flying class, running around the gardens. The Shi'ar prince was flying above his colleagues' heads, too fast to be acceptable.

"What's the reason to have flying lessons?" Idie asked with disinterest. "Not all of us can fly."

"Yeah, but we can use JET PAACKS!" Anole announced up front. He and Glob were helping Cannonbal pick up the jet packs and place them in a circle on the grass.

"Flying lessons? Bah." Kubark grumbled to himself. Unlike the rest of the class, he wasn't wearing his gym uniform, but rather his Strontian armor. "Another class I'm supposed to be an instructor, not a student. Just like Ethics, Cosmology, and all the classes that involve punching."

"We don't even have cosmology classes." Roxy hurried to grab one of the jet packs. The others followed her, some of them, Xavier's oldest students, already knew how to put on the equipment.

"Solve it with the headmaster, kid." Sam Guthrie said to Kubark, not seeming all that bothered by Kubark's lack of humor. "Professor Cannonball's just here to show you how to use a jet pack without flying headfirst into things."

Quentin scoffed, replacing his glasses with protective ones. "Hm? I thought flying head first into things was exactly your speciality."

"Save all questions 'til the end." Sam said with a good-natured chuckle.

It took just a few minutes to help the students prepare. Broo had more difficulty because of his size, Glob decided to skip this class, according to him his wax didn't go well with the altitude. He sat down on the concrete sidewalk near the school's back yard. Julian didn't say why he didn't want to participate and walked away.

Sam didn't bother questioning them. He turned to Evan, who was standing there with a scared face.

"Adel, you don' need a jet pack, hm?" He asked curiously. Evan rubbed the back of his hands.

"Err... I'm still not very good at flying."

"You said you weren't good at flying indoors." Roxy reminded, making him more nervous.

"Because I go head first into things!" Evan exclaimed. "Didn't y'all see me during training last week?!"

"And what's wrong with you flying now?" Cissie asked. "We're in an open space."

Evan continued in his shaky voice. "What if I hit one of the towers? I still don't know how to control my speed. Or dodge. Or slow down without hitting myself. Or--"

Kubark threw his head back in frustration, yelling at Evan. "By the gods, you are a weakling!" He said and began to rise into the air. "Pay attention to me! I'll show you how it's done!"

Sam pushed the other students back as he saw Kubark bend his knees and prepare to take off. He even tried to stop the prince. Like in the Danger Room, Kubark's strength as he pushed off the ground and flew away was strong enough to throw his teammates back.

There was grumbling and insults from students trying to stand. Cannonball wondered if he should go after Kubark and bring him back, however, the prince was already putting on a 'show', flying at high speed around the school. And even though his colleagues didn't like the prince one bit, they couldn't deny that one of the things he did best was fly.

Despite going very fast, he seemed to have a lot of control over this ability. Being able to dodge and avoid obstacles even going kilometers per hour. They never realized how good he was, it must be because they were too busy watching him destroy things to pay attention to his dexterity.

Five laps around the school, dodging towers and maneuvering around them, Kubark returned to the ground with a shit-eating grin on his face, knowing that he had, in fact, done very well.

"Okay, I admit that was very well executed." Anole whispered to the others. Lewis was frowning, Hope was almost impressed. Evan was even more self conscious.

Kubark flexed his arms over his head like an idiot.

"Please, I learned to fly before I even learned to read. Flying is my specialty. After fighting, it's obvious."

He laughed loudly, shaking his shoulders smugly. Sam snapped his fingers and placed the goggles over his eyes.

"Let's start the class." He motioned for the students to get ready, turning to Evan briefly. "Adel, if you don' want to fly right now, that's your choice. You can sit in the corner or grab a jet pack. Let's go."

He was ready to take off at high speed, like Kubark, however, the sound of metal wings clapping stopped him.

Coming from the skies, Warren carried a small basket in his arms, and for the first time, he was not only wearing pants, but also a green and flowery apron. As always, he was smiling brightly.

"Greetings, friend. Young mutants." He said and landed between the children. Some were excited to see him, going to say hello, while others were still suspicious of his new... behavior.

Of course Logan had explained about the accident he suffered months ago, however, some children grew up with him around, it was still difficult to get used to his new personality.

"Hi, Angel." Evan walked over to shake his hand. The others did the same.

"Good morning, Angel. We haven't seen you lately." Cissie said with a light tone. Warren - or Angel - placed a hand on her head.

"I was quite busy helping Miss Coral and Mr. Toynbee tend to the gardens. I invite you to participate, it's a very recreational activity."

The children noticed the earth and grass in his hands. It explained the apron and the flowery smell.

"No thank you, Angel." Lewis shrugged.

"I don't think I'm one of the best people to help in the gardens." Match laughed.

"At least stop by, the strawberries we planted are wonderful." Warren smiled along with the others.

Sam chimed in, waving a hand in the air, trying to hide his impatience. "Warren-- I mean, Angel, we're about to start a flyin' lesson and time is short."

Warren's eyebrows shot up and he smiled even wider. "Ah, are you going to teach the children to fly?"

"Using jet packs." Roxy answered for Sam.

"If it's not inconvenient, I'd like to offer my help." Warren told Sam, looking more excited than ever. "After all, who knows about flying better than an angel?"

Sam hesitated. He wasn't sure if Warren was qualified to teach, well, he could fly perfectly, however, no teachers wanted him around the children for too long. Not because it was dangerous, but because in the last few days he seemed a little more distracted and seemed to forget things a little more easily.

It was a difficult situation. He didn't want to just say no to his friend. Seeing how excited he was, it was something he was good at after all. And even the children seemed interested, although some were also suspicious.

Some were looking at him with big, pleading eyes. With a sigh, Sam scratched his neck and nodded.

"If you want to help, that's fine, we'll divide the class into two groups and each of us will have one. Easier to keep an eye on everyone."

Warren spread his metal wings. Anole and Evan had to lower their heads to avoid getting hit, but they laughed a little at Sam's reaction.

"A great idea. Children, come with me!"

The class split into two groups of nine and each followed either Warren or Sam. Evan decided to go with Warren, as he had known him the longest. He had the feeling that certain colleagues followed him because he is less rigid and easier to escape.

Sam had that feeling too.

"Remember that not everyone is used to the equipment and some will want to stay closer to the ground!" He shouted urgently before Warren took off.

"I will!" Warren promised and left.

The kids turned on their backpacks and followed their instructors. Idie stayed close to Broo, seeing that he had difficulty staying upright because of the weight of the backpack, which was almost bigger than his little body. And because she wanted to avoid the less careful students.

Evan just watched his teammates train at first. Some had more skill than others. Others were really having a hard time following Sam or Warren.

Quentin, as always, was flying as fast as he could. He always gets too close to his colleagues. He could give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know how to fly, but Quentin had been at the school much longer than anyone in that class. And the way he was laughing behind his goggles indicated that he was having fun.

He sat under the tree for a good five minutes. Anxious hands rubbing against each other, his mind debating whether he should join the class or not. Mama always said that if he wants to improve at something he has to try first. And well, he can try to ask someone for help with training.

Although...

"Ain't you goin' to join them?" Julian's bored voice asked above his head.

Evan craned his neck to see them sitting at the top of the tree, back against the trunk, hanging from a branch.

"I think so. Will you?"

"I prefer to keep both my feet on the ground." Julian found a more comfortable position on the branch, closing their eyes to take a nap. "Be careful not to dive straight into the lake." He said with a smile.

Evan snorted, even though he was smiling too, standing up and rubbing the grass off his hands and his black shorts.

"A simple 'be careful, Evan' would be enough." He said and Julian kicked the air above his head.

Evan dodged in time and ran to grab a jet pack. It was heavier than he expected, but not that much, he could still carry it and put it on his back. He saw how his colleagues activated the jet packs, so he didn't had difficulty to do the same. He also knew how to take off, it was the same thing as using his powers.

Warren was trying to keep an eye on everyone in the group, calling them to stay close and teaching them to stay airborne, his metal wings cutting through the wind gracefully.

Evan wanted to follow him, until he noticed that Kubark was flying very fast. Doing more laps than the rest of the group. He was just enjoying the opportunity to fly.

Evan managed to get closer, keeping the same speed as Kubark, who suddenly stopped when he saw him approaching. He tensed for a minute, as if he expected Evan to come attack him.

"Hey, Kubark, can you fly slower?"

Kubark stopped in mid-air and turned towards him. He wasn't angry at first, he just frowned and crossed his arms, nose in the air, as if he was disappointed.

"Fly slowler? Bah. We won't have time to fly slowly if an enemy horde attacks the school, will we?Don't be ridiculous, slim." He sneered.

Evan's expression changed. He didn't want to be rude or aggressive, even if it was Kubark speaking, but he was really starting to get irritated by the prince's tone of voice.

"Don't call me that. I have a name." He said sharply. "And we're not preparing for an attack. We're learning new skills."

"Skills useful in battle." Kubark insisted.

Evan sighed, believing there was no way to get the prince to cooperate. He had a very stubborn personality and didn't seem to understand that the rest of the class, no matter if they were mutants or not, were weaker than him. In fact, he was fully aware of this, what he lacked was the ability to sympathize with them.

He wondered if it was on purpose. Kubark seemed distant from the others, not like Julian or Quentin, more like in his social skills. So far, he's seen Kubark almost start fights over simple things, small disagreements between him and the rest of the class.

Idie said Kubark was naturally selfish, condescending, quarrelsome. Evan, in all his innocence, wanted to find out if that was it. Or if there was something else that made Kubark the way he was.

So, he keeps his tone calm and patient, flying over to pat Kubark on the shoulder.

"Okay, but... if it's not a bother, at least try not to get too close to the others, you might knock them down." He asked politely, withdrawing his hand when Kubark looked at his shoulder, uncomfortable or confused, Evan didn't know.

"And you think you can order me?" Kubark puffed out his chest.

"I'm not trying to order you. I'm asking politely like a classmate." Evan said. Suddenly he had an idea. "After all, you are more skilled than the rest of us, we are still learning. Could you have a little patience?" He said with a grin, appealing (just a little) to Kubark's ego.

The prince stared at him, debating whether Evan was being sincere and praising him, or whether he was just mocking him.

"I'll go easy on you, slim. Just because you are not at my skill level yet." He shrugged and pushed his feet off the roof, floating higher in the air.

Evan followed behind him, the jet pack making a loud noise, while Kubark moved lightly and silently.

"Thank you, prince." Evan said, with a little more good humor. It wasn't that difficult to get him to cooperate. "Is that how I'm supposed to address you?"

Kubark shrugged. "The titles the Shi'ar use are not the same as the ones Terrans use. Yes, you can call me that, I will still understand. Although I would prefer 'my lord' or something similar."

"I'll stay with the 'prince'."

The two flew around the school, a little behind the rest of the class, Kubark was going faster and didn't wait any longer for Evan, preferring to do maneuvers in the air. Nobody cared and nobody complained. Evan stayed away to practice alone, moving more slowly.

Kubark stood beside him once again, crossing his arms. He seemed bothered by something. Or maybe he just wanted something to complain about, Evan thought.

"Why do you use the jet pack? You can fly."

"Like I said: I still don't know how to slow down, or take smooth curves, and I end up crashing."

Kubark sneered. "Nonsense. Making sharp turns with a jet pack must be much more difficult."

Evan knew what he meant. The controls were stiff and difficult to manipulate, a little too big for his hands. He wished Cannonball had also given them protective gloves, his hands were already starting to hurt from the amount of force he was exerting to change the controls.

Once again, he tightened his fingers around the controls as he saw that he was approaching the communications tower. Further ahead, Angel and the group were already turning around a tower to go back, not wanting to go too far beyond the school grounds.

Kubark went ahead. Moving gracefully, he stretched both arms in front of him and leaned forward to begin shifting, moving around the tower until he had completely turned around and flew towards the gardens once more.

Evan was clumsier, he knew. He maintained the same speed as before and prepared to dodge, imitating the way Kubark had done. He was already nervous before he even got close to the tower, and with just a few seconds left before colliding, he moved the controls and started to swerve.

As he expected, the controls were very difficult to move. And Evan ended up almost hitting the tower, only his foot dragged on the wall and he came out unharmed. Just losing his balance for a moment, and becoming a little embarrassed when he realized that the prince was still watching him.

Still moving in a slightly curved line, Kubark turned on his back, as if he was lying in mid-air, to look at Evan. It was as if flying was the same as swimming for him, and he did it without much trouble.

"You take the curve too late." He pointed simply.

Evan slowed the backpack a little more, until it landed once again, at the top of the landing area. The Blackbird was landed below. He could barely hear his colleague with the sound of the engines so loud.

"What do you mean?" He asked and Kubark landed next to him, speaking slower.

"When you fly towards that tower, for example, you only start to turn when you are very close to it. You don't have time to make the complete turn and that's why you collide. The speed and gravity will hinder you, you need to move before so you can slow down in time."

Evan waited for all the words to be translated. He was a little surprised that Kubark was actually giving him advice and speaking so slowly that he could understand everything.

"Like... start the curve a little earlier."

Kubark nodded.

"Exactly. Watch my magnitude."

He jumped off the building and returned to the tower. Evan watched him do the same maneuver as before, this time, faster. Kubark had his arms stretched out in front of his body, always keeping his body a little rigid, his legs together.

Once again, he went straight for the tower, and, unlike Evan, he was already leaning slightly to avoid it and managed to do so without hitting or scratching the tower.

"Easy." He laughed as he went back to Evan, swinging his legs in the air.

Evan laughed along Lighter and truly joyful. He was really impressed.

"Yeah, it was really good! How are you so good at flying?"

Kubark shrugged. "I trained near my home, dodging asteroids."

Evan frowned, still smiling. Every single thing the prince said was surreal to him.

"Asteroids? Did you train in space?"

"Where else?" Kubark raised his arms in the air as if it were obvious. "I lived in an empty asteroid with my father before he was crowned Majestor. There were lots of them around. Great for flying, strength and laser training."

"It sounds dangerous." Evan commented.

"Not for Kid Gladiator!" Kubark raised his arms, showing off with pride. This time, Evan didn't care and followed him to finish the training.

The last part of the class was spent practicing turns. To Evan's surprise, Kubark stood beside him, watching as Evan headed towards the towers and dodged.

"Remember to take the curves early." Kubark told him once again. "Either when you want to avoid an obstacle or when you want to land. Or you'll break all your fragile bones on the ground."

He gave his colleague a harder shake before letting him go. Evan rolled his eyes as he landed on top of the lab building, muttering to himself.

"You manage to be incredibly annoying while also being incredibly friendly."

Kubark landed next to him, poking the device on his neck. "What did you say? My translator didn't catch it."

Evan turned to him, speaking clearly and slowly, keeping that neutral, friendly tone of voice. "I was thanking you for being so patient and giving me tips. You seem like a really nice person, prince."

Kubark crossed his arms, speaking more seriously, more threateningly.

"You are mocking me?"

"No?" Evan gasped, frowning. "I was being genuine."

Kubark continued to stare at him, seeming to look him up and down behind red lenses. Reading it, trying to figure out if Evan was telling the truth.

"Good." He said at last. "I don't take easy on anyone who makes fun of me."

"I wouldn't dream." Evan assured him.

Kubark didn't understand what he meant. The way Terrans speak confuses his translator. And all of his colleagues seemed to have different ways of talking and referring to each other. Like everyone calling Creed by reffeted by two different ways.

That had to wait when all his instincts warned him of someone falling. And sure enough, he noticed the broodling heading towards the ground, accompanied by the panicked voice of Idie Okonkwo.

"AGH! BROO!!"

Evan didn't react in time. Kubark was already aware of the situation first and went after his colleague as quickly as he could without hurting anyone.

When he got close enough, he grabbed the back of Broo's jet pack, and the side of his shirt. He didn't stop in midair like Evan thought he would. Instead, he continued flying toward the ground, slowly turning, slowing down until he finally put Broo down.

As soon as the smaller alien's paws touched the grass, Kubark released him, still flying beside him.

Idie let out a heavy sigh of relief, pressing her hand to her chest, feeling her heart racing, then landed next to them. Evan did the same, feeling his hands shaking with the adrenaline of the scare.

Broo was already taking off his backpack, not seeming too affected by the fall.

“Thank you very much, your highness.” He gave Kubark a shaky nod.

Kubark's eyebrows rose above his glasses. When Broo stopped looking, he turned his face away and crossed his arms. Evan could swear he saw a darker shade of purple on his face, but didn't comment, he was too busy seeing if Broo was fine, as was Idie.

The girl bent down in front of her little friend, holding his shoulder and checking for injuries. Broo was embarrassed, saying in a low voice that he was fine.

Julian also joined them, not a minute later. They came running on all fours from the back garden.

"What happened?" They asked, looking surprised by the event, he could hear them a mile away.

Idie bared her teeth angrily, her eyes glowing blue and red. "Quire flew by too fast and Broo lost control of the jet pack." She started to take off her own jet pack.

"The controls are heavy. I have some difficulty holding them with just four fingers." Broo searched his pockets for his glasses, rubbing his chest where the backpack straps squeezed him.

"Why didn't you just grabbed him?" Idie asked Kubark sharply.

The prince was shocked by her tone, and even more so when Julian raised a hand between them.

"He was falling too fast and if the prince grabbed him and made him stop abruptly, Broo could have broken all his little bones."

Evan and Idie looked on in horror, eyes wide. The idea that Broo could actually have been seriously injured caused them nausea, panic in their hearts. Julian didn't understand why they looked at him like that. He was simply telling the truth.

"Creed's right. Shocking, I know." Kubark said, raising his hands sarcastically. Julian growled at him. "Helping the broodling slow down in the air before landing is much safer."

"If not, we'd have to pick up his pieces all around." Julian made a motion of gathering with his hands.

Idie lost her temper. She gave Julian's arm a shove to shut him up, her hands were already changing to ice and fire.

"For God's sake! Don't say such things in front him!" She demanded, looking at everyone with watery eyes. The boys stopped, realizing that she was really upset.

They exchanged glances, telling each other that it was time to stop, despite having no intentions. Evan wasn't to blame for anything, but he still lowered his head and scratched his neck in embarrassment, feeling guilty for seeing Idie really getting emotional.

Julian maintained the same cold expression, turning his face away. It was not easy to know whether he also felt guilty or not. Kubark took longer to understand. It was only when he saw Idie's bright eyes that he lowered his tone, shaking his head.

Broo, seeing that his friends' mood had changed, cleared his throat and held Idie's hand. She looked down, eyes watering and lips pulled into a pout.

"They are simply stating facts." Broo explained, again nodding his head at Kubark. "Thank you for helping me. In a safe way. And don't worry, friend Idie, my exoskeleton protected me from further harm."

Idie agreed, running her fingers over her eyes to dry the tears.

Above them, Cannonball led the other group of students, which Idie and Broo were part of, back to the gardens. Quentin was close behind, and he didn't look down or look for Broo and Idie. In fact, no one actually noticed that four students had left the formation.

"Want me to take him down again?" Julian asked Idie suddenly, taking his hands out of his pockets to show his claws.

Idie grimaced.

"Why would I do that? Why would you do that?"

"Just a suggestion." Julian defended himself. Their tone of voice indicated that they were not. They looked up, his pointy ears moving a little. "Hm. We're free from classes. I can hear the bell."

Kubark let out a protest, still wanting to fly some more. Idie and Broo already felt tired from class and picked up their backpacks to return to Mr. Guthrie. Julian didn't follow them, going straight to the main building, Kubark too.

Seeing his classmates moving away so quickly, Evan urgently opened his mouth, reaching out his hand to get their attention. He didn't really know what to say. He wanted to ask for something, he just didn't know if he should. They were in a terrible mood after the almost accident. Maybe he could help them improve their mood?

First, he had to spit out the words before they left.

"HEY!" He screamed, too loudly. The four looked at him over their shoulders. Evan started to stutter. "Eh... hm... do you guys want to go to the library and do our homework?"

Everyone stopped and turned to him completely, surprised.

"Together? All of us?" Julian asked. "We don't have homework."

"We have philosophy homework about Plato." Idie said a little less suspicious than Kubark or Julian.

"We don't even have a philosophy teacher yet. No one cares." Julian said indifferently. Kubark shouted at them, too close for it not to be painful in their ears.

"Speak for yourself, Creed! I'm not going to damage my grades because you don't want to study!" The prince pointed at Evan. "What makes you think I want to study with you, Adel?"

Okay, that wasn't so nice. Idie was already giving them both dirty looks, and Broo looked nervous, so Evan hurried to continue.

"It's just... I was going to invite you. Just to pass the time. And... I thought you'd have a hard time since you're not from Earth." He told Kubark, who wasn't so happy.

"Are you calling me an idiot?"

"He didn't say that." Idie took a deep breath, trying to be patient with the prince.

"Friend Evan is saying that you might have difficulty understanding the books and materials because you don't speak the same language as us." Broo helped her.

"And it's more fun to do things with other people." Evan smiled hopefully.

Kubark crossed his arms and rolled his eyes behind his visor. However, he didn't seem as selfish as the last few days Evan knew him.

"I highly doubt it. Well then, I will accept your invitation, because I am in a good mood. Feel honored to have the opportunity to study with me."

"Damnit, this kid is so freakin' annoying." Julian muttered to himself, covering his mouth so the translator wouldn't catch it. He looked at Evan. "... can I bring my little brother too? I study with him after class."

Evan smiled even wider. "Of course, there's no problem!"

"Your brother won't have trouble keeping up with our studies, friend?" Broo asked.

Julian shook his head. "He can do his own homework. And believe me, he'll have no problem keepin' up."

So everyone was in agreement. Evan was excited to study with his classmates. For the first time, things didn't seem so tense.

Chapter Text

The rest of the day would be free. After Broo's accident, Julian and Kubark helped the other three take their jet packs back to Cannonball, and even stayed to talk to the teacher when Idie went to tell him what had happened.

The rest of the group were also furious with Quentin, who was irritated that they came at him, stating that he hadn't seen Broo when he passed by and was trying to train. Sam dragged him to Pryde's office, Idie and Broo went together, while Kubark and Evan waited at the front of the room and Julian went to get Hunter.

Both Pryde and Logan took a long time scolding Quentin, pulling his ear about his behavior. The telepath tried to maintain his indifferent attitude, even when he was forced to apologize and taken to punishment.

Broo obviously forgave him very easily, while Idie was still burning with rage even when they went to the library to study. She was already getting fed up with Quire's attitude, and not just him, many others, including Salazar, Kubark and Creed. However, to her surprise, the last two were quite helpful and friendly that day.

They helped her when Cannoball asked them to confirm her story and then were quite nice during the study session they have marked. Julian was quiet, Kubark was complaining about things, but on a minimal level.

Like now, he was irritated by the simplicity of a pen that Evan had given him, pressing it on the paper with unnecessary force, in the other hand he holds his tablet to translate the words more easily.

"Bah, these research gadgets are ridiculous." Kubark said with a raised voice. Someone shushed him behind a bookshelf. Idie lowered her head in shame.

They took a table away from the computers, where the older students gathered to use the internet in secret. Evan had even convinced Professor Coral to let them bring snacks, promising that they wouldn't damage any books.

"It's a pen." Julian grumbled through a mouth full of meat-flavored chips. "What's so ridiculous about that?"

"You're going to break the pen and it's going to spill ink everywhere." Idie scolded him when Kubark continued to press the pen against the notebook with unnecessary force.

Kubark actually stopped, looking at her with irritation. A silent look from Idie made him mutter under his breath. Instead of going back to writing, however, Kubark twirled the pen in his hands, looking curious.

Evan chuckled. He wasn't worried about Kubark breaking his pen. Idie thought he should, and should stop being so nice. She kept an eye on Kubark, and continued to write her essay on Plato.

Their table was full of thick, heavy philosophy books, as the four 9th graders were reviewing the subject so they could write their essays. Hunter and Broo were the only ones with their own books, one for science homework, and the other for advanced classes.

Idie glanced at Hunter, making sure he wasn't uncomfortable. He was a quiet child, very shy, unlike his older brother. They had barely heard Hunter say a word or raise his voice. Idie didn't want to compare him to Julian, but she couldn't help but see how they were almost opposites.

Shy and sweet, serious and tough. Opposites.

She looked away from the little boy when Evan cleared his throat, trying to get Kubark's attention.

"Not to be rude... but does your bodyguard need to be in the same room as us?" He asked softly, leaning above the table.

Everyone turned their heads unsuspiciously (Evan actually streched his neck) to look at the table just behind Kubark's chair. Warbird was on the other side, arms resting on the back of the chair she was sitting. Her empty, white eyes were wide open and fixed on them, never blinking.

Kubark turned to them again and spoke, more quietly. "I'm also not happy with my Warbird's constant presence, but my father demands that she keeps an eye on me."

Fine, it's best to just ignore the bird woman, they decided. Warbird continued to stare. At least she didn't have her sword.

"What did you do to need a fucking Warbird Class Death Bringer to take care of you?" Julian asked, opening more snacks.

Kubark continued playing with the pen in his fingers. Idie was tempted to tell them to focus on their essays. She also wanted to know, though.

"Father is punishing me for destroying the capital."

Evan grimaced, his mouth wide open in shock. Everyone was looking at the prince in disbelief.

"....the capital? The entire capital of the Shi'ar?"

"Just a few buildings." Once again, Kubark was indifferent, shrugging his shoulders. "And a statue of K'ythri. An affront. I already apologized, but he's still upset."

"A blasphemy, my lord." Warbird said from behind him, sounding like she was scolding him. This time speaking in English. "You disrespected the gods and now you're paying."

"SHUT UP, WARBIRD! I ALREADY APOLOGIZED!!"

Julian and Hunter lowered their heads, their ears hurting. Julian gave Kubark a boiling look, punching the prince in the arm. Warbird sat up a little in her seat.

"Can you talk lower? This is a fucking library."

Kubark didn't feel the punch. He just looked at Julian, his knitted eyebrows hidden by his visor. To Idie's surprise, he dropped his shoulders and remained quiet. Which was enough for Warbird to relax as well.

"Are you sure she has to stay here?" Evan asked once again, red eyes darting between Ava'Dara, Julian, and Kubark. And to Hunter, who had pulled his orange beanie down to cover his pointy ears.

"I already told her to stay at the other table. What else do you expect?" Kubark grumbled.

"She... keeps staring." Evan whispered. "Without blinking."

"It's her job." Idie commented, also uncomfortable with the presence of the bodyguard.

She was almost finished with her essay. Professor Lullaby, who was in charge of handing out assignments to students while they searched for a philosophy teacher, had asked for at least thirty lines. Idie had managed to reach forty-five and was feeling proud of herself.

Even with her difficulty adapting from Igbo to English, she managed to write a good text in English. Good enough for her to take a break and grab a bag of cheese chips.

"How did you manage to destroy the capital?" She asked Kubark.

The prince put the pen aside after managing to demount the pieces. Idie's question sparked his ego and he banged a fist on his chest with a smile.

"HA! Nothing is a match for my power! I am a Strontian, pure strength!" His laughter echoed off the high walls of the library.

"And a fucking ego." Julian whispered through sharp teeth. Hunter poked him in the shoulder.

"Okay, but.... why did you destroy the capital?" Evan asked.

Kubark shrugged. Putting the pen back together and handing it to Evan, he pulled his notebook close and went back to writing his essay, which had now reached 15 lines. This time, he was quiet for a moment, looking at his notebook, before responding in a quieter voice.

"....I got bored."

Idie raised an eyebrow. "Bored? Really?" She tried to hold back the judgment in her voice, but failed. Kubark noticed and didn't like it.

"No more questions about why I'm here! I'm already paying for my behavior and that's it!" He said through his teeth and turned his attention back to the books.

Idie and Julian exchanged glances. It would be better not to anger the indestructible prince any longer, no matter the reason. Everyone returned to their tasks. Idie continued her snack, looking over Broo's shoulder as her friend scribbled chemistry formulas in his notebook.

Julian and Evan were putting a lot of energy and concentration into being the small texts in the books. Idie could literally see the smoke coming out of Creed's ears. And Kubark, for once, didn't seem so discontented with the texts he had to read and translate between two languages.

His concentration was broken when Hunter timidly put his book aside and spoke, his voice so low it sounded like a whisper.

"Kubark...."

The prince raised his head, frowning.

"What?"

Hunter hesitated, keeping his shoulders up around his ears. "Your gauntlets. What are they for? I can see they have something besides protecting--"

"You're right, I don't need protection." Kubark grinned. "My gauntlets are made to alter the gravity around me when I have to lift heavy objects."

"Can I see?" Hunter asked.

Kubark nodded and began to remove the protections around his hands. Behind him Warbird stood up from his chair.

"My lord, remember--"

"Warbird, I told you you could follow me if you stayed quiet. Take it, youngling." He threw one of the gauntlets across the table.

Hunter took it and leaned back in the chair, turning the piece of Strontian armor in his hands, analyzing it curiously. Once again, there was a comfortable silence among the group.

Idie folded the bag of snacks and placed it under her notebook so she wouldn't lose it. She leaned back in her chair, taking a look at her classmates busy with their tasks. Until now, Broo had been so quiet and immersed in his calculations that he hadn't contributed to the conversation.

She was worried. Especially after his near fall earlier.

"Are you feeling alright, Broo?" She asks, placing a hand on his shoulder. Broo looks up, still focused on his task.

"Hm? Oh, certainly, friend Idie, you don't need to worry. Today's incident didn't affect me physically." He pats her fingers and goes back to looking at his notebook.

"It was a big scare." Evan says next to him. Broo looks between the two. Then to the rest of the group, who also look at him with concern. Or the closest to that emotion.

"Everything has already been resolved." Broo insists, adjusting his glasses. It's clear he's trying to avoid the subject. "While I don't believe there's a need to punish friend Quentin... I know the teachers are dealing with the situation." He smiled to reassure them.

Hunter puts the gauntlet down, his tired eyes becoming even more melancholy. "Why do you think there is no need to punish Quire?"

"He said it was an accident."

"Of course he said that!" Idie throws her hands up. "Broo, he could have hurt you."

"I don't hold a grudge against him." Broo shrugs.

"It's not about holding a grudge." Evan runs a hand through his blue hair, looking for a way to explain. Broo looks at him with big, innocent eyes. "It's about... Idie, help me here."

Idie turned to Broo, holding his shoulder and speaking cautiously.

"Broo, you're really nice, but Quentin deserved to be punished, you know, right? Accident or not, he needs to be careful around others."

"I don't believe it was an unfortunate accident." Kubark crossed his arms. "Knowing how Quire is."

"Even Prince Mohawk agrees!" Julian said, much to Warbird's and Kubark's annoyance.

"Show respect to my name."

Broo waved his hands, trying to dispel his friends' concern for him.

"I understand everyone is worried about me, but there's no need. Like I said, I'm physically and mentally fine."

"We know. We just..." Evan sighed.

Idie interrupted him, speaking a little more seriously, trying to get her point across to Broo.

"You have to stop acting like anything Quire does to you is just an accident."

Broo's shoulders slumped. His expression became sadder and more guilty behind his round glasses, his ''eyebrows'' rising. His eyes darted over his friends' faces. All with different levels of concern, even if some of them didn't want to show it.

He knew they were right. But he still couldn't fully understand. Quentin hurt him, he's been doing it for the last few weeks. However, Broo has this strong feeling of forgiveness. He doesn't understand why his friends are upset. Isn't that what Earthlings preach so much? Forgiveness?

So much different from his own species. The Brood has no forgiveness. Or any emotion that is not hunger and the instintic of survival and follow the mother's orders.

Terrans have too many emotions, and too many complicated rules. Sometimes they would crash against each other and form a mess of lines that if Broo pulled in one end, would make everything worse.

He sighs and nods, his claws hitting the surface of the table in the rhythm of an opera the scientists that took care of him played once in his cell.

"I understand." He lies. Following the rhythm of the music with his fingers.

That ends this conversation for now. Kubark and Julian still have grimm expressions in their faces, while Evan and Hunter give him pitiful looks. Idie pats him on the head again.

"I'm just glad you're fine."

He nods his head to show he's listening. His chemistry homework is ready. The only ones who still need to finish their essays are Julian and Kubark and Evan. The prince continues to mumble about having to translate between languages.

The library soon begins to fill with students. Elective classes, or lack thereof, lead students to go to the library to pass the time. Just to use the internet, or to chat.

After finishing his essay, with exactly 30 lines, Julian leafed through their notebook, grumbling. Idie leans forward a little, quelling her suspicions that Julian was increasing the size of the letters to reach the mark of thirty lines. She didn't comment.

"Did you guys have the rest of history class notes?" They asked, tapping their pen impatiently over their incomplete notes.

Idie shook her head disapprovingly. "You two should try sitting in the front." She pointed at them and Evan, looking for her notes.

"I like sitting in the back." Julian said, placing their notebook next to hers to finish copying. She saw the way they snorted. Probably because of the strawberry smell her notebook had. "The bad side is looking at the back of Kubark's head."

"What are you talking about me?" Kubark looked up, missing their words. Julian shrugged and he let it go.

"You cannot enjoy the lecture properly if you stay too far from the board, friend Julian." Broo gave Evan his own notebook

"Agh. Translating everything into Shi'ar is tiring." Kubark threw his pen down on his notebook and stretched his arms.

"Why are we even reading this?" Julian was bored, looking at Idie's perfect notes. She doddled Broo smiling on the top of the page. A bamf and four other people he couldn't recognize. "Logan thinks we are kids?"

"Reviewing a new topic can help with memorization and understanding. Practicing reading--"

"I already know that, Broo." Julian sighed, a hand running on his forehead. Even with memorization exercises, he had problems actually remembering stuff. ADHD was amazing when he had to learn something important for classes. "But we learned about the dinosaur thing at the beginning of school, right?"

"How many 'n' are in 'extinction'?" Evan asked Broo. The alien wrote it down for him.

"I believe it's a topic taught in 3th grade, yes."

Julian grumbled. He really liked history, it was his favorite subject. Studying with Logan was very different from studying at home with Dad.

Dad taught what he knew, but Julian could always research what they wanted to learn and delve deeper into the things that interested them. Having to follow a single line of study didn't seem appealing to them.

"Professor Logan plans to review all of Terran history, from the beginning." Broo explained. "As far as research goes back. Many students have never attended school, and many have had to pause their education due to conflicts in recent years."

"It makes sense." Evan agreed. "I learned very vaguely about the prehistoric era."

"It shouldn't be called 'prehistoric', should it?" Kubark questioned. "There were already reports of civilizations at that time, right?"

"It is but scientists weren't aware of it until today." Hunter muttered. He had returned to studying Kubark's gauntlet in his hands, mouth full of chips.

Idie hummed, thinking about the history class they had. She also found it interesting, especially because now they would learn more about mutants. She didn't know much about them, no one did, really. After her first (and only) visit to the Museum of Mutant History, she had become curious.

Unfortunately, there were no more chances for her or other mutants to learn.

She sighed and put her memories of the museum away deep inside, just like Rachel and Hope had taught her.

"I didn't even know mutants existed before… you know." Idie said, waving a hand toward an old '92 X-Men poster on a nearby shelf.

Broo quickly raised one of his hands, ready to rattle off the matter. It was a cute sight.

"Recent studies indicate that mutants have been on this planet for many, many, many years before the Cretaceous Extinction and the beginning of the Cenozoic Era, even before humans and Lemurians evolved from the first mammals and sea creatures that survived the asteroid impact. "

He said breathlessly, a big toothy grin on his insectoid face. Evan frowned. He and Idie are confused, and curious. Julian and Hunter weren't that confused, they just nodded.

"The Lemurians?" Idie repeated. She tried to remember if she had heard that word. At the museum or in classes.

Broo shook his head.

"They are one of the first three species to inhabit on the planet, shortly after the beginning of what Terrans call the Oxygen Age or Period of Oxidation, while the first mutants appeared earlier." Broo continued. "According to studies at the Baxter Building, the first mutants appeared first--"

"They're called the Enriched." Julian drawled, laying his chin on the table.

Broo agreed again and the feral continued, with less excitement that his colleague.

"First the Enriched, also known as Okkari, the Lemurians, who live at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, the Humans, the Inhumans, the Talokanil and then the mutants of today." He says, counting on his fingers. "Some studies believe that today's mutants are like a cross between humans and the first mutants."

"It's just a theory." Hunter mumbles. "Can't forget the vampires either."

Evan waves his hands in the air, his confusion clear. "Why haven't we ever heard of this?"

"I heard." Idie said. Then her expression changed to guilt and she shrugged. More memories of the museum flash through her eyes. "I mean, I read something like that at the Museum of Mutant History."

Julian agrees. They lean back in their chair so he can look at the three of them.

"These studies are as new as the discovery of the existence of Wakanda, the Inhumans and such. It was in... 2001 that we started to learn more about mutants." He says and once again Broo raises his head, apparently happy to be able to talk about this with someone.

"Ever since the Okkari revealed themselves to the world, people have been trying to learn more about mutants." Broo continues. "However, with the increase in anti-mutant attacks, they have closed their borders again."

"Like Wakanda did. And Talokan and Attilan." Hunter commented. He wrote down something, studying Kubark's armor.

"And with the destruction of the Mutant History Museum, they don't feel safe." Julian frowns. "The attack destroyed many things important to the history of the Okkari. Now they're pissed. Rightfully so."

Idie listens to everything with curiosity. She read some of it at the Museum, she remembers. Some of her memories of what happened that day are confused, Ms. Summers said it's just her brain trying to protect her. It doesn't matter, she doesn't remember anyway.

However, she remembers standing next to Prodigy reading about William Stryker, whether she wanted to or not, he was an important point in mutant history. She read about Okkara, the lost nation, the hidden kingdom in Africa, where mutants hid after the first Okkara was destroyed.

She doesn't remember how, exactly. But, as always, humans were not receptive to the Okkari. Then there was Krakoa, the first one. The mutant island that attacked the X-Men was then defeated.

A wave of guilt hits her. She wonders if the Krakoa in their gardens knows this.

"The Okkari?" Evan repeats, sounding lost in the conversation.

"The first mutants, the Enriched, they lived in Okkara, the first mutant nation." Julian explains. "It's the ancestor of Krakoa."

"Ah! His grandmother?!" Kubark asks aloud.

"Apparently."

"Can a walking island have a grandmother?" Idie chuckled. The idea is a little absurd. Something from fairy tales.

"The Okkari say that Okkara is basically a person. So..." Hunter shrugs.

"The more I think about it, the weirder it is."

"Well, we'll learn more about that in Logan's classes." Julian says. He grimaces. "As long as he keeps things interesting, or I'll end up skipping it."

Evan made a face at the word 'skipping'.

"What happened to Okkara then?" Kubark crosses his arms, curious and interested in the subject, however, maintaining his facade of indifference. "If there is a place for mutants, why don't you live there?"

Hunter replied, in the same smooth monotone voice.

"After their destruction, the Enriched moved to Africa and founded the New Kingdom of Okkara, and only revealed themselves to the world in 2001, after Apocalypse arrived and all that shit between the X-Men and the Horsemen." He shrugged and suddenly felt Julian kicking his leg under the table.

Looking at the table, he found golden eyes angrily alerting him to stay quiet. Not mention Apocalypse, the look said. Hunter raises his eyebrows and glanced at Evan, who was looking to the table in the middle of expelling 'Cretaceous'.

He didn't noticed the brothers looking at him.

"And they closed down after... after M-Day, and after the destruction of Genosha." Idie continued in a mutter, looking down.

"When did this happen?" Evan questioned, finally looking up.

"The destruction of Genosha?" Hunter counted on his fingers. "Six years ago?"

Idie looked at Evan and noticed that he had a confused expression on his face, as if he was troubled by something. Or just... conflicted. As always, Evan seemed to have a lot on his mind. Too many things on his shoulders and he didn't know how to deal with it. Idie understands, she's seen that same expression on Hope for a long time.

"What's wrong, Genesis?"

Evan looked up at her. Seeing that she has noticed his mood, he shakes his head.

"Just thinking. No big deal." He picks up the books and continues the conversation, wanting to take the attention off himself. "It seems that our story goes much further than I thought."

"It would be interesting if we could delve deeper into the subject." Broo said excitedly, kicking his little legs in the air. "The X-Men have been in contact with the Okkari since before they came out of sigil, it would be wonderful if they could bring someone in to give us a more in-depth lecture on mutant history."

"Or maybe they'll just ask Krakoa." Julian said.

"How would we do that?" Kubark asked. "We cannot understand what he says."

"The Okkari can."

Kubark agreed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. For the first time, Idie could tell he was interested in the conversation. Relaxed, maybe even enjoying their company.

"So Krakoa is super old." He said with the softest, truly playful smile she had ever seen.

"Not our Krakoa. He's practically a baby." She laughed.

Really, Krakoa acts like a child, always laughing, playing pranks and wanting attention. The only threat he posed is the size and power he carries. A huge, super powerful child who lives underground.

"That explains all this energy." Kubark laughs too. Hunter hands him his gauntlet carefully and the prince nods slightly to him and puts his armor in place. "So if Okkara is a walking island, and it's super old... how did it survive the asteroid?"

Evan frowned, thinking.

"She can't be that old."

Idie shook her head. "According to studies and exhibits at the History Museum, Okkara is the oldest living creature." She shrugged regretfully. "Or it was. And the previous Krakoa is old too. And our Krakoa is the youngest."

"So Okkara lived during the extinction of the dinosaurs?" Evan ran a finger under his chin, thinking. "Ah, if it's a mutant island... maybe it hid underwater or something."

Idie makes an 'ah' softly. Broo kicks his paws, tapping his claws on his knees. Kubark once again slammed one fist on the table and the other on his chest, scaring the Creeds and their super sensitive hearing.

"See? That Okkara survived the asteroid for years! Those dinosaurs are weak!" He laughs loudly, his voice echoing in the library as the translator calmly relays his words to the group.

Idie hid her face at the echo of 'hush' and 'silence' that followed. For the first time, Kubark slumped in his chair and closed his mouth. Evan laughed softly at the prince's literally flushed face.

Julian rubbed his ears, growling softly. Idie felt sorry. She had spent enough time with Primal, when she was in the Lights, and learned that feral mutants' hearing was too sensitive. Teon adapted well to the noise of Utopia, and didn't seem that bothered unless someone screamed too close to him when he was trying to nap.

Julian and Hunter looked like they were still getting used to school, to the sounds of other people. Hunter didn't have that much of a problem, she noticed that he, unlike Julian, had hearing closer to hers, while the older of the two had even more sensitive hearing than Teon.

Maybe the teachers could give him something to cover his ears, he wouldn't have so much trouble (especially when he has to be in the same class as Kubark) adapting. Why haven't they done this yet? Or did Julian not tell them about his ears?

He seemed like the type.

"Adel, finish copying those notes." Kubark said in a lower tone, still harsh, however. "I need it too."

"Didn't you copy everything? You sit in the front."

"I cannot write everything and translate it at the same time." Kubark took Broo's notebook and passed the notes into his own.

Idie wondered if he really understood what was written, or was just copying the words. It would be worse if that were the case. Why doesn't Kubark ask Ms. Summers use his telepathy to help him understand them? Using the universal translator seemed more difficult.

Julian leaned back in their chair, making a metal bending noise. This time they didn't put his feet on the table, at least.

"How did they know it was an asteroid?" They ask Hunter. Their little brother lifts his head, big eyes shining a little. "Logan explained about the asteroid crash. But there must be a way for them to know that this is what actually caused the lizards to go extinct, right?"

Hunter nodded slowly, speaking in that low, hesitant voice.

"Iridium."

"Hmm?" Idie turned to the little boy. Evan, Broo, and Kubark also looked at him. The attention he received made Hunter hesitate and lower his head even further between his shoulders.

"Er... hm. The crater is called Chicxulub Crater. When it was discovered, scientists detected a high concentration of iridium."

"And?" Evan encouraged him to keep talking. Kubark was the one who responded, with certainty in his voice.

"It's rare to find iridium on Earth, but it's very common to find it on asteroids."

"How do you know that?" Julian asked, annoyed that the prince interrupted his brother.

"I lived in one."

Hunter agrees with Kubark, continuing his explanation.

"Iridium levels were very high at the crash site so they theorized that it ended up spreading when the asteroid hit Earth. They also found that the date of the asteroid crash matched..." his voice trails off slowly. He notices that everyone is still looking at him, paying attention to his explanation. Even so, he loses confidence. "...with the date of the extinction of the dinosaurs..."

He stops talking and remains quiet, playing with his claws, which are smaller than his brother's. Idie is impressed, Hunter said everything quickly and even demonstrated that he understood what he was saying. Like Broo, only with less confidence.

"How did you manage to remember all that, Hunter?" She asks cautiously, smiling at him to try and boost his mood.

It doesn't work and Hunter just shrugs without looking up. "I read it..." He murmurs and Julian pats him on the back.

"You read it? Where?" Idie repeats, not judging. Just curious. Hunter still keeps his eyes down.

"I don't remember, I just read it."

"What are you studying, Hunter?" Evan asks, trying to do the same as Idie.

Hunter pulls the books up. They are also about science, as advanced as Broo's.

"Glass manufacturing process and volcanic lava solidification process."

"Vulcan?" Kubark raised his head.

"Volcanic." Bro explains. "Something that comes from volcanoes, related to lava. Or an individual considered temperamental."

"Reminds you of someone?" Julian mutters so that Kubark can't really hear.

Kubark pulls the translator from around his neck, pressing the tiny buttons.

"I believe my translator needs calibration." He turns half his body to shout over the chair. "WARBIRD!"

"I'm right here, my lord."

Ava'Dara doesn't flinch when he screams in her face, just stares straight ahead.

Kubark lets out a soft 'ah'.

"You're so quiet it seems like you have gone away. Could I perhaps have a different translator? This one continues to mix up the words Terrans use."

"Maybe the problem is the difference in grammar." Idie says, looking at the Creeds from the corner, knowing that they are getting tired of Kubark. "Sometimes we use the same words for different things."

"I'll see what I can do." Ava'Dara promises Kubark anyway.

"Also, find me a trim. My hair is getting long." Kubark runs his hand through his red hair.

"Yes, my lord." Ava'Dara holds back a sigh of irritation.

With the homework ready (Julian was done with 30 lines and nothing more), the study session was over. Evan also invited them to have dinner at the same table and they did. He was more in a good mood after that, no one minded sitting together that night.

They got a table outside, in the yard next to the cafeteria, behind the Ice Castle. It was cold outside, the lamps giving the trees around an eery look. Yet, comfortable.

Warbird was sitting in the steps that led to the path of the cemetery and the gardens, sharpening her swords, her back facing the kids so she won't have to interact with them. She looks over her shoulder, seeing the kids, for the first time, sounding more comfortable. She looks back at her sword and stays quiet.

Broo and Hunter talked in hushed tones at the corner of the table about their studies. Idie and Evan argued about Logan's classes, their books by their side. Kubark almost started another fight if Julian hadn't dragged him back to the table when he slowed down the line again. He was rambling about something Julian couldn't catch.

"Ugh, beets." The feral put his tongue out, pushing the pieces of raw beets to the corner of his plate.

"What are beets?" Kubark asks with his mouth full of pasta.

"You should eat, Julian. It's good for growing." Evan said in that cheerful tone.

Idie was already pushing her pieces of vegetables out of her rice.

"I don't like beets. Potatoes and carrots are fine, beets are an affront."

Broo chuckled at Julian's words. He had no problem eating the vegetables. "Oh, I love beetroot. Friend Evan is right. It's very nutritious and is rich in potassium, vitamin C, iron--"

Evan raised an hand to slow down Broo, Julian slapped it down.

"--folate and fiber. It is also good for blood pressure."

Julian sighed. "You want mine?" He raised his plate.

"You should eat it, Jules." Hunter said with a pout. "Mama said it's good."

"I can survive one night without it."

Broo raised his plate and stood in his seat, Julian pushed the raw beets to the alien's plate, staying with only his potatoes and carrots. Kubark was eyeing their food.

"Is it good? I want to try some!"

"You have in your plate." Idie looked at his plate. "Were are your vegetables?"

"I didn't get them." Kubark waved his fork, gruting as Broo offered some of the extra vegetables he had gotten. He bit one carrot. "Ah... it's not bad."

"You can have mine too, Broo." Hunter said. Julian punched him on the arm.

"No way. You're eating all that green shit."

"What?" Hunter gasped, kicking his brother's leg. "Why?! You're not eating yours!"

"I'm older than you. I can do whatever I want."

"I'm not a rabbit." Hunter pouted and chewed his vegetables.

"Looks like one."

Idie rolled her eyes at the brothers antics. She took a sip of her strawberry shake, looking at Broo, so happy with his vegetables, kicking his legs and swaying from side to side.

"Hey, Broo, do you want to try my shake?" She asked and he looked at her with big eyes.

"Are you sure, friend? It's your dinner."

She shrugged. "Yes, you can try it."

Broo took the cup from her hands, hesitantly, giving her a last look to make sure he's allowed to drink, and took a sip. The instant the drink touched his "lips", his eyes widened and he jumped on his seat.

"Oh! It's amazing! It's very, very good!" He took another sip. It was clear he was enjoying it, because he forgot that it belonged to Idie. "Oh, no! I'm sorry, friend Idie. I shouldn't--"

She giggled and waved her hands in front of her. "No problem, Broo. It's alright, I'm not mad. Do you want the rest?"

"But... it's your drink..."

"Yes, and I'm giving it to you." She rest her chin on her hand, going back to finish her dinner. "Enjoy it."

Broo was feeling a little guilty. Just a little, he really liked the strawberry shake. Putting it aside, he made sure to eat and drink a fair amount so he could have a last sip to the end. Kubark liked the carrots and potatoes too, and Evan and Julian gave him some of theirs. Of course, Hunter was not allowed to get rid of his vegetables.

At nine o'clock at night, half an hour before curfew, everyone went their separate ways to get ready for bed. The Creeds and Evan shared the same floor, but the two brothers left early, biding their goodbye to the others.

"Good night, everyone." Evan waved them off, clearly still in a good mood. "Ahlam Saeeda!"

"Noches." Julian responded and took their brother's hand, carrying the science books under his free arm. "Come on, Hunter."

"Night." Hunter muttered shyly and followed Julian.

"See you tomorrow, prince."

Kubark snorted at Evan, pouting as he stood up from the table.

"Don't be so nice, I don't want others to think we are comrades." He said and flew out the front door. Warbird followed him outside, where they slept in the towers above the building.

"He's a sweetheart, isn't he?" Idie asked sarcastically. She took the remains of her dinner and took it to the kitchen, where it would be washed. Broo and Evan did the same, the alien had already finished his strawberry shake and was in a very cheerful mood.

"It was fun, was it not?" Evan asked.

"I admit... I thought it would be worse."

"Why?"

"Kubark and Julian aren't very nice." Idie said with a sigh. Broo nodded and reached over to place his tray in the sink, standing on the end his toes.

"They've been pretty friendly so far." He said with that same good humor as Evan. "Despite their temper and tendency to use profanity words and speak in a raised tone of voice. And friend Julian's brother is a great company."

"I told you they're not that bad, Idie." Evan shrugged. "If you're nice and know how to talk to them. They're very friendly. Kubark even helped me today in classes."

Idie touched his shoulder gently with a soft smile. "You're so nice, Evan."

"Thanks?" He said slowly, not knowing if it was a good thing or a bad thing. "You are, too."

"See you tomorrow." Idie said goodbye and left the kitchen. Broo waved at Evan.

"I'm heading to the lower levels if you need anything." He left with a little bounce in his step.

Evan remained in a good mood for the rest of the night. Idie too. She didn't think things between her classmates would always be so peaceful, however, she felt the sense of peace she had been searching for since the first day of school.

Chapter Text

Idie never forgot to pray the rosary. Not once.

Every day, she kneels in front of her bed and prays, morning and night. It's one of the only things she feels she still has control over. One of the last things she brought from home and that she still keeps with her despite all the bad memories.

Even the good memories she had of her home have turned into sad memories since her mutation manifested.

But she prays. Every day. Without fail. It's the only way to assuage her sins, she tells herself.

The sun hasn't risen yet, the sky is dark outside, so Idie murmurs the words to herself, kneeling in front of the bed with the rosary wrapped in her hands.

".... pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." She makes the sign of the cross on her chest and stands, her knees hurting as she stretches.

Times like this there is nothing to do. It's a long time before she has to go to class and she doesn't want to disturb the silence of the morning. The entire school is quiet.

She can't sleep. It's been so long since she's been able to get a full night's sleep. Fire and ice flash before her eyes whenever she falls into a deep slumber. And sounds of explosions echoes in her ears even after she opens her eyes. So she stopped trying. Taking a shower is what's left.

She almost freezes in the shower. Or she should. At least she doesn't feel so cold these days. It's weird. Her mutation is the perfect balance between cold and heat. She either freezes when it's hot, or heats up when it's cold outside. Her body is always looking for that balance.

One of the only good things about her curse.

The digital clock on the bedside indicates that there are two hours left before classes start. More time to kill. With a sigh, Idie marks a red X on the calendar hanging on the wall next to the window.

When she steps away, she stops and looks at the open window, and sees two golden eyes staring at her in the middle of the darkness of the garden, a completely black figure is standing on the grass, looking at her. As has been happening lately.

This time, she didn't get scared, she just crossed her arms and looked back, challenging him. The strange figure shrugged in the darkness and turned their back to her, continuing with their walk. Idie watched him go, shaking her head in irritation.

"Julian Creed, you idiot." She mumbled softly.

She didn't know when Julian started running in the gardens in the mornings, but she's sure she only started noticing them a few days ago. The first few times, she was scared, of course, when she saw golden eyes in the dark. There were moments she thought it was a spirit coming to get her soul or something. It wouldn't be the strangest thing to happen at school.

Then she realized that it was nothing more than her idiot colleague. Julian didn't notice her at first, until a few days ago they started playing the stupid staring game whenever she went to the window. And she finally noticed them.

Idie wondered why Julian did that. If he was spying on her, or if they just wanted to scare her a little. She didn't think they would be the type to do something weird, just the type who liked to play stupid pranks.

She saw them playing with their brother in the hallways, the kind of dumb games boys like. Grabbing and pushing. She never liked it, and she really didn't want to be part of whatever Julian was planning.

She has free time, so she decided that leaving the dorm wouldn't hurt, she could to go back and change into her uniform before breakfast.

She took off her silk bonnet and tucked it into her favorite headband, putting a jacket over her clothes before slowly leaving the room, walking carefully through the eerily quiet hallways.

Julian was already waiting for her when she stepped onto the grass in the garden. He was much more awake than she was and didn't feel cold, even though he was wearing thin shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Idie has never seen them so casual, he is usually always covered up. She never saw them outside of class, either.

And why the hell he is running barefoot?

"What are you doing out here?" She keeps her arms crossed, looking at them reprimandingly.

Julian shrugs. He didn't turn to her, but she knew he had already heard her before she got close.

"Running. Exercising." He responds casually. Lowering himself to sit on the still wet grass, legs half bent like a bored child. "Why?"

"The sun isn't even up yet. There's no one out here but you."

"Exactly how I like it."

Idie sits down next to him, a chill runs down her spine as the grass touches her shins. Immediately she notices the subtle warmth coming from Julian and does the same with her own mutation. The cold disappears and her entire body is filled with a pleasant warmth.

"Were you spying on me?" She asks after a minute of silence. Julian looks at her from the side, face turned to the sky. "In my window. You were--"

"I wasn't spying." He says. Idie is not convinced. Julian sighs and speaks more sincerely, turning to face her, to give her words more confidence. "I swear. I just passed by your room, there's a drinkin' fountain and a vine right next to your window."

Idie frowns. It is not a good answer. Not even if it makes sense. Why would he stop in front of his window because of this? She asks them.

"Older students use it to escape at night." Julian responds. "I wanted to check it out."

"And why do you stop in front of my window?" Idie insists. Julian lets out a husky chuckle.

"You and Adel are too easy to scare. And you always appear at the window when I pass by."

Idie rolls her eyes. Pushing her elbow into Julian's shoulder. "You're so funny, Creed." She says sarcastically, making them laugh even harder. "How do you know students climb my wall?"

"I saw them climbing back over the weekend." He responds simply. As if it didn't matter. She knows that for him, it doesn't really matter. Idie, on the other hand, is worried, and makes it clear.

"Did you tell the teachers?"

"It's none of my business." Julian shrugs.

"You know it's dangerous for us to leave the school, they can't sneak out like this. You should tell Ms. Pryde."

"I'd rather not get involved."

They clicks their tongue and continues to sit with their elbows on their knees, looking at the tree line surrounding the school grounds. His expression of disinterest stays on. Idie, as much as she wants to stay away from Julian, recognizes the bitter tone and this terrible feeling he carries.

She still feels it, has felt it since her powers activated and since she left the Museum of Mutant History alive. Julian always seemed to have something bad in the back of their mind, he always seemed uncomfortable, alert, even within the safety of the school walls, he kept himself guarded and tense. Idie didn't understand why. As much as she tried not to cling to the security that the teachers offered, Idie couldn't help but feel comfortable, to let herself enjoy this peace they offered.

She liked the place. She liked the routine, the people, maybe even the chaotic aura around her. Living among the X-Men brought that. She had gotten used to it, even if sometimes it was too much and she wished she could go out and have silence.

She didn't understand why Julian was always... distant. Like Quire, they had an irritated and tired behavior. And yet different. She doesn't like their attitude, their rude and rough way, which is why it surprised her when Julian became nicer since they studied together in the library on Monday. Because of Evan, perhaps, and his always friendly and kind personality.

Evan had said that Julian could be nice if you knew how to talk to him. Idie never tried to start a conversation, even after they continued to meet at the library. He spends more time talking to his brother, or Evan, because Evan is the one bringing up the conversation, or yelling at Kubark.

They never had much to talk about. Only when they want to talk bad about Quire. Or when they stay silent while waiting for Evan and the others to arrive to study.

Like now, the two remain silent side by side. And Idie can feel herself starting to sweat with... nervousness?

Creed notices her staring and lets out a deep sigh, waving his hands in the air.

"I don't want to draw attention to myself. These bastards hate me enough already." He says bitterly, golden eyes hardening. Idie notices that their pupils become narrower, like a cat's.

"Don't swear." She asks, a little more softly. Julian's words capture her attention and bring a bitter feeling to her mouth. "...why would they hate you? You didn't..."

Julian gives her a "really?" look, raising an eyebrow. Idie snorts at his silent sarcasm.

"You've never done anything bad to anyone." She insists. Because it is true. Julian did not go to detention at any point. He didn't even start fights. "You only got into a fight on the first day."

Yes, and he got into a heated argument with another classmate on Tuesday. He kept a cool head (ha ha) the whole time, so it doesn't count.

"And on the weekend." Julian tells, just to make sure she knows. "I tried to set Glob on fire." Idie opens her mouth, stunned. Julian tries to defend themself. "What? He was being a pain in the ass."

Fair enough, Idie doesn't like her wax-covered classmate either. She doesn't think he's evil, just a big bully who never grew up and is still stuck in high school. And he's fire resistant, so it doesn't count.

"Why don't they like you?" She asks gently, leaning forward to look at Julian, who keeps his back hunched to cower.

"I don't expect any of them to trust us. You know that." He growls, hands gripping the ends of their shorts. Idie never payed much attention to their claws, and it's hard to see them in the dark. "They look at me and see somethin' they don't like."

Idie looks away, feeling something poke her chest.

Julian remains quiet in that irritated way of his, looking ahead, Krakoa woke up and started playing with the bamfs, running after them near the lake. The sun was already rising. Pink began to invade the dark blue sky, bringing orange and yellow with it.

The lights hit their backs, giving them a grimm appearance.

Idie sighs and changes the subject. "Well, we're all still classmates here. We need to look out for each other!" She says for sure. "We should tell the teachers that the older students are sneaking out."

Julian shakes his head. "You can tell Pryde about this, but you need to have proof." He points out and Idie realizes her hands are tied. She knows the teachers wouldn't really believe it if it was just her and Julian telling them about the escapes.

The school begins to come to life. Julian stands, brushing grass from his shorts. Idie does the same, still hugging herself to stay warm, at least the sunlight warms her skin when he touches her.

She's ready to go back to her room and get ready for classes, her stomach is growling. When she looks at Julian, she notices that his ears are flapping a little. Like Primal's and Mr. Logan's. But Julian's have more prominent ends.

"Hungry?" They ask with a shit-eating grin. Idie's face heats up.

"Just a little! I haven't had breakfast yet."

"You can get food from the kitchen." Julian says with a bit of irritation. "Or ask Krakoa to make you some apples."

He starts walking back to the main building. No, he starts to turn around, heading further to the side, closer to the edge of the forest.

"You should go back, we have class in a bit." She screams, running after him.

"Thanks for caring so much about my grades." Julian ignores her warning and continues walking, always slowly.

"You're so annoying!" Idie catches up and follows him. Julian knows it's true.

The two go around the building, heading to the left side, where Idie's room is, on the third floor. Her bedroom window is still open and, as Julian said, there's a drinking fountain just below it. And going up the entire wall of the building to the top floor, a climbing plant.

Idie crosses her arms and analyzes it. It looks new. A little unnatural. This part of the building was renovated just before classes started, there wouldn't have been time for a plant to grow so fast. And there would be no way anyone could use it to climb.

There were little bars on the wall, sure, to help the plant grow, but it didn't go all the way to the end of the building. This plant had roots as thick as vines, hidden between small leaves.

"They must have asked Krakoa to grow it." Idie concludes. "I don't remember this being here before."

Julian grabs one of the vines and pulls it down, once, twice, three times. When nothing snaps or moves out of place, they put their feet on the wall and lifts himself up a little. Idie gets nervous and prepares to catch him, or try, if he falls.

"This thing should hold a person's weight no problem." The feral returns to the ground, hiding the vine once again.

"How did they convince Krakoa to grow this?"

"Krakoa likes to help. He's literally a baby. Plus, I heard you can bribe him with bags of fertilizer." Julian whispers it to her like it's a big secret. "It's his favorite snack."

"Idiots." Idie says through her teeth.

Students begin to wake up and prepare for classes. The hallways fill with life and she can hear some people running around. Above the building, students jump from the towers and fly to the cafeteria.

Idie pats Julian on the shoulder.

"Come on, we have class in a bit."

"See you later." They turns their back and goes on their way. Idie looks at his back for a moment, then shouts.

"You know my name, don't you?" She asks. Julian turns around again, confused. Idie laughs and crosses her arms. "I've never heard you say my name."

"Of course I know your name!" He exclaims, sounding anxious, as if he's been caught in the act.

"Then why are you embarrassed?" She laughs some more when smoke comes out of Julian's nostrils and he turns his back to her.

In the cafeteria, Idie sat with Broo, as she has done since their first day. Evan joined them that morning, shyly bidding them good morning and asking permission to sit. Idie had no problems, nor did Broo. Evan is pleasant company, he just got a little clumsy after waking up and tripped over his untied shoelaces.

The Creeds arrived later as Julian had to take a shower and Hunter doesn't do things without him. Julian always helps his little brother get his breakfast, keeping Hunter in front of him so no one pushes him or gets too close. They sit together at the window, or take their food to tables outside.

Today they sat with the group, saying a good morning shyly to them.

Kubark is alone most of the time. His Warbird accompanies him. Everyone keeps their distance. Idie is sure she never saw Warbird eat. She's not sure if it's because she's too busy watching Kubark, or if she just doesn't trust Earth's food.

"I didn't know there is porridge." Evan commented on Hunter's hot bowl.

"They just added it yesterday." Hunter tells him, with a very good humor, his voice still quiet as a whisper. "It is sooo good."

"Have you seen who works in the kitchen?" Evan asks his friends.

"I believe the teachers take shifts." Broo responds by chewing his bread. He doesn't seem to like it that much, as it easily falls apart between his sharp teeth. "Ms. Pryde is looking for cooks, and more staff to help with the cleaning."

"Isn't it strange that we don't have that many teachers or staff?"

"No." Julian and Hunter spoke at the same time.

Idie shrugged, not finding it strange. She knew very well why, it was difficult to find qualified people to work at the school, even if they were mutants. She was sure that half of her teachers didn't have degrees about the subjects they taught.

"Not many people like working with mutants." Julian said.

"And Mr. Logan is super paranoid, he doesn't want to accept any humans, he's... afraid they'll try something." Idie agrees, her voice getting weak towards the end.

"Try something? Like what?"

"Like what?" Roxy repeats Evan's words, sitting at the table next to them. She turns around with a stunned expression. "Like what happened in Genosha, Utopia, at the school a few years ago."

Evan lowers his head a little, also turning his body so he can look at Roxy. The students sitting at her table also give Evan judgmental looks.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very up to recent events." He says shyly.

"Where do you live?" One of the boys at the other table, with the spider mutation, four arms and seven eyes, asks aggressively. "Under a rock?"

Evan frowns at his tone.

"I'm from Kansas."

Julian looks turns their head at him with confusion clear.

"And you never--"

"Leave him, Tarantula." Anole scolds his colleague. "Not everyone can know about everything."

Idie tried to make conversation back at their table. "Well, it looks like Mr. Logan found some mutants from Utopia to help."

"Ah, that sounds good." Evan said emotionlessly, now uncomfortable. Idie saw him put his hands under the table to scratch his skin with his nails, as he always does when nervous.

"The X-Men-- the other X-Men are helping rebuild Genosha." Hunter corrected himself, speaking quietly as always. "Some people are moving back there, so it looks like things are going well."

"What happened in Genosha?" Evan said and once again, the other table jumped into the air at his innocent and naive manner.

"The Genoshan Massacre." Roxy said, obviously. The information flashed just above Evan's head and he just stared.

"Hm?"

Roxy sighed and sat back on the bench to explain to Evan, speaking a little more quietly, while the cafeteria continued with the same noise as always.

"A few years ago, Cassandra Nova, a crazy mutant, helped in the destruction of the island. She created a super weapon to kill mutants. A lot of people died, the place was destroyed. It was the biggest mutant massacre in history."

Evan raised his eyebrows in horror, Idie covered her mouth, Broo lowered his head.

"That's horrible! What happened to that woman?"

Roxy shook her shoulders, holding out her hands.

"The X-Men put her in a super secure cell and threw her into space." Julian spoke over her, nonchalantly, his mouth full of food. "It looks like she's in a SHIELD prison or something, on the other side of the galaxy."

"And two years ago, when the X-Men tried to repair the island, it was attacked by the Inner Circle." Tarantula continued arrogantly, his fangs tickling together.

Idie saw Broo mirroring Evan's lost expression, both looking between their classmates, feeling left out of the things they knew. Julian noticed this and placed the remains of his sandwich on his plate, leaning in and speaking in an even lower voice.

"They were like a cult that preached mutant superiority. Their leader was crazy, she kidnapped mutant children, experimented on them. Then she attacked the island, but..." their face became darker, hesitating to continue. As if he was remembering something. "The X-Men stopped her and she was killed by her own followers."

"Why are you whispering?" Evan whispered back.

"Because of Inferno and Ms. Lullaby." Julian nods at the door, as if the two women could walk in at any moment. "They were part of the Circle before."

He sits down again and Idie notices a kind of anger when he says the last part, directed not at Evan or his classmates but at his teachers.

"But, they're nice..." Broo speaks softly with a melancholy expression.

Anole stands on the table, eyes bulging. "Inferno? Nice? She's crazy, just like her mother. That's why she was one of the strongest in the Circle." He shakes his head exasperatedly.

Evan, like Broo, now seemed to doubt his teacher. He knew that Inferno was not the most caring hand among teachers, he had exactly one Combat class with her and hated it, and he knew that most of the students detested her. However, she is a teacher, there should be a reason for her to be there, teaching them. Now, the idea of ​​Inferno being a "villain" makes him have second thoughts.

"That means they're villains."

"That's right." Anole and Tarantula nod at the same time.

"Don't go calling people villains." Idie scolded, imitating the harsh look Roxy was giving the boys.

"Villains, heroes, vigilantes." Julian shrugred, finishing their sandwich. "These are terms created to divide 'superhumans' since the beginning of the Age of Heroes."

"The Inner Circle has done a lot of shit since... a long time ago." Roxy stated. "They worked with Apocalypse, kidnapped mutant children, and destroyed Genosha."

"They worked with Sinister." Hunter muttered. Idie had forgotten he was there. Hunter was quiet, finishing his food, now with an indescribable expression. Something between fear and anxiety, he was lost in thought.

"So!" Tarantula clapped once. "Villains."

"...why..." Broo cleared his throat, something he didn't really need to do, and straightened his tie. "Why would Mr. Logan let them work here? If they are villains?" He asked, uncertainly.

"I don't know, maybe he thinks he can--"

"Oh, come on, Idie!" Anole interrupted Idie before she could finish. "It's not like Magneto being nicer and shit. I mean, Lullaby, as far as I know, she always helped a lot." He shrugged uncertainly, waving his hands. "But Inferno is nothing more than a clown from the Inner Circle."

"Dude, shut up or keep your voice down." Roxy warned him and looked at Idie and Evan. "But I agree. I don't know what Mr. Logan had in his head letting her come teach us."

Idie shook her head, lifting her back to speak with more certainty. She didn't like Salazar either, she hated her, in fact; however, she couldn't deny that the fire woman had helped a lot since the attack on Genosha. Rither because she really wanted to, or as a way to make amends for her mistakes.

"Inferno helped the mutants on Utopia after the Inner Circle attacked." Idie's words surprised her classmates. Yes, she hated having to say it. “And she's been helping ever since.”

Evan shook his head. Idie could see he was tense, a little distant, and turned to sit upright on the bench, placing his arms on the table, he looked at his now cold eggs on the plate.

"They are right." He said and Idie and Broo raised their eyebrows together. Julian was frowning at his colleague. "Villains don't change, I believe. In the end, we are what we were made to be, aren't we?"

Julian scoffed, looking offended by Evan. More than that, irritated. Angry. Something else Idie couldn't read.

"And who the fuck told you that, Adel?"

Evan's face softened a little.

"My uncle..."

"Well, your uncle's an idiot." Julian said aggressively. Idie wanted to tell something to him, to tell him not to say these things in front of Evan, who was now also offended.

Julian didn't give her the chance and grabbed his backpack, and his brother, and walked away with heavy steps, almost knocking over the bench with the way he stood up.

Idie was surprised by Julian's reaction. He left so quickly that Hunter couldn't keep up, pushing through the crowd of students who came and went. He seemed more than just annoyed with Evan, his colleague's words affected him more than she expected. He wasn't the type to care much about things, why such a sudden bad reaction?

Unfortunately, as if to make the students' fears come true, Salazar entered the cafeteria with an unfriendly expression, her red hair a few centimeters shorter and bloody marks from small claws on her arms. The bamfs seemed to have given her a hard time with their pranks.

The room became quiet with her presence. Idie saw Evan tense up next to her and Broo ducked a little lower, only the back of his skull and red eyes showing from behind the table.

Everyone stayed quiet to look at the woman.

"Breakfast time is almost over." She said with a gruff tone. As if they didn't already know. No one hurried to finish eating. "Did you kids get the message yet?"

More silence. Salazar rolled her eyes and placed her hands on the hips, speaking in a slurred voice.

"Well then. The headmaster has decided to allow you to visit the village on the weekends."

Idie was surprised by the explosion of cheering voices. The older students with kinetic powers raised their hands and powers flashed in the air. Salazar got angry, raising her voice to silence them.

"Listen!" She roared. No one sat down, they just returned to the silence they had before.

"Because we suffered an attack on the first day, and for many other reasons, you will be allowed to go on weekends and holidays. At a certain time. You cannot stay until dark and will need to be accompanied by a teacher. The only people who will be able to leave without an escort are students in the 11th and 12th grades."

And so, the older students celebrated once again, laughing loudly. The younger ones groaned and protested, not being happy. Kubark was one of the loudest, protesting in his own language as Warbird tried to make him sit down. Idie didn't care, she understood the rules, she was worried about Broo and Evan's mood. And Julian and Hunter.

"Also," Salazar continued, already turning his back to the cantina. "students from 10° grade and above will receive more training from now on."

More protests. And some teasing coming from certain 11th graders, Keller among them, making faces at the younger ones.

"For the X-Men progam?" Anole shouted, placing one foot on the table to push himself up.

"That's not fair!" Kubark rose into the air.

"Why only the 11th grade?!" Match protested from the other side of the cafeteria. "Some of us were also part of the X-Men squads!"

Inferno ignored them. She clearly just wanted to leave. "Accept the terms, or stay behind. Less kids for me to keep an eye on." She said bitterly, leaving.

Idie covered her ears as her classmates continued to argue. Not being happy with Logan's decisions. Evan was still quiet even when breakfast was over.

In Ethics class, Pryde took them to the "War Room", where they stood around a large circular table to read holograms, and Kitty taught them more about the formation of the X-Men. Mainly about its objectives and role in protecting mutants.

Her class wasn't so excited when the topic fell on the Sentinels that day. Kitty had images and videos for them with all types of Sentinels, from Mold Master to Nimrod. Idie didn't like this evolution.

The image of the steel giants had given her chills ever since the attack on Utopia. She saw them up close, destroyed some, ran away from others, and still felt like she was going to vomit when the red eyes appeared on the screen.

"For monsters over 6 meters tall, these things are pretty inconspicuous." Julian commented next to her. They were standing behind the stool that Broo used to reach the table, still in a bad mood.

Idie agreed, remembering that it was always a surprise when those ugly monsters appeared on the shores of Utopia as if they had teleported.

Beside her, Match let out a nervous, painful laugh.

They watched Bolivar Trask's speech about creating the Sentinels to defend the human population, and his debate with Professor Xavier on national TV back in 1995.

"Why are there so many versions of them?" Cissie asked in horror, scrolling through the videos on her side of the table.

"It seems like every time they shrink in size, they get stronger." Anole said. Like Cissie, he had an expression of apprehension on his face, the lines over his eyes, if possible, visible.

"Not prettier, hm?" Someone commented in the background sarcastically. Oh, it was just Quentin. He had been quiet since they entered the room, sitting in a chair far away from the table, his legs propped up against a wall.

Kitty decided to ignore him this time. She gave him permission not to participate in class, as long as he didn't bother them. Quentin did not have to receive explicit orders, he himself decided that this class was not in his interest.

Idie wondered why he looked so gloomy.

"They're not a big deal! I could take them down in an instant." Kubark showed off, of course, by running all versions of Sentinels through the holograms.

"The MK I are weak!" Glob exclaimed.

Broo didn't stop writing in his notebook, smiling a little to himself. "The MK I are the smallest Sentinels models. However, they are very dangerous, as they were created using an unique artificial intelligence, and their main purpose in 'defend humanity from the dangers of Mutant kind'. Does not matter how."

Julian shivered behind the little alien. "You know it's super weird that you know all this and says it with a smile, right?"

Broo shrugged. "I was talking to friend Hunter about it. I'm sorry."

Kitty, listening to the conversation between the two, sighed with a nervous smile, and approached the table to pass the holograms.

"Let's continue, we don't have much class time."

She began switching the holograms, going through a few that made Idie shudder. Including a video about the Sentinel attack a few months ago. Where Idie was present.

"Why do we have to learn about this anyway?" Evan asked. He still looked down, sitting against the wide table, his chin resting on his arms.

"We need to know what we're up against if we want to kill these things." Match commented.

Idie shook her head and went back to reading the texts that Dr. McCoy gave them, writing down in her notebook just like how Broo was doing.

Evan tediously flicked the images in front of his face. Until he stopped at a version of the Sentinels, bigger than the one they had seen so far and even though it looked like a standard model, like the images of Sentinels they see on the security posters around the school, this one was somehow scarier.

"Ma'am, and this one?" He asks Pryde and she leans in behind him to get a better look, catching the class's attention.

"The Mold Master was the first Sentinel. It was programmed to create Sentinels separately and independently."

Idie goes through a few more images and comes to the ugliest Sentinel she had ever seen in her life. It was huge, bigger than the Sentinels she had seen, it looked like a three-headed monster made of scrap metal. She paused for a moment, taking in the image, before raising her hand in the air.

"Ma'am, what's this ugly thing?

Kitty walked (literally) across the table to get to Idie and stopped. Completely. Her eyes didn't change but there was a shadow behind them, as if they had become opaque.

"Ms. Pryde?" Idie called. Everyone looked at their teacher, seeing her condition. Kitty licked her lips and shook her head, leaning over the table.

"This is the Wild Sentinel." She said in a much quieter, serious voice. Everyone stopped to pay attention. "It was created from the Mold Master, and was designed to reuse technology from the other Sentinels. These Sentinels were responsible for the destruction of Genosha six years ago."

Idie gives her room to reach the table. Kitty changes the controls. Emptying the surface, it leaves only images of the giant Sentinel, and more images of a destroyed city, a destroyed island. Ruins everywhere.

Idie puts her hand against her lips. She's not the only one shocked. Evan stands up to get a better look. When she looks back, he sees that Quentin has stopped rocking in his chair and turned his back to them.

"You may already know the story. Cassandra Nova manipulated the Sentinels into the destruction of Genosha, with the help of Bolivar Trask." Kitty sighs with bone-deep exhaustion, crossing her arms to maintain a safe pose. "Many people died on that island, it was our mutant nation, now the island is deserted."

She says with melancholy and pain, looking at the images with regret. A painful silence falls over the war room. Leaving only the buzz of Alaya Anderson's bees and the crackle of Match's flames.

"Will we ever rebuild the island, professor?" Cissie asks softly.

Kitty smiles a little at her. "We hope so. We received supplies and help from Okkara, but with the Inner Circle's attack, we didn't stand a chance." It shows images of mutants walking through the destroyed landscape. "Now we can only wait until the Island is cleaned up."

"Clean of what, ma'am?" Broo asks.

"When the Inner Circle attacked, the island was infected with a disease. There is no way anything can grow there until it is purified."

Roxy raises a hand in the air. "And how are we going to do that?"

"I don't know." The teacher admits with defeat.

Finally, after being quiet for so long, Quentin pushes out his chair and stands, hands in his pockets. Everyone knows he's not in a good mood.

"Ms. Pryde, are we really going to learn about everything?" He asks in a tone that only indicates trouble. Idie sees his eyes land on her friends next to her for a second. “Like about the Inner Circle, Apocalypse, Bastion, Cassandra Nova, all the battles and stuff?

Kitty noticed his provocation. Of course, nothing good came when Quentin opened his mouth. He was planning something and it wasn't good. Either way, they were still in class and she couldn't just ignore him.

"That's what I want to do. You guys need to be careful about everything. Logan will teach you about history, I'll focus on mutant history, while I focus on teaching you about X-Men training."

"Are we really going to have to become X-Men?" Lewis asked. He wasn't so happy with the idea. Cissie held his shoulder when she saw him aggressively scratching the purple spots on his skin, a product of his mutation.

"Of course not. That's your choice." Kitty assured him. Looking at everyone in the class, she opened her arms with a smile.

"Listen, you're here to stay safe, none of you are going to have to become an X-Men. You'll receive training to learn how to control your mutations and to know how to defend yourself. Next year, you can start training to join the squads, if you want."

Some were excited by the idea. Kubark punched the air, Match was already planning his new uniform and which squad he wanted to be on. Julian was indifferent, while Evan looked hopeful.

Idie got nervous. She wasn't sure if she wanted to do that again. Of course, she wasn't afraid to fight, she wanted to protect her friends and colleagues, however... sometimes she was afraid. Not from getting hurt, just from what her hands could do.

"When you graduate, if you want, you can become X-Men." Kitty contained. "It's your choice. No more being soldiers. No more missions. Just..." She took a good look at their not-so-innocent faces. "...just keep in mind that you have a choice."

The bell rings. Kitty looked at the Wild Sentinel's face one last time.

"This is for you to be prepared."

When the next Math class ended, and Mr. Drake handed them two pages of homework, Idie grabbed a sandwich from the cafeteria and said goodbye to Broo, who was heading to his Advanced Psychic Defense classes with Quentin.

Idie didn't know why he would need advanced classes, but it seems that most of his classes took on a much higher grade, he would often disappear to study alone with Dr. McCoy and help him with his projects, and the scientist loved having someone to talk to about science.

Well, she returned to Pryde's classroom, finding her teacher correcting activities while listening to music.

Idie knocked on the door to get her attention. "Ma'am?" She took a step forward. Kitty took off her headphones and set them aside, smiling at her.

"Yes, darling?"

Idie approached the table, placing her books on the surface, speaking in a sweet, quiet voice.

"I wanted to ask about the visits to the village."

"Ah, yes. I'm sorting it out now. It must be really boring staying here, right?" Kitty laughed a little.

Idie got a little nervous, eyes going to her Mary Jane shoes as she rocked on her heels. She had planned how she would ask her teacher for the favor since Inferno announced about the visits that morning. Now, she hesitated, not knowing if it was a silly thing to do or not.

"Hm... it's just that I'd like to go out every now and then. I know it's for our safety, but..." She shakes her shoulders uncertainly.

"Is there somewhere you would like to visit?" Kitty asked, realizing something was bothering her. She motioned for Idie to pull up a chair and sit down, but the girl shook her head and declined it.

Idie took a moment before speaking, biting her dry lips. She had forgotten to get a bottle of juice with her sandwich.

"I'd like to go to church."

Kitty frowns. Not for her request, but because Idie must be making a strange face. The way she talks. The headmistress nods her head to calm her nerves.

"It's okay, honey. On Sundays, right?"

"If it's not a problem." Idie nods quickly, shoulders still tense.

"The teachers go in shifts during the weekends, so the students aren't alone. And the older students will accompany the younger ones, too. We can ask someone to go with you--"

"It's not necessary." Idie stops her. Realizing her lack of manners, she clears her throat and corrects herself, speaking too fast. "I mean, there's no need for anyone to go with me inside the church. Only if someone wants to join, but if it's just to keep me company, there's no need. I don't want to be a bother."

"If it's to make sure you're safe, it's not." Kitty assures her.

Idie really doesn't like it when teachers get her words wrong. She's not trying to be polite and say there's no need to go, she really prefers to go alone. She doesn't mind if others want to go, but she would like to be alone. She prays every day for solitude, and going to church, as she did every week in her village, seems to be the only way for her to do that here.

"I'd like to go alone." Idie says more seriously. To make sure she can be understood this time. "Having time just for myself, so I can pray and confess my sins. I wouldn't want to bother anyone with that."

Kitty frowns even more, clasping her hands together above the table. "Your sins?" She almost stutters. Concerned. Great, now Idie will have to explain herself. She should have held her tongue.

She must be picking up on her classmates' habits, because unconsciously her hands go up and she runs her nails over the dark skin, pulling, squeezing. Like Evan does.

"I've committed a lot these past few months." She mutters, shifting her gaze to the Security Against Sentinels poster on the wall.

"Idie..." Kitty calls softly, reaching out a hand, pushing the chair back. Idie takes a step back. Oh no, she's starting to get cold. There is white rising in her skin.

"I want... I need to go there to fix this."

She doesn't like the way the teachers look at her. With pity, with soft looks, as if she were a lost cause. She appreciates their kindness and concern for her, however, the way they look at her sometimes irritates her. It makes her feel like there's something even worse inside her than the guilt she carries.

It was the way Professor Logan looked at her when he met her in front of the museum. The way he held her bloody face. And the way all the teachers looked at her when she arrived at school after the Schism.

"Poor little girl."

She hates it.

At least this time, Kitty realizes that she prefers to keep her distance, so she sits down again and clears her throat, keeping her arms on the wooden surface.

"Have you been sleeping well?" She asks in that teacher voice.

Idie is surprised by the question. "A little." She shrugs. "Sometimes I have nightmares. So I stay awake. I think I would sleep better if I could take this weight off my shoulders."

Kitty nods, thinking. Stop looking at her like that. Bringing her hands together, interlacing her fingers, Kitty takes a very slow breath and tries to maintain a soft and caring face.

"If you want, we can... wouldn't you like to talk to someone about this?"

"That's why I'm asking permission to go to church."

"I understand, Idie. It's something important to you. I really understand. But... if you want, besides just confessing at church, you can talk to Husk." Kitty reaches a hand toward the door. Ms. Guthrie's office is just down the hall.

"Why?" Idie asks confused.

"She's the school counselor, and a psychologist."

Idie's expression becomes a little more serious. Offended. She clutches her books to her chest, her uniform protecting them from her surging power.

"There is nothing wrong-- I mean, I'd rather not." She says calmly. "The things I keep can only be helped... I'd rather go to someone else."

"Are you sure?" Kitty insists once again and Idie sternly says yes.

Her teacher's calm doesn't disappear. Kitty maintains her posture, looking at Idie gently. As if she was debating in her head how to deal with the poor girl.

"Have you been making friends, Idie?" She asks suddenly, in a casual tone that catches the student by surprise.

Idie relaxes, just a little. She has? She wonders the same. She wanted to become closer to her classmates, to eliminate the distance between them since the first day of school. So far it has been difficult. Everyone has been tense, with all the events since the Schism. And even before the Schism.

"I guess. I talk to Broo all the time." She answers with a tiny smile. Kitty knows it's sincere because it's hard to see the little alien away from his friend. "Evan invited us to study in the library. Julian, his brother and Kubark were there too."

"Do you enjoy their company?"

"I adore Broo, Evan is really sweet. Julian and Kubark... they're hard to deal with." Idie sighs and bites her lip. "Hmm. I talk to Roxy every now and then! She's really nice too!"

"Do you spend enough time with them?"

"Yes. Too much, I think." She responds sincerely. "We're always at school. I think I'd like to have some time to myself. And my thoughts."

She realizes what Kitty is trying to do and raises an eyebrow. "Why all these questions?"

"I just need to know. You look really sad, Idie."

"I am not." Idie lies. There were no longer any hints of weakness in her voice.

"I understand." Kitty agrees and gets up from the chair, standing in front of the girl. Looking briefly at the dark scar under one of her two-tone eyes. The nasty gash that opened up just above Idie's cheek the day the museum was attacked.

Idie notices this and moves her head slightly to the right, trying to keep her scar out of view. She didn't have that much of a problem with the injury. Of course, it hurt a lot for days, it took her a long time to get used to it, however, that was one of the things she learned to deal with.

She received this wound the day she left the museum alive. In a way, it's a reminder of what she did. She honestly doesn't know if it's a good or a bad thing. Or terrible.

"Listen, what happened in Utopia affected you, darling." Kitty continues, not coming any closer. "I know you've been through a lot, in a very short time, so I'm worried. That you're isolating yourself and not dealing correctly with what you've seen."

"I..." Idie stutters and looks down.

"That's why I offered you to go talk to--"

"I've done horrible things, ma'am." The girl interrupts her, her voice hard, sincere and determined. So sure of herself that it worries Kitty. "A lot of horrible things. And I never fixed it." She says bitterly.

"It was not your fault, darling." Kitty shakes her head.

"I did it anyway. I need to fix this. And I only know one way to do it."

"By confessing?"

"Yes. I don't want to think about it too much. Just let me...." Idie closes her eyes tightly. There's ice growing under the sleeve of her yellow blazer.

For a moment, she returns to the museum steps, and there is fire and smoke and ice in her hands. And she thinks she saved the day. The way Mr. Logan and Cyclops treat her shatters her illusion.

She pushes these images away and finds Kitty looking at her with concern, hands clasped in front of her body.

"I am fine." Idie lies as best she can. "I appreciate that you want to help me. But I know what I want and what I need." She nods with certainty.

Kitty looks almost horrified. She tries to not let it show, keeping her mouth closed in a tense line, her thin eyebrows raised high above.

Idie is getting uncomfortable. She thinks she should have kept quiet. Maybe she should leave. She feels like she might vomit.

They both jump in fright when the emergency siren rings and echoes through the school hallways.

Chapter Text

The room the students were pushed into was almost the size of a classroom, with metal walls, like all the rooms on the lower floors. No windows, just a screen in one of the corners, where they received a message from the teachers, warning them not to leave.

Roxy said that the back door would lead to the tunnels, much deeper than the Danger Room. There was also a map that would take them to an exit in the forest, far from the school. Idie prayed they wouldn't have to. Not all the students were there, she said.

"There must be a teacher with the kids in the other rooms." Match commented, sitting a little away. This is the first time Idie has seen his head free of flames. She didn't know he is blond.

She sat in a corner, her legs pulled up against her chest, her jacket over her legs. Her colleagues joined her. Julian held Hunter's hand, they both sat facing her on the floor, Evan was restless next to her, standing against the wall.

There was a buzz among the students. Some scared, others just tired.

Idie didn't like that. Her sitting in a room while there was a possible attack at school. The idea of ​​having to stay still in a room made especially for this was even worse.

She held her rosary in her hands, head bowed.

"Where's Broo?" Hunter asked quietly. Idie lifted her head and looked for her friend too, standing up when she didn't find him.

"In his advanced classes." Evan reminded them, seeing the way Idie was scared. "He should be in the lab with Dr. McCoy or with Toad."

"So he's much better than us." Julian said irritably.

Idie frowned and stretched her arms around. Her irritation was greater than Julian's.

"How is it possible that he's better than us? He's alone on the other side of the lower floor."

Julian scowled at her. "He doesn't have to be stuck with a bunch of people in one room." They pulled their brother closer. There were too many smells there for them and too many voices and bodies in one place.

"We have no choice." Evan sighed. Pressing the fingertips of one hand against the other, shaking. "It's a real attack."

"Do you know who's attacking this time?" Cissie asked, also sitting against her twin brother in the other corner. Lewis rolled his eyes.

Quentin, who had been quiet this entire time, spoke louder. "Who cares? They're attacking!" He threw himself against the wall with his arms crossed.

"What do we do in the meantime?" Alaya Anderson asked. Nobody wanted to sit with her, because of the bees that came out of her skin.

"We pray." Idie muttered.

"Booooo! Booooring!" Kubark yelled, floating overhead to stand next to Evan, sitting in the air. Julian rolled his eyes with a smirk.

Idie crossed her arms, offended. "Well, there's not much we can do until the situation passes."

Someone passed in front of the room, hurried footsteps running on the metal. For an attack, there were no sounds of explosions or screams, just a continuous beeping coming from the panel where the teachers' message was still in view.

Class A-9, which was mixed with the eighth and seventh grades, started looking for ways to distract themselves. They still had their backpacks, and someone had taken a tablet from language class, so they split into groups to study, draw, talk, or play. There was no option.

Kubark quickly became bored. And that wasn't good when they were all stuck in the same space.

"We should be up there fighting whatever threat it is, not hiding like cowards!"

"Shut up, prince." Lewis shouted above the crowd. "Who said you can face whatever's up there?"

"You think there's something on this planet that can hurt me?! HA! Hilarious!" Kubark continued with his loud voice.

Julian growled. Hunter pulled away from him as his body began to heat up.

"Shut up, you two. Your voices are fuckin' annoying!"

"Don't order me around, Creed!"

"Don't even try to start a fight in here!" Anole screamed, sticking to the wall, he moved higher to escape the heat. "It's too tight for this shit!"

"Fucking God, just shut up before I put you both to sleep." Quentin threatened.

Kubark barked at him, even louder. "Try, Quire! I'll knock your teeth out before you can read my thoughts!"

Evan placed a hand on Kubark's chest and pushed him against the wall, giving Julian and Quentin an uncomfortable look.

"Julian, control your power. You're going to cook all of us in here." He warned, sweat already beading on his forehead. He glanced at Quentin, who sat and ignored them.

Julian made it clear he wasn't happy, however, he lowered the temperature. The room had combined air and seemed to adapt to the situations, soon the air became a little colder to compensate the heat.

They removed their blazes anyway. Julian looked around and noticed someone else was missing.

"Where's your Warbird?"

Kubark looked around and noticed that Ava'Dara was missing. He slapped himself on the forehead and groaned. "I told her to take a walk before the alarms went off." He realized his mistake. "She must be up there fighting! And I'm down here!"

"Sucks." Anole complained.

“Even 11th graders are up there.” Roxy grunted, dropping to the floor, making a 'clink' noise.

"Hellion and the others?" Glob asked and slapped his hand on his leg displeasedly. "That's unfair!"

“They get more training than we do.” Cissie said to appease them. "It's not really unfair."

Anole sighed and picked up his backpack. "Do you guys want to play Uno?" He asked pulling out his deck.

"Only if you come down. It's not fair that you can see our cards from above."

"Idie, are you okay?" Evan asked, sitting down next to the girl. Idie was hugging her knees, wide two-tone eyes fixed on the ground in front of her.

"No." She swallowed hard, her throat was sore. Ice was blooming on her skin, only on one side, but it soon began to spread. "I'm worried about Broo. And I don't like this place." She shook her head and hugged herself.

Evan exhaled, his breath visible. No one else was bothered by the cold that their colleague created. He didn't know how her mutation worked, however, he didn't think Idie freezing herself completely would be good.

He sat next to her, his shoulder freezing as they touched. "You can hold my hand." He said gently, with a smile.

Idie hesitated. Giving him a weird look before she thanked him softly and took his hand, Evan did his best to hide the shiver on his body when her skin came into contact with his, it felt like he had been thrown into a frozen lake. Or just partially sunk.

He gave her a crooked smile, trying to show his support. Idie's sad face changed to a grateful smile and she loosened her grip on his fingers.

Kubark was bored. When Evan looked at him again, the prince was still floating beside them, now upside down, with his legs in the air, his ruby ​​glasses in hands.

"What's wrong with the ice girl?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Without his glasses, it was easier to read his facial expressions. There was still the challenge of understanding whether he was genuine or not, because of his tone of voice.

Julian spoke through his teeth.

"She's not okay, idiot."

Kubark was offended and crossed his arms, not understanding why Julian and Hunter were looking at him like that.

"I didn't say anything wrong!"

"Shut, Mohawk. Havin' to hear your voice is getting on my nerves." Julian repeated, more aggressively. Kubark covered his translator and said something, imitating the way Julian spoke, or pretending, making a face.

Evan, Idie, and Hunter just watched impatiently as the two boys made faces at each other, speaking their own languages ​​in voices that weren't quite whispers.

Across the room, Alaya Anderson was talking to her bees, and noticed that some of them had stayed behind.

"My bees said the teachers are handling the situation. We can leave soon." She looked over the heads, the dark glasses she always wore shining. "Quentin, can you talk to the teachers?"

This caught the attention of the classes and they looked for the telepath. No one had heard a sarcastic comment or complaint in more than ten minutes. Quentin rolled his eyes, irritated at being drawn into the conversation.

He closed his eyes and looked for Rachel, his mind calling to her. "What the hell." He slams his fist into the wall. "Summers is still blocking me."

"Ah, Ms. Summers is blocking you?" Tarantula repeats, clicking his fangs. Everyone takes this information willingly. They were already finding it strange that Quentin hadn't used his powers for any pranks in over three weeks.

"Fuck." Quentin cursed as he realized he had let his secret slip.

"They better get this sorted out soon." Roxy killed the silence. Her game of Uno was getting interesting, because obviously she had two +4 cards and the next player was Match. "It can't be a big villain, or we would have already been sent out through the tunnels."

Outside, there was a boom of "Warren! Stop chasing them!", McCoy's familiar voice seemed much wilder and ten times louder and thicker, he was shooting at something. Followed by the roars of the sentient island and the laughter of the bamfs.

"I think I'd rather stay here."

The students agreed and went back to playing Uno or doing their homework. Someone still had a cell phone and had downloaded episodes of Avatar and a small group gathered around to watch.

"So who do you think the villain is?" A feral 7th grade boy asked his classmates.

"It can't be Magneto, he's in Utopia." Christopher O'Leary, one of Hunter's colleagues, agreed, looking around the room.

The question drew attention. Of course, the Uno didn't stop. Some children even gathered to whisper among themselves. The cacophony upstairs continued until it disappeared, the fight, whatever it was, being carried upstairs.

Idie wasn't paying attention until she heard the word villain, Evan too. Julian kept his ears open, even though his hearing hurt from the voices in the room. As soon as the word "villain" came out of the younger students' mouths, a heavy tension fell over everyone.

"Let's see. Villains that could be attacking the school right now..." O'Leary counted on his fingers, a group of 7th graders surrounding him. "Xorn, Cassandra Nova, the Brotherhood of Mutants, Bastion, Sinister, Shadow King, maybe someone controlling the Legion again, Exodus."

"The Acolytes." Jacob Williams pointed out.

"The Inner Circle was destroyed a long time ago." Leo Eng said, quietly, as if a certain fire teacher could hear.

"Let it not be those brats from the Hellfire Club again." Lewis Guthrie stepped in, throwing his cards in the air after receiving yet another +2.

The buzz continued. Idie was listening, trying to remember all these villains that were being listed. The 7th graders were just talking, whispering among themselves and theorizing, as if it were normal to bet on which villain would be attacking them this week.

She doesn't like the idea. The room, already small for students, seems to get smaller as the conversation flows. Not only among the younger students, the older students also get involved, although the majority of the A-9 class is indifferent. Uncomfortable, even. They've been in too many of these fights to care, or intrude on the conversation.

A subtle wave of heat reaches her. Competing with Idie's cold. Yes, Julian is sulking, in his natural state, golden eyes trying to dig a hole in the ground. Their expression is different from the irritated way she's used to seeing them, however. More like the look they had right after the fight with Kubark.

"What's wrong, Julian?"

Evan and Kubark also look at him. Hunter lifts his head from their shoulder as the heat rises and falls, Julian trying to keep it under control as everyone notices their mood.

"Nothin'." He responds in a voice choked with anger.

"Creed, control your powers, it's already too tight in here. You're getting hot." Kubark tugs at the collar of his button-down shirt. Not that the heat bothers him.

Idie fans her hands against her neck. Julian wasn't that hot, compared to their first day of school, they're keeping the temperature quite low. And with her sitting right in front of him, there was no real heat.

"Who knows, maybe someone revived Apocalypse?" Alaya asks from her corner, in a whispery voice.

The room stops. It really stops, only the sound of The Last Airbender coming from a telephone and the buzzing of Alaya's bees are heard. Everyone is clearly uncomfortable just asking the question. Idie looks around, don't understanding why suddenly her colleagues, those from A-9, change into somber expressions.

The younger students appear to be scared, a little nervous.

Julian tenses in front of her. That much is clear, she sees the way their eyes widen and their jaw locks.

"Again?" Match laughs dryly, sarcastically. His hands tighten around the cards in his hand, but his eyes are stuck somewhere between the floor and the students' heads.

There's a clear tone of mockery in Glob's voice as he laughs, shaking his shoulders. "Maybe Sabretooth? No one's seen him in a long time." He looks around, blue eyes wide, searching for someone.

Idie hears Quentin's laugh, full of sarcasm and mockery, and she knows he wants to pick a fight. She doesn't like the way he rests his elbows on his knees and leans forward, looking directly at where she is.

"They say he started a new Brotherhood of Mutants. Hey, Creed! Is this part of your dad's plan or something?!"

Idie frowns and looks at the Creeds. Yes, Julian blows a cloud of smoke through his teeth, still staring down. Hunter has a scared expression, looking between Quentin and Julian, tensing up as his brother starts to heat up right next to him.

"Julian?" Evan calls him, quietly. Even Kubark stands again, alert. Idie gets on her knees, ready to get up. She hopes Julian doesn't react and Quentin shuts up. She doesn't think that will happen. After all, Quentin doesn't like to stay quiet.

"You guys enter the school as spies, become buddies with us and then open the doors for him?" Quentin continued, with the same shit-eating grin, pointing a finger at Julian and Hunter.

Kubark scoffs as the rest of the room grows even quieter and the tension drops between them.

"What is he talking about, Creed?"

"Since when has Sabretooth been working with Apocalypse?" Glob asks Quentin, wanting to play along, with the same shitty tone. Quentin ignores him and continues.

"Is that why you three came here?"

"Shut up, Quire." Roxy speaks through gritted teeth, putting her cards down and walking away from the group she was in.

Evan, seeing that he too was included in whatever Quire was talking about, begins to become anxious, raising his hands in a placating motion.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about. What did we do wrong?"

"Ignore him, Evan." Hunter asks in a weak voice.

Julian shift to their knees, one hand on the floor with their claws pressing against the metal, ready to jump when they turn to look at their classmate. Their voice grows thicker as more smoke leaves their lips.

"You better shut up." They warn. Idie and Evan stand up, as do Roxy, Anole and others from the A-9 class.

"Julian." Hunter asks them to sit down like he and the rest of classes below 9th grade is.

"Or what?" Quentin either rolls his eyes, pretending to be tired or just mocking. He shows his bare teeth. "Are you going to go feral and shut me up?"

"Son of a--"

"Julian!" Evan reaches out, stretching his arm as Julian lunges, dodging his grasp and running toward Quentin, crossing the room in seconds. Whoever was in the way threw themselves away.

They grab Quentin by the collar and pulls him close, without hurting him, but keep him locked in place, fangs clenched and appearing over their lips in a scowl. Quentin, trying to free himself, slams his back against the wall hard and grabs Julian's wrists.

"Shut up, four eyes." Julian warns him. "I don't have a problem rippin' off each of your fingers one by one, understand? Prestige has already warned everyone not to bring this up." He gives Evan a sidelong glance and starts whispering to the telepath. "He doesn't know anything, and it better stay that way."

Quentin continues to grit his teeth, brown eyes running over Julian's face, stopping at his slit-turned pupils. He wants to bark something back, tell Julian to fuck off, but the feral pushes him harder against the wall, still whispering.

"And don't involve my brother in this. Do you have a problem with my father? Take it up with him. Or with me."

He drops Quentin to the floor where he was sitting. A hand grabs him by the back of his shirt, Evan wraps his outstretched arm around his and runs across the room. Behind him, Roxy, Anole, Match, Glob, other students are already standing with their mutations ready.

"Julian, no fighting. Please." Evan pleads, pulling them away from Quire.

Julian doesn't resist, and the others relax. Idie went to them too, more to stop Julian from hurting himself than to stop him. She holds him gently too, glaring at Quire.

"I don't understand what's going on here." Kubark walked across the room to them, looking at the telepath with a face devoid of emotion, speaking soothingly. "It seems like you're making fun of the Creeds and Adel. Do you have a problem with them?"

Quire fell silent, his brow furrowed with embarrassment.

"Then, quiet. Creed, you're causing trouble too." The prince tells the feral that is already returning to their place with Evan and Idie. "Sit back."

Julian swings his arms to free themself from the two, shouting at Kubark. "Don't tell me what to do! You've been warned." He points at Quentin and sits back down next to Hunter, hugging their knees.

"Great idea, Quentin." Roxy grumbles, sitting up. Her friends take this as a sign to let the fight pass and go back to their activities. "Let's provoke the guy who could burn everyone in here if he gets mad."

"I proved a point, didn't I?" Quentin protests nonchalantly.

"You've proven yourself an idiot." Roxy turned her back to him.

"But... what if it really is Sabretooth up there?" Cissie whispered in fear, her twin brother motioned for her to be quiet.

"Then we better hope it isn't."

Idie sits where she was before, hugging her knees, just like the boys. Even Kubark takes a place on the floor, leaning on his arms behind him. This time they sit closer to each other and whisper.

"Julian? What were they talking about?" Evan asks first with concern.

Julian takes a slow breath. There's still smoke on his breath.

"You're either too stupid or too innocent. I'll bet on both." He says it aggressively, which irritates Idie.

"Creed, don't be an idiot. What was Quire talking about?"

"You guys live under a rock?!"

Hunter punches his older brother in the arm. He was quiet the whole time, the tightness of the room, all the voices together were making him uncomfortable. His mood got even worse after the almost fight between Julian and Quire.

"Julian, one came from space, one from Kansas, and one from another continent. Not everyone knows about everything." He grumbles.

"That doesn't mean we're stupid." Idie shakes her head. "Not everyone is interested in the affairs of superhumans."

Julian stays quiet, growling to himself, looking at the floor like an angry, hurt child. She doesn't have time for that and insists, speaking more seriously.

"You said everyone here had a reason to hate you. Why?"

"Carajo. Julian curses and opens his arms, trying to keep his tone low. "It's because of my father, okay? Both my parents, actually. You should know because of my mutation."

He shows his hands. Long, dark claws protruding from the fingertips. Not normal nails, really thick black claws. Idie looks in amazement, she never paid much attention, or tried not to look, to Julian's hands. She looks at Hunter's. Small and short, still with a cutting tip.

"Dad and Mom are villains. The worst ones." Julian continues bitterly, hiding their hands once again. "Mom died a few years ago, and my dad disappeared. But everyone knows them."

The mention of his parents causes Hunter to become even quieter and crawl further into his coat, hiding. Idie's expression changes to pity, a little guilt at having to make Julian talk about his family. Evan and Kubark exchange glances, listening carefully, also taken by surprise by the information.

"They're killers. Worse than Salazar. Do you know how many times my dad fucked this place up?" Julian waves a hand around. "That's why everyone hates us."

Kubark crossed his arms and shook his head, not as shocked as Evan or Idie, just... well, he didn't really care, Idie was sure. As long as he continues to be the best, Kubark doesn't give a fuck.

"Your father is a super villain. Do these weaklings think you are one too?" He gives Julian a weak kick to the thigh, laughing loudly. "Ha! That's ridiculous! If you are, I can kick your ass easy!"

"Kubark, it's not funny."

Julian, this time, didn't care about the provocations. This time, he bared his teeth at Kubark in an almost smile, then turned to Evan with the same mocking expression.

"What's wrong, slim? You're scared that I'm a villain too?" He asks and Evan hesitates, looking at him with furrowed eyebrows and tense shoulders. Julian rolls his eyes. "This villain/hero shit is so hypocritical."

"I..." Evan stutters, glaring between the Creeds and Quentin. "What does this have to do with me?"

"I don't know! I barely know you!"

"But they..."

"Now you know why it's good to stay away from me." Julian looks away, already getting tired of the conversation, placing their elbows on their knees to hide their face. Kubark lets out an ignorant snort. Idie, however, crosses her arms and looks at the older Creed indifferently.

"Alright, so what?" She asks with a sarcastic tone. Eyes turn to her with a bit of surprise. "Your parents are villains. I've seen villains. That doesn't change things."

Kubark agrees, a sneer on his face. "I've beaten villains. Lots of them! You don't scare me, Creed." He bumps his fists together and shakes his chin at Hunter, then punches Evan lightly in the arm. "Not you, shorty. Or you, Adel."

"Not everyone here agrees with you." Hunter says shyly. Discreetly looking at his classmates who are still arguing.

"These idiots are cowards!"

Idie sighs with a melancholic expression, speaking in a voice as boring as Julian's.

"It doesn't matter what your parents are. If you're a villain or not. In the end, we're all monsters here."

She knows she said something wrong. Again. The boys crack their necks as they turn their heads to look at her quickly, in varying levels of surprise, confusion and irritation. She stops and leans against the wall.

"... what?" Evan repeats slowly.

"I said we're all monsters." Idie explains, waving a hand. Now they were offended. Kubark was more confused than anything else. "Isn't it? We've all done bad things. And we're all going to pay, so...it doesn't matter." She shrugs at the end.

"Idie, I think..." Evan clears his throat, trying to clear the tension from the air. He doesn't understand why she would say something like that.

Julian raises a clawed hand.

"No, no. She's right." They say and Idie catches on their stony expression. The same way they looked at Evan that night in the cafeteria. They keep their eyes on her on purpose. "Idie is right."

And Idie sees that he was hurt. It's not easy to read his expression, however, she feels it in the way Julian pulls their knees close and keeps their eyes closed. She screwed up again. She said something that made them uncomfortable.

"It is the truth." She thinks to herself wistfully.

Kubark, seeing the way the boys and Idie put their heads down, decides he doesn't like it. He raises his arms over his head.

"I'm bored." He announces and stands up. Floating over heads to get to the door, he keeps a self-centered smile on his face. "I'm going to open the doors and beat up whoever is attacking us."

Idie knows it's a shitty idea. Everyone turns their attention to the prince, knowing he's about to do something really stupid. Julian keeps their head down and ignores it, while the other three, including Hunter, get up to try and stop the prince.

Kubark rolls his shoulders back and prepares to throw a punch. What a surprise it is when the doors bip and slide to the sides, opening the passage and making the blow cut through the air and the prince almost falls forward.

"Ah, we're free!" Anole jumps off the wall. With celebrations and complaints subdued, the room fills with life and everyone begins to collect their belongings.

Idie picks up her bag and books from the floor and stands. Looking at their colleagues, they still have depressed expressions. They start to slowly leave the room.

"Is it safe to leave?" She asks, walking past Kubark as the boy complains about his embarrassment. Evan hands him his backpack and the five of them stand by the door, looking around. The other panic rooms also open and other students come out.

Ms. Summers' voice pops up in their minds.

"Don't worry, students. The situation has passed, you are free to return to your activities. We suffered an attack from Mole Man... and his moles. But we are already dealing with it."

"Mole Man?" Evan repeats and looks at the strange claw marks and dirt on the floor and walls.

"And due to the damage caused in our lower levels, the classes for tomorrow have been cancelled."

"No Danger Room with Inferno!" Everyone celebrates.

"At least one good thing came out of all this." Julian grumbles and pulls their brother towards the elevators. Hunter looks over his shoulder, wide eyes staring at Idie uncertainly before he runs away.

Idie takes a deep breath and leaves with her head down.

"You're okay, Jules?" Hunter asks his brother, sitting next to them on the metal surface, hidden in a space between two towers of the main building, feet dangling in the air.

Julian, never able to hide when they're in a good mood or not, growls softly, hugging their legs, face hidden between their knees.

"No."

"It's because of what Idie said?" The little brother asks, hugging his stuffed shark. He is also upset. But unlike Julian, his anger isn't destructive and hot.

"I don't care what Idie says!" Julian says through their teeth. He looks at the forest ahead with his lips pulled back from his fangs. "Or what Quire or any of those bastards think of us! I just..." Their shoulders slump and their voice trails off.

He still has his eyes straight ahead, his face twisted in what he hopes is clear irritation. He shouldn't be so upset about what Idie said. He already expected something like this to happen. Even though Idie didn't show direct anger towards him, or Hunter, or anyone in his family, it still affected him.

She irritated him. It's better than saying she upsets him.

Their father always told his children not to trust anyone. Only in him, in their mother. And one exception would be if Aunt Clara was sent after them. And maybe Deadpool because he owes the Creeds a favor.

Dad always said that his children are not like other people, they won't understand. Other people will hate them no matter what they do to them. Their mother said to only trust the family because no one will ever fight for them like the two of them would.

And Julian snorts when he remembers that. Because none of their parents are there with them. Not even Clarice. Julian would rather have his sister close than have her away to protect them. And Kyle left too. Julian doesn't get mad at him, it's a different case. He hopes his half brother is enjoying the sun in some clearing or something.

Maybe they can leave this school and go find a cool forest too. He thinks about it with a little hope and looks at Hunter, noticing the way their brother pouts. Like when he was a child.

"What's it, baby?" He asks with a tone of voice that is too thick. Good Lord, Julian, you can never be nice.

"Nothin'." Hunter mutters and rubs his face against his shark. "I just... I was upset too. Studying here isn't what I thought it would be."

"And what did you expect?" Julian grabs Hunter's shoulder. "They're picking on you?"

"No." Hunter says immediately. He doesn't sound genuine and Julian pulls him closer. "Err... no one messes with me. It's just that it's a little lonely. Not having anyone to talk to."

"Well, you're the one who asked to come here." Julian lets him go and crosses his arms. “As far as I know, we’d be on the other side of the border, still at home.” He sighs. Krakoa passes in front of them below, running after a bamf.

Maybe it would be a good idea to jump from there and get out. They know the way back to one of their mother's safe houses. If possible, they find Deadpool and call their sister.

"Why did you want to come here?"

Hunter shrugs. Running his short claws, against his favorite toy fabric. "I wanted something different." He admits. His innocent tone irritates Julian. Always so sweet and genuine it makes them feel like an idiot.

"Different than what? Nothing has changed. The X-Men treat us the same way they did when we were on Utopia. In the end..." Julian growls. "Dad was right. We're alone here."

Hunter furrows his eyebrows. "But what about Idie, Broo and Evan? They're your friends."

"I have no friends." Julian states. "I only spend time with them because they keep coming after me."

"They must want to be your friends."

"Who would want to be my friend? Friends with us?"

Julian takes a deep breath and feels their brother's scent change. No longer the sweet smell, now it is more sour, and irritated. Hunter rolls his eyes, finally getting tired of his brother's pessimism, and grabs the shark with both hands to hit Julian on the shoulder. This takes the oldest by surprise.

"You know what?! I'm already tired of your bullshit, okay?!" Hunter raises his voice, still hitting his brother. Julian doesn't defend themself, they just look at him with big eyes.

"Eh?"

"Evan wants to be friends and you don't care, he treats you nice, Idie and Broo too, so you keep biting yourself in the ass, focusing only on the motherfuckers who treat you badly."

He hits some more. Julian waves their hand to stop the gentle attack, pushing the shark away without cutting with their claws.

"Dad said we would be alone forever. But you have friends here. I want to make friends here!" Hunter drops to his knees, rising with a cute, angry face, to hit him harder. "Because I'm tired of being alone. What if Dad's wrong?"

Julian shrugs, having no idea what Hunter is talking about.

"What if there is a possibility that they could like us?"

Julian shakes their head. "I don't think so." He sits down again and hugs his knees. "You heard them before. They hate villains."

"That's their problem. We're not villains." Hunter snorted. Kicking his legs into the air, he lowered his head and rested against his brother. "I just… I just don't want to be alone anymore."

Julian puts an arm around their little brother, keeping him warm with their mutation. The cub yawns and snuggles, hugging his favorite toy.

"If they knew what Mom and Dad did, do you think they would still want to be our friends?"

Julian remains quiet.

It's late at night when Hunter goes to sleep. He returns alone to the room, Julian stays behind, still sitting on the same platform, thinking. They don't feel tired physically, just irritated.

Kubark's loud and annoying voice interrupts them as they're practicing with their powers, creating circles of fire in their hands, making them float in the air before disappearing between their palms.

"Creed!" Kubark calls. The translator repeats in a calmer, more feminine voice. Julian rolls their eyes and frowns once again.

"What do you want?" He asks, going back to creating flaming circles. Kubark stops next to them, placing his hands on his hips, he looks around.

"Where is your brother?"

"Why do you want to know?" Julian grumbles. "He went to sleep."

"And why aren't you sleeping too? It's past curfew."

"So what? You're awake too! Where's your feathered nanny?!"

"Warbird isn't mine..." Kubark says offended. The translator doesn't help him understand what Julian said. He stutters and crosses his arms, his face turning darker at the cheeks. "...that word you used! I don't need anyone taking care of me like a child!"

Julian smiles mockingly. Leaning back on their hands, they let their head hang down to look at Kubark upside-down.

"Oh, yeah? I thought she was here to keep you in line. And to cut your food when you can't."

"You bastard!" Kubark walks over to them, clenching a fist in the air. "Don't you dare insult me!"

"You're the one who came here looking for a fight!" Julian shouts, jumping to their feet. They both glare at each other, face to face, ready to fight. Their voices echo between the high walls of the tower.

Kubark realizes his tone of voice is inappropriate. The lights in the buildings are already off and there are only them outside, making noise. Bah, he doesn't tend to care about that. At home, in his real house where he lived with his father, he could make noise as he pleased, there was no one in the sector where they lived. In the castle, he needed to pay attention to his tone of voice, in the hallways, in the air.

It's no different here.

He looks at Julian and reads them. He knows Julian was not happy with what Idie had said earlier. And with what happened. He's not stupid. He saw the way his classmate was affected. And now he understands why others avoid them.

The child of a villain? It doesn't matter. That's not what Kubark cares about.

"I'm not looking for a fight." He says, more quietly, letting his guard down. "I'm bored."

Creed remains tense, hands steady, claws ready.

"It's not my problem. And I ain't in the mood, leave me alone." They turn their back and starts trying to get off the platform.

Jumping from above, they use the steep wall and land on the grass. Taking a look at Kubark, and making that one-finger movement that he still doesn't understand what it means, they leave.

No, Kubark follows them, flying.

"Not in the mood? And when are you in the mood, heh?" He laughs. Julian swings an arm to cut through the air and he dodges, flying alongside them, landing in the air. "Whatever, I have nothing to do right now."

"And? I ain't here to entertain you!" Julian turns and tries to push him away. Kubark takes this as a sign that they can fight.

One extends their claws and cuts, the other defends and pushes. Warbird warned him that it is not safe to punch, but he can try to stop Creed in other ways. He laughs, genuinely enjoying himself as the two of them go around in circles, pushing and pulling, bumping and dodging.

"Is it true that your father is a villain?" He asks as he lands on the ground, using his arm to block a punch.

"If you're going to make fun of me--" Julian jumps back. They're also having fun. Their blows became more aggressive. Not in a way that they could hurt. They wanted to get into the fighting spirit.

"I am not." Kubark said sincerely. He holds a fist between his fingers, keeping Creed trapped, standing in front of him. For some reason, their golden eyes widen in surprise. Kubark lowers his voice. "I just want to know."

Julian's shoulders slump. They lower their head and sighs. Their voice becoming quieter.

"My parents are. I...don't wanna talk about it."

Kubark understands.

They are alone in the garden. And most of the teachers are already going to sleep. Soon Warbird will realize that Kubark didn't go get a late-night snack like he said. Maybe she'll come after him or maybe she'll take advantage of him not being around. He knows she longs for the day when he will get sucked into a black hole and she will be free from her duty.

"Do you want..." He lets go of Julian's hand and they both stand there like two awkward idiots. "I was serious about fighting you. I want to know if you're as strong as me."

Julian snorts.

Kubark didn't say it the right way. They're already getting angry, more than before. Whatever's running through their mind isn't pleasant, and the idea of ​​fighting, to the death at least, isn't appealing.

"Lizard boy said the Danger Room is empty at this time, or at least one of them has to be." Kubark puts his arms behind his head, trying to maintain an air of indifference. "Do you want to go training?" He grins.

"Trainin'? With you?" Julian snorts again. "Do you just want to rub my face in the ground for fun?"

Kubark laughs loudly and rises into the air. "HA!So you admit that I humiliated you!"

The way Julian gets angry is adorable. Funny, I mean! They pout and start to heat up, so it's always so obvious when they're embarrassed. Which happens surprisingly often. What an idiot.

They growl and presses a claw into Kubark's chest, keeping their faces close and blowing smoke into the prince's face.

"You know what? Let's go, I want to wipe that grin off your face!"

They walk back to school, stamping their feet on the ground. Kubark couldn't help their bad mood, but at least the two of them will have something to occupy their minds.

Chapter Text

September 21, 2018.

The sun hadn't risen when Julian got up. The dim light from the greenhouses and from the teachers' offices were not enough to make way through the dark garden. He didn't care, he was used to running early in the morning, around the house, or in the forest, just as far as the distance marked by Dad with red ribbons.

A simple run around the school is enough. Being stuck in one place for so long is not strange, as children, they were barely allowed to go beyond the gate of their parents' property.

No matter how much the X-Men reassure him that he is free to roam, Julian still feels trapped. He doesn't like it, it makes him sick, it makes him feel like an animal, it makes him feel that anger he inherited from Dad growing inside him and he doesn't like it.

Walking is good, no one is awake at this time of the morning except Julian and a few exceptions.

When they finish another lap around the school, they decide to lie down, they are not tired, but the morning air is fresh and smells good. Passing near the gardens, they see that Idie is already awake. This time they go straight past her window and flop onto their back in the grass near the lake. Even the underwater houses have their lights turned off.

The sounds of crickets are familiar, as is the breeze. There are other new sounds. They close their eyes to concentrate. Krakoa glides along the edge of the forest, Bamfs once again accompanying it. And there's Toynbee following it too, humming to himself, taking advantage of the fact that there are no brats to clean up after.

Crickets, breeze, grass. Julian takes a deep breath.

They are still getting used to school. The new routine they have to follow is boring, they can't do whatever they want, the teachers are strict - mom was too, but she was still mom - these teachers... Julian hates them. All with their kind smiles and attempts to help them, eyes with judgment behind.

Julian knows they hate him back. He doesn't really care. There are worse things than being hated by them. What irritates him most is the way they act. Tensing up when he enters the room or comes close to hand over his notebooks, or when he frowns and is a little too rough.

He's a ticking time bomb in their house and unfortunately, they can't move it, even when it threatens to explode.

The other students are also afraid. A different kind of fear. Not all, however. No matter how annoying and cold Julian acted, it seems to be impossible for them to push Evan Adel away. Which is ironic.

For a whole week, Julian was nothing but annoying and there was Evan running after them to ask if they wanted to go to the library to study. And not just him.

Idie is nice, kind and sweet, but can be tough and doesn't fall for his shit. He likes her silence. He just wants to understand why she always smells so sad. There's no opinion on Broo, he's so sweet it's hard to hate him and he's nice to have around. Kubark is a pain in the ass, Julian's ears hurt just thinking about him. At least it's cool to train with him, like last night.

The two took advantage of the Danger Room to fling each other around, and there was nothing wrong in the end. Kubark won three rounds and walked away with a stupid grin. Julian wasn't that upset about losing.

He hasn't forgotten what Idie said in the panic room. And what he and Hunter discussed earlier. They do not know. They have no idea what their parents did, which is why Evan continues to try to be Julian's friend. Julian wonders if he would still try to be nice if he knew exactly why people fear his family.

But, well, Evan doesn't have just any face. Julian doesn't understand what's wrong with Evan. Prestige told them not to try to talk to him about his family heritage. Is it because Evan— whatever he is — doesn't like to remember that he's the son of Apocalypse? Is that why he's not afraid of Julian?

No one else has brought it up except Quire and Evan always seems uneasy about something. That must be it, Julian concludes. It's none of their business.

"Creed, what are you doing here?"

Julian opens his eyes. Toad is standing next to him, his long bangs hiding his eyes. He doesn't get too close, and holds a shovel in his gloved hands. The feral smells him and realizes that Mortimer is not afraid, just a little annoyed.

"I'm allowed to run in the morning, Mr. Toynbee."

Mortimer mumbles something. Shaking his head, he walks past Julian. "Classes will start soon."

"I know." He stands and brushes the grass off his shorts. The sun is already rising, soon they will have to go to visit Salem Center and Julian really wants to go. Leave the school grounds for a bit.

"Try not to burn anythin' while you're here. Krakoa won't like it."

"I can control my fuckin' mutation."

"Yes, I'm sure." Mortimer says in that nasal voice and continues walking, going about his tasks. Julian doesn't know if the man really likes it, being a caretaker for the X-Men after fighting them for so long must mess with someone's ego. Mortimer at least likes Krakoa.

Whatever. They know the guy has a problem with their father. That animosity doesn't scare them.

When he returns to the room, Hunter still hasn't gotten up. He is hidden between the sheets, his bonnet almost falling from his hair, only his stuffed shark visible under the blanket. Julian can't believe he's asleep, his breathing gives him away.

"Hunter. Get up." They call out, slapping their brother's leg. Hunter grunts and hugs his shark tighter. "Damnit, get up. We have to get ready for class."

"I dont want to go today." Hunter groans and curls into a smaller ball. Julian pulls the sheets off him and wraps it in their hands.

"Why not? Weren't you the one who was so excited to go to school?"

Hunter looks over his shoulder, face hidden by the pillow. "I don't want to go. Can't I just go to the visit?"

Julian blows smoke. "No. The teachers won't let you skip class." They push their brother once again, throwing the sheet over his still sleeping face, and walks away. "Come on, I ain't waiting for you."

"Uuuhhhhh..."

Hunter remains in the same position as Julian paces around the room, collecting their uniform, hair cap, toothbrush, and a towel. Hygiene materials are handed to them by teachers, each one has at least two, and they must take care of it, as there are not many. Someone sewed their names onto the edge of the towels at some point during washing.

Julian is already in need of a new toothbrush. Their sharp fangs always ruin them during washing. He hasn't told his teachers yet. He doesn't want them to be irritated about having to give new hygiene supplies to him so soon.

The bathroom at the end of the hall is only used by the Creeds, Evan and Quentin. There are four showers. Evan doesn't like getting up early, so Julian is always the first to get there.

Cold water doesn't bother them, and hot water would just roast them to death. Freezing and staying warm is the only good option. Julian stands by the mirror as he finishes drying off, looking at his reflection through the thin cloud of steam he created. A soft growl leaves his lips.

His hair is getting longer, he needs to shave the sides. Or maybe let it grow out completely once again. Braid it like Hunter's. He doesn't have the beads Mom made for him. That's not what bothers him (that too, but it doesn't matter now).

He holds up his button-down shirt and grimaces. Feeling the heat rise, he growls at the reflection to control himself. They hate having to see their chest starting to show through the blouse, even if they use the blazer to cover himself, you can still see it. Before, they could hide with their jackets, and it wasn't so much of a problem.

He didn't realize when it started to change. He didn't have to think about it much before, at home he still felt like shit about his body, now with a bunch of strangers, it's ten times worse for his dysphoria.

It surprised him that most of his colleagues didn't have a problem with him. Most, if not all, simply refer to him by the right pronouns or by his last name and so far they have not shown any animosity because of his gender. Great, so it's just the mutation? How wonderful.

He puts on his uniform. He spent a lot of time standing in front of the mirror. Hunter remains in his bed. At least now he's looking at the ceiling and mentally preparing himself to take on the world.

Julian smells Lullaby approaching, before she can even knock on the door. He rolls his eyes and goes to open it, looking into his teacher's almost blind eyes.

"Good morning, Julian." She says in that soft voice that can put everyone under her spell.

Julian keeps the door almost closed, leaning on his shoulder to hide Hunter. "Mornin'. What do you need, ma'am?"

"Are you and Hunter ready?"

"Hunter's still going to take a shower." Julian grumbles. The teacher clasps her hands in front of her body.

"Please, hurry. Classes start in half an hour, this way you'll miss breakfast."

"I know. We're going to be a little late for class."

"And you think that is good?" She raises an eyebrow in reprimand, almost sarcasm.

She can't read Julian's expression in the dark, the boy can read hers. He decides to keep the same dry tone. He has no problems with Lullaby, she is nice and understanding, however, it seems that even she can't help but have a certain dislike for him. Their mother used to be rude to her too, that must be why.

"Hunter has art class." Julian crosses their arms. "Or he would, if there was a teacher. 7° grade has free time."

"What about you? From what I remember, you have chemistry class with McCoy right after breakfast." Lullaby isn't bothered by their tone.

"It's not my favorite subject."

"It doesn't matter if you like it or not, skipping class is not wise."

Julian rolls their eyes and speaks more seriously, trying to keep their irritation under control.

"I'm not going to miss class, I'm just going to be late for a few minutes to have breakfast with my brother." When Lullaby doesn't change her expression, they decide to appeal to her oh so kind heart and lowers their voice, trying to sound concerned. "He didn't have a good night."

It works, apparently. Lullaby puts her hand on her chest and speaks softly.

"Is everything okay with him?"

Julian shrugs. Behind them, Hunter has already started folding his sheets and looking for his uniform and towel.

"Yes, just a headache. It happens sometimes. He's just havin' trouble adapting'."

It's not exactly a lie. Hunter has always had a harder time dealing with change. He gets overwhelmed more easily than his older brother, is more likely to have meltdowns and isolates himself. He may not have superior senses, however, he is more emotional than Julian.

"I'm sure this will pass." Lullaby says with the same concern. "It's alright, though. Just try to wake up earlier from now on."

Julian agrees only for her to stop talking. Lullaby knows they're not in a good mood and cuts off the conversation, handing him a package of mail.

"Your sister sent this."

Julian takes it from her hands and closes the door. He doesn't wait for her to leave. Hunter rushes to see what Clarice sent, finally news to ease their concern for her whereabouts.

The package is small and only contains a message written in uniform handwriting, an envelope and a cell phone. One of those really old ones. The letter is too brief and Julian reads it slowly.

I'm back in New York, I'm going to be here for a while, at the bar.

I sent you enough money to get by for a month, buy things you need, hygiene products, materials, candy. Just be careful. I'm sure the school will take care of the rest. But you better be smart. Julian, you know what to do.

The cell phone is for emergencies, don't call me. I'll call you. My number is not saved, in case I get caught or lose the cell phone I have here. If something happens I'll let you know.

Don't do anything stupid. I will visit you when I can. Love you two.

Julian snorts and opens the envelope to count the amount of money. Hunter examines the cell phone. It's a simple trick that mom and dad taught them a long time ago.

"How did she get that money?" His little brother asks and Julian rolls his eyes.

"What do you think Mom and Dad taught her to use a bow and knife for?" He puts the letter in his backpack, putting the cell phone in his pocket. "Go take a shower already."

The Main Gate of the School.

Three straight hours in a lab with McCoy, plus one hour with Prestige in his head, Julian had had enough of the day.

Logan wasn't at school. No one knew where he had gone. Something he needed to resolve in Japan and that was important enough for him to disappear in the middle of the night. History classes had been canceled and only old documentaries would be showed to them by Doop, and combat classes would be taught by Inferno and Iceman.

At the time of the visit, which was what the students were most interested in, Pryde gathered them all together at the main gate, around her a very small group of children were all holding hands. There weren't many mutant children younger than Hunter, class A-7 itself only contained ten students.

Julian's class and 11° grade seemed to be the largest classes in all of high school. This way, there weren't that many students to go that day. Still, it was a considerable number of children. Mostly teenagers who could walk on their own, and only five or seven younger children who would need constant attention from teachers.

"Everyone gather here!" Pryde called after them, arranging the little children in a line. "The last classes go back there. 9th and 8th grades go there with Warren and Lullaby."

Class A-9 obeyed, running to join the teachers. Warren happy to be able to go out again, Lullaby a little irritated with the students who weren't quieting down.

Julian glanced at his brother as he ran to be near Cannoball and Coral, along with the 7th and 6th graders.

"Should we hold hands too?" Quentin teased, offering a hand to Idie. Julian chuckled softly as he cried out in pain from the ice covering his pale fingers.

"I hope we have something exciting to do!" Kubark said to Julian, giving him a shove on the shoulder. "Or this visit will be a huge waste of time. I have more important things to do!"

Julian rolled his eyes, and agreed anyway, holding the money Clarice sent inside his pocket.

Krakoa has to be physically stopped by Mortimer as everyone left the school. The island cried and tried to follow them, not wanting to be alone. They could still hear it crying when they arrived at Salem Center.

The village wasn't so different from Mackenzie, a small town with quiet citizens. The kind you see in American movies. There was even a large lake, with a small pier and boatmen for tours. Some cute little shops, food stalls, colorful houses, a tall building under renovation and a hospital and an old church further away.

Julian took a deep breath to take in the scents. Most of the people there were humans, only a few mutants passed in front of them when the teachers arrived with that troupe of children. Some looked, of course, confused as to why so many children were entering the town.

It must have been quite a sight. When Kubark floated high in the air to get a better view, there were people staring.

"Prince." Julian walked up to him and called in a low voice, still serious.

"What do you want, Creed?!"

Julian looked around quickly. People staring made him uncomfortable. Not only that. These people, humans, looking at him made him uncomfortable. Looking at his colleagues. He knows he can't tell Kubark not to use his powers, but... Kubark doesn't understand anything about Earth. Or about mutants.

He uses the powers freely, not realizing that he is the only one. Julian grimaces at the smells and sounds around him. Hunter was right behind him, pulling his beanie up to cover his eyebrows. There are a lot of eyes there.

Evan also joined them, his eyebrows furrowed in an adorably irritated way.

"Kubark, be careful with your powers." He said with his hands on his hips. Kubark crossed his arms and remained in the air, moving from side to side, offended.

"Why? Do you think I'm going to destroy something on purpose? Or by accident?!"

Evan sighed. "No, but you need to be careful. This is a public place, it's not our school."

Kubark remained up there. Not happy about not being able to use his powers as he pleases. Especially when the request came from his two classmates. Thanks to all the entities present, Warbird had come along, without her sword and wearing more casual clothes, at Pryde's request. One way or another, she still looked menacing and out of place.

"The youngling is right, my lord." She says stopping next to Evan and Julian. "Any damage we do here will tarnish the reputation of the school, and your father's." She looks at the humans staring at her and scares them away with her steely gaze. "The people here are not warriors, they could not handle your power."

Kubark grunts something rude and gives in. "Fine! I'll keep my feet down." He begins to slowly descend to the sidewalk.

"Feet on the ground, you mean."

The prince shakes his head. He doesn't land, just floats a few inches off the ground, clearly still flying.

"No." He says with a rebellious air.

Evan shrugs. Good enough.

Ava'Dara isn't too impressed with Salem Center. She is more irritated about having to change her armor and having to follow the prince all the time in this new place. And she doesn't have the sword with her. Shame.

Idie comes up to them, jumping up and down excitedly, her hands waving in front of her. "Is there an ice cream shop here? I hope so!"

Broo imitated her, jumping up and down. He just wanted to be able to participate in her good mood.

"What we do now?" Evan asked. Nervous as always, his hands tugging at his uniform.

"Take a walk around the park?"

"Is there one here? There's not much we can do." Hunter whispered to his brother.

They took a good look around. The class were already spreading out, some of them already having ideas of where to go. Julian overheard them talking about going to a cafe that had been rebuilt. They were excited. At least some of them already knew what to do, while he and his group stood on the sidewalk with no idea where to go.

Idie clapped her hands together. "At least we can walk around! Miss Lullaby gave me a few dollars! I'm going to see if there's an ice cream shop around here." She showed her orange-shaped hand bag and bent down to Broo. "Would you like to go with me?"

The alien, of course, agreed. The two walked quickly away, Broo telling Idie about how ice cream was made in the 1800s.

"Hey!" Kubark suddenly shouted, making Julian's ears hurt. He pointed to something further ahead, in the bushes at the entrance to the city.

Julian smelled dog. Sick. Afraid. He frowned and followed Evan and Hunter as Kubark quickly flew to where he had pointed. He crouched down in front of the bushes, digging his hands into the leaves to get a better look.

There really was a dog there. A labrador, if Julian is not mistaken, a little small and skinny, with big, sad eyes.

"A dog! Hello!" Kubark said excitedly, coming very close. Talking too loud. The dog whimpered, leaving the prince confused. "Hello." He repeated a little lower.

"What are you doing?" Evan asked, crouching down beside him, pushing him to get a better look at the dog. "Oh, poor thing."

"He doesn't answer me." Kubark grumbled. "How rude."

Julian and Hunter looked over their shoulders. The dog looked between them, scared. It clearly wasn't used to having so much attention, good or bad, from people. Julian sniffed, but he didn't smell blood or any disease. Just hungry.

"Dude, it's a dog. Of course he's not going to answer."

Kubark looked over his shoulder. His glasses hid his surprised expression. Julian and Evan frowned at the prince.

"Don't you know that dogs don't talk?" Evan asked gently, placing a hand against his lips. He wanted to laugh.

Kubark frowned. "I met a dog before. Cosmo. He could talk." He looked closer at the dog. "This one even looks like Cosmo."

He looked back at his confused colleagues. In addition to being confused, they were impressed by the way he said it so casually.

Evan shook his head, a smile growing on his face. "I won't ask." He shook his head. "Dogs don't normally talk, Kubark. They're animals.... er..."

"Here on Earth people keep them as pets." Hunter said for him.

"Like a company?"

Hunter agreed. "I don't know how it's possible for this dog you're talking about to be able to talk. But now I'm interested."

"Cosmo is not just any dog." Kubark said defensively. "He has telekinesis and can talk. He's the coolest!"

Standing, the prince moved a little away from the bush, taking a good look at the dog. Noticing it was scared and looking between the new faces warily.

"So this one is just a companion animal. Where's the companion then?"

"I don't think he has." Hunter responded and crouched down in front of the dog. "Dogs don't always have owners. Sometimes they just stay out there, alone."

"No home? No food? Who takes care of them?"

"Maybe there are people who throw food to them from time to time." Evan deduced. Crouching down next to Hunter, he carefully extended his hand, waiting for the dog to sniff him.

The dog hesitated, afraid they would do something to it. It seemed to like Evan, smelling his fingers before licking them, making a small whimpering sound. That was a signal for Evan to start scratching it's ears. Hunter joined him, smiling at the animal.

He looked at Kubark, seeing that he was a little upset.

"Do you want to see if we can take him to a pet shop?" The younger boy offered. "It's like... It's a place where you find things for pets."

"Or maybe we should take him to the vet." Evan said and the dog snuggled closer to him.

"What is that?" Kubark crouched down near them as well. Julian saw him hesitate before touching his fingertips to the dog's head. Peceiving a positive reaction, the prince began to pet it, watching Hunter and Evan.

"Animal doctor." Julian grunted in response.

Warbird appeared behind them. "My lord, beware of this creature."

Kubark dismissed her. "It sounds good. This one is very thin. But you still look great!" He laughed at the dog.

"Who knew you'd be a fan of dogs." Julian commented. Already tired of the cuddling and affection section, he turned away, with his hands in his pockets.

"Creed, where are you going?"

"Matter to you?"

Evan grabbed Kubark's shoulder as he watched him get up, standing with a forced smile. "Let's just take the poor dog to the vet! Be careful, Julian!"

He signaled the dog to follow them, going to look for a decent place to take care of the animal. Warbird turned around and followed Kubark, who was pleased with the dog's presence beside him.

"Are you coming with us, Hunter?" Evan asked, and the boy shook his head.

"No. My class wants to see if we can go to the arcade. I want to go too." Hunter looked at his older brother.

"Just don't get lost, cub."

Julian waved at them, going a different way while the three goofies and Warbird went to look for a pet shop or veterinarian, talking loudly on the street, attracting people's attention.

There is a pharmacy very close by, and Julian doesn't think much before going in, he doesn't want to look around for too long. The smell of the products makes them sick, a mixture of chocolate, ice cream in plastic containers, medicines and ointments. The old man behind the counter gets a good look at them when the bell above the door rings.

Without wasting time, they look for anything they need there. They think about getting a tub of ice cream. Where would he put it? He can buy a cone later. He finds toothbrushes, band-aids for Hunter, tampons, and, miraculously, electric clippers.

He takes one in his hands. The cheapest is $60, and Julian feels the pain of an adult dealing with finances. Damn, why does everything have to be so fucking expensive? At least these have several clips and can be charged.

Abuelo must be watching, wherever he is, for them to be so lucky, because they also find tapes. The ones people use to hide their chest.

He holds a small box in his hand and wonders if it's worth it. He knows this kind of thing isn't healthy. Mom and Clarice had a long argument with him about this once.

However, he doesn't want to have to see his chest showing through his clothes anymore. Even if just a little. And he can't find a binder that easily. The little devil sitting on his shoulder tells him to get the tapes and Julian listens to the little devil.

The money Clarice sent is enough for everything and there is still plenty left over. By miracle.

"Thank you, abuelo." Julian mutters to himself as he leaves the pharmacy with two plastic bags. "I'm going to pray for you tonight, promise. And mama. The whole family, actually, heh."

He laughs to himself in good spirits, ready to go back to school and try out his new things. So much so that he doesn't notice Quentin next to them at the traffic lights.

"Talking to yourself, Creed?" The telepath asks and Julian stops.

"...."

The two face each other. Julian stares at him in silence, holding their bags in both hands. Quentin doesn't care, just stares back, confused as to why Creed seems so taken aback. His brown eyes go to the bag in their hands, an eyebrow raises.

Julian sets the bags aside. He doesn't know why. He despairs for a second. Oh, they don't want Quentin - or anyone - see what they went to buy. Why? They don't know. The thought of someone knowing he bought the damn tapes and the fucking pads and the fucking clippers forms a pit in his stomach.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"What you're lookin' at?" Quentin shrugs nonchalantly. Julian continues to look with tense shoulders. "Did you see something you like?" The telepath laughs.

Feeling their hands heat up, Julian swallows hard and slides off his mask of anger. "In your fucking dreams."

Quentin laughs a little. He's acting strange. Sending Julian a knowing look, as if he knows what he's feeling. Oh, sure, he's a telepath. Can he feel Julian shaking even with Miss Summers' blocking in his mind?

"Don't lie, Creed." He still has that egocentric air. "I know you don't have good taste, but you can't lie that I'm all that." He runs his hand through his hair in an exaggerated motion.

Julian pretends to vomit. "I'd rather kiss the bamfs' asses and throw myself off the communications tower." He walks straight past Quentin, putting their hands in their pockets, bags dangling from his wrists.

Quentin laughs after them until he's too far away. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap.

Julian keeps walking until he finds a corner between two stores, hiding between the walls to breathe, his hands clawing in his hair. His heart is beating fast and he doesn't know why.

Chapter Text

There is an antique store near the cinema, hidden between a record store and an electronics store. Hunter takes a look at the computers in the store next door, but his attention is caught up in the antiques he sees in the other dusty window.

A maze of tall shelves was visible, crammed with old artifacts. Dusty globes, old typewriters and quirky trinkets. The sign on the door says "closed," so Hunter can just look through the glass for now. He couldn't take anything anyway, their money is with Julian.

The electronics store also catches his attention. It doesn't just sell new electronics, but old and reused ones, he saw that they also do repairs, which intrigues him. He and his father always went to stores like that when they had time, or Dad brought him old pieces and objects for him. Wires, batteries, sensors, screens. And Hunter would spend hours tinkering and trying to fix it.

It was Dad who taught him how to do these things. And he always encouraged him to learn more about technology, much to everyone's surprise. Hunter liked to understand things, Dad always told him that he should keep learning and sticking people's faces in the mud with his intelligence.

Hunter doesn't like the last part, but he likes it - liked it - when Dad praised him and scratched his head. Calling him "brains", saying "My Boy!" every time he fixed or created something from scratch.

He misses it. Most of the things Dad gave him and he fixed are in the house, including his gameboy and switch. He wonders if they will be able to return at some point.

His nose itched. He recognized the scent of his classmates and their approaching footsteps. He already knew the way they moved too. With a lot more courage than they should have, in Hunter's opinion. Always acting like they were bigger than they really were.

He continued to look at the window as they stopped next to him, waiting for him to recognize them.

It took a whole minute.

"What are you doing, Creed?" Christopher O'Leary asked in an arrogant tone, moving a little closer. A sharp smile stretching the black mark under his left eye.

Hunter turned to them slowly, maintaining a disinterested face. Behind Christopher, there was Jacob Williams, always hiding under his jacket, and Jamie Rogers, a feral like him, however, with purple fur covering his entire body.

He moved back a little, not wanting to talk to them. He understood from the beginning that his classmates weren't that nice. They had a habit of starting fights without a reason and going to detention.

So far they haven't messed with him. In fact, they did nothing more than throw some paper balls at his head when he spoke in class and make faces when McCoy praised him for answering right. That happened a lot.

"Hm.... looking." He mutters in a dry voice.

"It's an antique store." Christopher takes a look through the glass. He laughs dismissively. "Do you like this crap?"

"... yes..."

The three of them stand there, exchanging giggles. Just like a troupe of idiots. Hunter rolled his eyes, having no patience for that. He hated having to deal with bullies. Even when he went to visit Mom in the S.H.I.E.L.D. compounds, he had to stay with other children, employees' children. Most of them weren't nice, except for the Cho twins.

"What do you want?" He asks through teeth, smaller than his brother's, and not nearly as scary.

Jacob looks around, speaking softly like he always does. "Where's your brother?"

Hunter moves his head to the street behind them. "He's over there, he's coming back." Okay, take as much time as possible. Tire them out or wait for Julian to return. Or solve it himself. He doesn't have much of a choice.

Jamie pushes the other two away and sniffs the air deeply, his mouth opening into a wide smile, only to show that his fangs are sharper.

"He's lying. I can smell it." He comes closer. "You're scared, shorty?"

Hunter growls. Not like Julian. He's not that intimidating, so small and thinner. With almost invisible claws.

"Get lost, I don't wanna play with you." He says to their faces in a low, drawling voice, clenching his fists. "I know you guys like to torment others. But just because I'm shorter doesn't mean I'm weaker."

His words don't have the effect he expected. The three idiots look at him, surprised by his courage, they have never heard Hunter talk so much, only when he answered McCoy's questions in class, and they have never heard him seem so sure of himself. And here he was showing his dull teeth like a kitten trying hard to be scary.

A laugh was bloomin in Christopher, slowly his shoulders began to shake and he threw his head back to laugh out loud. Soon Jamie was following, his tail wagging behind him. Jacob just shook his head, his expression still serious.

"Look at him!" Christopher pointed a finger at Hunter's face, close enough to be bitten. "He thinks he's big deal just because his parents are villains."

"Did they teach you how to hit too?" Jamie asked, bending down, hands on his knees.

"I thought you were a coward." Jacob commented with his arms crossed.

Hunter looked at him, a little disappointed that his deskmate would follow Christopher, after all he learned that Jacob wasn't an idiot, he was just pretending to be one.

He sighed and shook his head. "I just prefer to keep to myself."

Christopher snorted, his nose twitching. "Not in McCoy's class." He gets closer, Hunter takes a step back and he follows, angrier than before. "Always acting like you knows more than everyone else." He gives Hunter a hard shove on the shoulder. "McCoy might think you're harmless and all, but we don't fall for that." Another shove.

Hunter growls. His patience is about to end. He waits for Christopher to give him one more push. He will show him. He hates that his classmates try to intimidate him every day, throwing paper at him and making him trip when he tries to turn in his homework in class. They laugh and find it even funnier when he just puts his head down and stays quiet.

Because he's not Julian. Or Kyle. Or Clarice. Hunter is the runt of the pack, he always has been. And it's easy to see that. However... he's still a Creed. He didn't tell Julian that his colleagues were harassing him, he doesn't want his brother to have to resolve it. He can do this for himself.

He keeps his voice even, speaking calmly, looking at Chris even though he wants to look away.

"You are teasing me because of my parents' reputation." He concludes. "Still, you never did anything before because of my brother, now that I'm alone do you want to fuck around?"

He takes a step forward, stretching to look Christopher in the eyes, his little hands ready. "You're right, my father taught me how to hit. So I'll warn you: being outnumbered won't help anything if I decide to hit back."

Christopher is heating up, like Julian, his eyebrows furrowed with anger, and shame at having the Creed runt standing up to him. Hunter is not intimidated, he is used to the heat of his brother, who is much more dangerous.

"You talk too much for someone so small."

"I know you're just a bunch of idiots who don't know how to hit anyone above knee level." He finally spits, making Christopher explode.

The heat suddenly increases. Christopher moves forward at the same moment Jacob and Jamie grab him by the shoulders and forearm, groaning at the way his skin burns to the touch.

"You little shit!"

Hunter lifts his chin, still standing in the same spot. He expected to get punched or something. No, Christopher keeps trying to catch him until the three of them stop and look them, flinching when Julian arrives with shopping bags.

"Hey, Hunter!" The oldest greets with false good humor, walking past them to stand by his side. Their face stretches into a forced, controlled smile. They put an arm around their little brother. "D'you want ice cream now or after I teach these bozos a lesson?"

They ask in an excited tone. Hunter lowers his head and moves away, giving his brother space to reach his classmates. He feels Julian already hot as a furnace, he hopes they don't do anything more than scare the boys.

Well, Julian isn't a complete idiot.

They lean forward, staring at Christopher with a grin full of much larger fangs jutting from their lips.

"Do the three musketeers have a problem with my baby brother? I can sort it out quickly." They laugh as the three of them look away. "Hunter's right, you can't beat anyone bigger than you, eh?"

Christopher tsks with his mouth and pushes the other two back. "Fuck you, Creed! We're not afraid of you just because you're older." He shouts, showing his hand glowing orange.

Julian looks at the little sparkles flying from his palm. "Ah. Do you want to see which flames are hotter then?" He doesn't show his mutation, he just looks. For a long time before turning to Jamie who holds his purple tail in his hands. "I can heal from anything you throw at me. What about you, furry?"

Jamie looks away, a sad cat sound coming from his throat. Jacob has so far been quiet, serving more as a bodyguard despite his size.

Julian ignores the younger pyrokinetic and growls louder. "Get lost!"

Jacob runs out first, tripping over his shoes, Jamie leaves Christopher to face Julian, running on all fours, faster than everyone, whimpering. Christopher doesn't leave for a few more seconds, debating whether it was worth testing his firepower with Julian's. Hunter wonders what the end results would be.

Luckily, the last boy runs away too, trying to look like he's not that scared.

Julian grins to himself, until their mask falls and theh return to their serious expression. Turning to Hunter, he places the bags in one hand, the other touching the younger boy's head.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Hunter shakes his head, pushing their hand away. "Thank you, Jules."

"Hey, you were really brave standing your ground. Just like mom and dad taught you." Julian smiles, more gently. Hunter shrivels, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, making himself even smaller.

"But I didn't do anythin'. I was--"

"Bluffin'?" Julian can smell the melancholic scent coming from him. "Hunter, you may be smaller than me, but I know you could handle yourself if they tried somethin' for real."

Hunter shakes his head. "They won't. They're afraid of getting their asses handed by you." He grins at the last part.

"They should be afraid of getting beaten up by you." Julian shrugs. Wrapping their brother in a hug once again, he tries to cheer him up. "What's wrong? You did well."

Hunter doesn't push them this time. "I ain't like you, Jules. You never let anyone mess with you."

"Doesn't mean I'm better than my baby brother." Julian squeezes him gently. "Wanna to go get ice cream with the others? I still have money."

"I don' like ice cream." Hunter makes a face with his tongue hanging out. Ice cream freezes, makes your teeth hurt. Why do people like having their brains frozen so much?

"I'll buy you oranges then. I can smell it from here."

Hunter followed, looking for the scent of oranges, it was still too far away for him to catch He finally let go of the hug and looked at the bags Julian was carrying, trying to see what was inside.

"What you got there?"

"Just a few things."

"Julian!" Hunter's eyes widened when he managed to see the tapes inside. "Mama said--"

Julian pulled the bags away. "Let's go before I change my mind."

The small bell above the door rings as Idie and Broo enter the ice cream parlor, alerting the employees inside. The young lady behind the counter is ready to welcome them, until Broo takes a few more steps inside with a big toothy smile, then she stops and stares with her mouth half open.

"...at least it's not too crowded." Idie comments. They sit at the counter, and she helps her friend onto the high stools. "Have you ever had ice cream before?"

"Professor McCoy once gave me two tubs of chocolate vanilla ice cream. I loved it!" Broo responded in a high-pitched voice, attracting the attention of a middle-aged couple in the corner.
"I haven't had another opportunity to try other flavors, so I can't say which one is my favorite."

"Two pots?" Idie chuckled behind her hand. "I don't have a favorite either. We might try a flavor we've never had before."

She pulled out a menu that was on the counter. Broo leaned over so he could read, standing on the high stool.

"That's a good idea, friend Idie."

"I think I'll try lemon. Hm.... Professor Pryde said it's good." Her eyes ran through a few more flavors until she found a different one. "No! I'll have coconut."

"I'll have mint chocolate chip ice cream, please." Broo asked the waitress.

The woman, who wasn't that old, maybe just a few years older than Idie herself, was standing behind the counter looking at Broo with wide, curious eyes. Idie frowned as she continued to stare at her friend. Of course, it wasn't normal to see beings from other planets on Earth, but it still made her annoyed.

"...."

"Ma'am?" Idie called this time, a little louder. The waitress blinked and turned to her, her pale cheeks turning red.

"Oh, I'm sorry! What it will be, honey?"

"A mint and chocolate and a coconut ice cream." She said, slowly, politely. "Wait! Broo, do you want a cone or a pot?"

"I've never tried a cone."

"Two cones. Please."

"Alright, just a minute." The waitress wrote everything down in her notebook, still embarrassed by her lack of manners. "Do you want anything else? Peanuts, flakes, M&M?"

"No, thank you."

Broo pushed his glasses up, even though they were attached to his head thanks to McCoy's device. A habit he picked up from the scientist himself.

"I don't think I can have peanuts. I've never tried it. I should ask Dr. McCoy. Nothing else, please."

"You can't eat peanuts?" Idie asked.

"I am not sure." Broo shrugged. The waitress walked back to prepare the ice cream. "There are many foods on Earth that my species cannot eat. We are carnivores. However, I am vegetarian."

"Oh, right. We should know what you can't ingest then." Idie agreed. She hadn't thought much about it. In addition to the food made especially for the school's non-Earth students, she always saw Kubark and Broo trying out new things.

Well, one time she offered meatballs. She remembers the way Broo's expressionless face, if possible, turned sour. He politely declined and remained quiet for a few minutes.

"Why are you a vegetarian?" She asks suddenly. Broo looks up, eyes big, choosing plastic spoons to eat his ice cream. "Isn't meat part of your diet?"

It's hard to read Broo's facial expressions sometimes. His insectoid face doesn't change much. Idie sees his exaggerated expressions, of course, raised eyebrows, the big smile, the strident and excited way he has. Often just imitations. Hers or Mr. McCoy's. Trying to show his emotions the same way they do.

This time, she notices the way he wilts. His shoulders drop and his little legs stop kicking, he lowers his head slightly and his voice becomes quieter.

"... I chose not to eat meat anymore." He says seriously, looking at her claws. Idie swallows hard, feeling her chest tighten, she looks ahead and mentally berates herself for asking.

Two ice cream cones are delivered to her hands, with no other additions, just coconut and mint chocolate.

"Here you go. Enjoy it." The waitress smiled, laughing a little at how excited Broo was. His mood improving as soon as the treat touched his fingers.

"Thank you very much, ma'am!"

Idie let out a sound of satisfaction when she tasted hers. It was delicious, different flavors that complement each other. Maybe she should take it more slowly, her head hurt a little when she took two spoonfuls one after the other.

"What do you think?" She asked with a frown.

Broo ate his ice cream without any problems, unable to control his excitement, he swayed on the tool, smiling widely.

"I loved it!"

Idie gigles. This time she took hers a little slower. "I'll try another one next time we come here."

"Are you sure it's not a problem, friend? Ms. Lullaby gave you money to enjoy--"

"And I want to buy ice cream for my friend." Idie interrupted with a smile. "It's not a problem."

"Thank you, friend Idie." Broo tried to tighten his grip around the cone, which was a little bigger than his paws. He hummed a song to himself. "Will the others join us?"

Idie shrugged. "They had other things to do. I don't think they will." She commented, remembering that her colleagues were still upset about what happened in the panic room.

They didn't tell her straight up. It was easy to see. They didn't talk to her as much as they would have. Evan bid her good morning, but he seemed hesitant to spend much time with her, especially when he sat next to Julian in class and was quiet.

Julian himself didn't say more than a grunt when he passed her that morning, without even looking at her properly. And his irritated manner is worse than usual. Kubark acted normally, she already expected that from him, he didn't make it clear that he was upset, he just... he didn't understand her, she didn't understand him.

"Is everything alright, friend?" Broo asked, as always concerned and observant. "I noticed a certain..." He hesitated and cleared his throat. "I noticed you didn't talk to our friends this morning during class."

Oh, did he see the way Julian grumbled and Evan just kept walking after saying good morning? Embarrassing.

She sighs and goes back to eating her ice cream. She wants to enjoy it. "I hurt them. That day of the attack. I don't think they'll want to talk to me again."

"What a misfortune." Broo says evenly. "What happened?"

She shrugs. "I said some not-so-nice things without thinking." Even though they were sincere and real to her. Idie just said what she thought was true. "I want to work this out. I just... I just don't think they want--"

The door to the ice cream shop opened with force, almost tearing it off its hinges, the bell above the portal ringing violently. Broo and Idie jumped off the stools, just as the waitress turned around with a start. It was just Kubark, always so noisy. He was smiling, in a good mood.

"Hey! We took the dog to the vet!" He announced and entered, floating towards them. Once again, his appearance caught the attention of the few people there. His red hair was strangely tangled.

"What dog?" Idie asked in confusion. "And keep your voice down." She asked right away, a little uncomfortable with his noisy manner. Soon, Evan and Warbird entered the place as well.

Her shy colleague gave an apologetic look to the people inside, going to sit at the counter, Kubark saw this and did the same, taking a seat for himself and taking a look around.

"We found a dog, right after you left." Evan explained, also looking disheveled. "Kubark wanted to take him somewhere safe so we took him to the vet."

"The doctor said he was lost." Kubark spun around with the tool. He was certainly in a good mood. Different from the way he normally is. "They will try to find his owners soon."

Idie smiled. His serious and quarrelsome colleague looked like a child excited about getting a puppy or a piece of candy.

"Ah, so you two went on an adventure. I didn't even know you liked dogs." She giggled and went back to eating the ice cream, leaning against the counter. To her surprise, Evan was at ease. And not upset like she thought he still would be.

"I met a dog before." Kubark grumbled. "I've never seen many."

Evan leaned towards her and Broo with a playful smile. "He said the dog he met before can talk."

"And you believe him?" Idie asked in disbelief, amused. Behind them, Ava'Dara made an irritated sound, standing like a statue, looking out of place.

"Are you two doubting my prince's word?"

"Ah, Warbird. I didn't even notice you there." Idie turned to her with a tight smile. Still uncomfortable with the presence of the bird woman. She leaned back to see Kubark sitting next to Evan. "It's not that we think you're lying, Kubark, it's just that dogs don't talk."

"Adel told me." The prince shrugged. "And I saw it with my own eyes, so I don't care. Just don't doubt my word!"

Idie waved her hand, smiling. Broo finished his ice cream cone with pleasure, wiping his paws on a paper towel.

"Where are friend Julian and friend Hunter?" He jumped off the tool to go throw away his plastic spoon and napkin in the nearby trash can.

"Hunter went looking for an arcade, and Julian... I don't know." Evan admitted, a little nervously. "He just left."

Idie sighed. "He likes to be alone. I just hope they don't get lost." She bent down to help Broo onto the tool again.

"Would you like to join us, friends?" The little alien asked. "We're trying ice cream."

"What is ice cream?" Kubark rose into the air to look at the menu on the table above Evan's head. The waitress behind the counter stared at him, her mouth open in an O.

"Earth food." Evan explained, holding the menu between them. Even Warbird stuck her feathery head between the two to see. "More like a treat. It's cold, and has different flavors."

"Ours are mint chocolate and coconut." Idie was happy to give her opinion. "It's delicious!"

Kubark pondered for a moment, and as always, didn't want to be left out of the fun. "I want to try! Warbird?" He called his bodyguard, who was making a face, clearly against his decision of trying the sweet treat.

"The Majestor made sure that you would not face any problems while serving your punishment." She raised her arm, her armor emitting a Shi'ar hologram.

"Do you have Earth's money?" Evan asked in surprise. Kubark agreed.

"The Shi'ar exchange technology with Earth. I have Earth's money, yes."

The bell rang one last time. The Creeds had arrived, entering as if they already knew they were there. Hunter was holding a bag of fruit and nibbling on a cut orange from a plastic container.

"Hello friends!" Broo was the first to greet. "Come to join us?"

Idie waved shyly at them, almost testing the waters. Julian gave their usual grumble of greeting and sat down next to Kubark, their brother on the other side.

"How did you find us?" Idie leaned back to see them. Together, they almost took over an entire side of the counter.

Julian picked his nose, his ears flopped a little. "I can smell and track you."

"This is so cool." Evan chuckled, also noticing the movement.

"We're having ice cream." Idie pushed the menu across the surface of the counter towards the boys. "Kubark wants to try."

"You have money?" Julian turned his nose up at the prince, making him indignant, and at Evan who was sticking his hands in his pants pockets.

"I'm a prince, Creed! Of course I do!"

Evan took out a few dollars from his pocket, smiling shyly. "Er... my uncle gave me money before I came here. Oranges?" He glanced at Hunter, silently eating his fruit.

"I don't like ice cream. So Jules bought this for me." He said, making a face to make it clear. Evan frowned, wanting to ask why, but Kubark was already grabbing him and shaking him.

"Adel, tell me the flavors. I want to taste all of them."

Idie sat sideways on the bench, to see them better. "How about one at a time? We'll be able to visit other times. How about trying a flavor each time?"

Kubark pouted. "But I want to try all of them!"

"You can't spend all your money on ice cream." Idie put her hands on her hips. "Even if you are a prince. We'll have other chances."

Warbird took a step forward, still with her arm raised. Idie couldn't read what was written and she really didn't want to know the amount of money that was being shown.

"The youngling is right, my lord. It is not wise. You must learn to choose what you spend your expenses on. And your father would not be happy to know that you are spending it on Terran treats."

Kubark threw back his head. "Uuuughhhhhh. Fine!" He sat down and Evan began reading the flavors to him.

Idie looked at Warbird from the corner, the guard was looking straight ahead with her expression unreadable. Maybe she was imagining herself flying away from them or something. Idie shrugged a little and leaned back, trying to get Julian's attention.

"Julian, where did you buy those oranges?"

The feral also leaned over to see her behind the boys' backs, keeping his balance with one hand. His expression was still serious, a little dark. But he looked normal. In a good mood while in a bad mood.

"There's a small fair right there." He moves his head to indicate the door. "Like... a bunch of stalls selling stuff."

Idie smiles even more.

"I'd like to go there later."

Julian just nods and stays quiet. He has already chosen his ice cream and calls the woman behind the counter, also noticing how much she looks at them.

"Most people take chocolate, strawberry, cream, flakes. I like flakes." Evan continues, setting the menu down. Kubark tries to read it himself, only being able to identify the flavors by the colors. He pushes Julian with his elbow.

"Creed, what are you going to eat?"

"Chocolate and vanilla. Two balls." The feral opens that wide smile to show his fangs. Evan chokes and coughs, while Idie lets out a gasp and rises up in her chair.

He just laughs. Hunter is stuffing an orange in his mouth, his shoulders shaking slightly. The brothers laugh among themselves.

Evan rolls his eyes and looks at the waitress standing there, looking at them like they're silly teenagers. "Sorry. I'd like flakes, please." He asks shyly.

"How do you pronunciate this?" Kubark pokes hard at the menu. Evan reads it to him.

"My friend wants a strawberry one."

The woman writes it down and laughs. "Anything else to complete?"

"Peanuts in mine." Julian waves his hand. "And can you put mine in a jar and the cone on top? I like to eat it dry."

"Nothing else, thanks. I don't like mixing." Evan shrugs.

"Peanuts too!" Kubark asks loudly. When the waitress turns around to take out the flavors, he leans toward Evan. "What are peanuts?"

"Kubark!" Adel exclaims softly through bare teeth. "You can't ask for things without knowing what they are!"

Idie rolls her eyes and sighs, laughing at the two as they argue.

"People must think we're crazy." She comments to Broo, who laughs too. A little awkward.

"And we are." Julia grumbles on the other side. With a bit of dry good humor. "Look at us."

The waitress places the treats on the counter. Julian's in the plastic pot, the cone upside down in the chocolate flavor. Strawberry and cream ice cream in plastic tubs, peanuts only in Kubark's.

"Thank you very much." Evan picked up three plastic spoons from the counter and passed them among his colleagues. Broo and Idie waited for the prince to drink first, it would be an interesting activity, somehow.

"Come on, Kubark. Have some." The fire and ice girl gently encouraged him. Warbird stood still, looking on in worried anticipation.

"It's cold." Hunter spoke softly. "Like, really cold."

Kubark imitated Evan and scooped up his strawberry ice cream on his little red spoon, not just a little, more than a full spoon. The group was silent as he took the large amount into his mouth. Immediately, Kubark grimaced and closed his mouth tightly. He let out a chocked breath.

"My Lord?!" Ava'Dara pushed Evan aside, eyes wide and scared. Kubark laughed, slapping a palm to his forehead.

"Cold! But delicious! I loved it! Haha, you Earthlings have some amazing inventions." He takes a little more, a smaller amount, and goes back to eating.

Idie laughs in Ava'Dara's face. The bird woman never showed so much emotion on her face. Evan and Broo giggled too, the Creeds grinned.

Idie picked up one of the flyers from the counter while the boys ate ice cream from her. She wasn't paying attention, but she could hear Broo and Hunter telling Kubark why his head hurt and this whole thing about how the cold feeling affects the brain.

The pamphlet in her hands talked about the fair Julian mentioned. A type of community activity, people sign up and can sell their art or anything in the designated space for the fair. Interesting. She could go and take a look. And in the church furthest from the city.

Looking at the boys, she wondered if they would mind if she disappeared for a few minutes.

The waitress came to them when they were almost finished. "Are you all going to pay together?" She asked with that good humor. The boys looked at each other and shrugged.

Evan agreed. Julian nudged Kubark.

"You have to pay separately since you don't have cash."

The prince snorted. "What? Why?"

"You don't have physical money." Julian repeated and called Evan and Idie. "We pay together, since we have cash."

"I believe it's reasonable." Warbird commented back there.

Idie opened her little bag while Kubark grumbled. Their bill was handed over, she, Evan and Julian placed bills on the counter. The waitress took it and lifted the machine into the air, a little afraid when Warbird, all tough and serious, approached her, lifting her armor.

"Do you guys study at the Xavier Institute?" The waitress asked as the amount was transferred, somewhat surprised and curious.

"What gave us away?" Julian asked, releasing a small cloud of smoke into the air from their mouth. This time more transparent, more like vapor. It must be the ice cream cooling them down, in contrast to their mutation.

"Actually, the institution is now called the Jean Gray School for Higher Learning." Broo raised a clawed finger, pointing at the school symbol, JG, sewn onto his small blazer.

"Oh, that I heard." She handed them each a flyer for the ice cream shop. Leaning over the counter, she smiled and whispered. "Hey, a few weeks ago, there was that commotion near the school. Everyone saw this giant thing coming out of the ground. What was that?"

"Krakoa?" Kubark whispered to Julian.

Evan stuttered, not knowing if he should respond. "Sorry, it's just..."

Julian took the lead. "We can't talk about it. But, it wasn't a big deal." He said in a serious voice.

The waitress closed her smile, slowly agreeing.

Julian was the first to get up, he and Hunter leading the way. The rest followed them to the sidewalk, there was still plenty of time before the sun went down.

"Where to now?" Evan asked. Idie waved the fair flyer in her hands.

"I'd like to go see that fair Julian talked about."

She looked at the boy, asking him to guide them. And so he did, turning to the left, even further away from the city entrance. There were more people on the streets, now that everyone had left work and school. They saw children in uniforms going walking in groups, and they would have blended in perfectly.

Some looked, Idie ignored and skipped down the sidewalk. They actually passed in front of an arcade. Not an old one, but a new building with several machines and games, and it was possible to see inside. There were already human children coming in and playing.

"Look, Jules! I told you there is an arcade!"

Hunter ran to take a look, crossing the street too fast. It's a good thing there weren't many cars passing by. Still, everyone shouted for Hunter to come back and even Warbird had the instinct to pull out her sword that was not there. Julian ran after him and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket.

"God fucking damnit, cub! Look at the street!" He scolded. Taking a look inside, there were a lot of people there, since it was Friday. "We can come here another time. Though I don't think we should after this shit." His brother pouted. "You can't do everything in one day."

"Ah, now you are the responsible brother." Hunter complained as he was dragged back to the other side of the street. His friends sighing in relief.

"Someone needs to keep you together 'til winter break."

"I didn't know arcades still existed." Evan commented and they continued on their way, without being the scare. Kubark floated next to him, lying in midair.

"What's an arcade?"

"That place over there." He pointed over his shoulder. "There are lots of games to play. Should we go there sometime?"

"Why not now?" Kubark asked. Julian sighed and nudged Evan.

"You explain to him, Adel."

The city fair was further away, located in a park. As Julian said there was a tall gate with decorated flowers, and across rows of stalls selling different things: clothes, arts, sculptures, flowers, homemade goodies, pastries, and fruit.

At this time, it was almost closing, and some of the vendors began to dismantle their stalls and put their things out. The teenagers stood at the entrance, looking around.

"How beautiful. There's all kinds of stuff here." Idie ran to get a better look, the boys and Warbird following her. She stopped in front of a stall selling rag dolls and admired a hanging clown puppet.

Evan called them over to see a poster.

"We can join too." He announced and bent down to read. "We can sign up to participate, it's like a community activity."

Julian stopped beside them. "You need permission."

Idie rocked on her toes. "I'd like to join." She said excitedly, a big smile on her face.

Julian snorted. "And sell what? Ice cubes?" He shrugged and then raised his hands in the air as Idie turned to him and raised her own ice-covered fists. "Ey, es broma, es broma!" He laughed, knowing she was in a good mood too.

Idie waved her arms and the ice disappeared. "I wanted to sell flowers! Or something nice! It's just an idea!"

She took the flyer and read it once more. She would really like to participate. Having something cool to do. Her mind went back to the reason she asked Pryde to go to the village and walked away a little while the boys looked around.

From where they were, she could see one of the church's bell towers, a little further away. She had time to go there and come back. Even just to take a look. There didn't seem to be many people going in that direction. And the boys were very distracted by the fair.

She didn't think they would want to go with her. And she didn't want them to, anyway.

Looking back, she started to walk out of the fair, then stopped when a whispering voice reached her ears and the wind pushed the leaves into the air.

"Children, it's time to go back to the school!" It was Lullaby, flying above them, floating in the air, alongside Angel who landed on a nearby tree. "Join the others, please. The visit is over."

"Oh, look what a wonderful place!" Angel jumped to the ground, closing his metal wings. "How lovely. Why haven't we ever come here, Ms. Lullaby?" He extended his hand to help her land.

Kubark flew towards the teacher, the others rushing to join.

"Already?! We've been here for a few hours." The prince protested. Julian poked him hard in the shoulder with his claw, Evan smiled.

"Yes, ma'am. We're going."

"Then hurry up, I'll be going after other students." She raised a finger at them sternly. "I don't want to see you straying from the path. Warbird, get them to safety."

The Shi'ar soldier nodded. Lullaby and Angel left once again. Idie watched them go with a sigh, she looked once more at the church and followed her colleagues, walking behind the group.

The sun began to descend behind the trees. When she looked in the direction of the school, she saw the Communication Tower light up. Human children returning from school also walked home, talking loudly in the street.

They passed a small market and Idie stopped and grabbed Evan.

"Hey! Wait! Whats the name of that again?!"

"A claw machine." Hunter answered.

"A claw!" Idie pointed to the gaming machine near some bikes in front of the market. Without waiting, she crossed the street. Broo followed her first, wanting to see the toys inside it. They weren't plush toys, but little colorful plastic balls with toys inside. "Do you want to try?"

"I don't think I'll be successful." Her little friend raised his hand, opening and closing his fingers. "Four claws."

"I'll try for you." Idie took two dollars out of her purse and put it in the machine. Julian and Kubark were sitting on one of the posts separating the sidewalk from the street.

"You're goin' to be at this all day." The grumpy feral said.

Idie stuck her tongue out at him and held the joystick, as soon as the claw started to move, she realized it was difficult to control. And she hated Julian for a moment because it really was difficult.

Kubark was laughing like an idiot behind her, watching her put in two more two-dollar bills before giving up.

"Again?!" He laughed. Idie turned to throw him an annoyed look. "Maybe I should--"

"You three stay there." She pointed at him, Julian and Wabird. Hunter was looking around the machine.

"You won't make it, Idie. These games are manipulated." He kicks a small plate on the side of the machine. "The owner of this thing manipulates the number of tries it takes for you to get a toy. If he doesn't want you to win, you won't."

"What a stupid game." Kubark grumbled. Warbird agreed.

"Deceiver. Cheater. Absolutely, my lord."

Evan raised a hand shyly. "Hey, can I try something?" Idie stepped aside so he was in front of the machine, looking around. "Promise not to tell?" He whispered with a playful smile.

Everyone agreed to keep silent. With that, Evan bent down in front of the machine and opened the little door where the toys came out. Julian cursed and stood, pulling Kubark, the two set up a wall behind Evan and everyone watched as the boy reached into the machine with difficulty.

As Idie expected, Evan's hand appeared inside the machine, moving the spheres, stretching his arm as best he can without hurting himself.

"Evan!" She laughed. Broo and Hunter got together and they started to choose what they wanted. She looked back to make sure no one was watching.

"Just grab one already!"

"Wait, it's hard to move my hand in here. And I can't see anything. Guide me."

"Grab one from the bottom."

"You can't see what it's inside them!"

"Take that blue one over there, I think it has something cool."

"I want a purple one."

"My lord, this does not appear to be permitted."

"Shhhh!"

"Careful to not break your hand."

"Don't say that, Hunter."

"Stop leaning on me!" Evan grunted and started pulling the toys out, pushing Kubark aside. "Here, I chose it randomly."

He took out a sphere for each of them, letting them fall to the ground before going to get others. Idie bent down to pick up two and handed one to Broo. Hers contained a Frankenstein figure making a face. She shrugged and carefully held it in her hand.

"Let's go! What are you waiting for?" Julian grabbed his brother and ran away. No one wasted time before following. Warbird was mumbling something in Shi'ar to Kubark, who just laughed.

"What did you guys get?" Evan asked as they quickly walked back to the exit, where the other students were already gathered. "I got a Rubik's Cube." He shows the toy in his hand.

"A pumpkin head." Hunter shows off his Halloween little toy, which matches Idie's.

"I got Frankenstein."

"A yo-yo." Broo said excitedly, trying to play with the object. Without much success, he couldn't pull it back and it fell on the ground.

Julian held up his bouncing ball, it had a face showing its tongue and sharp teeth. He threw it on the ground and made it jump before grabbing it. Kubark grimaced at his, it was a little green hand with a string at the end, all made of plastic.

"What's this supposed to be?" He asked irritably, Evan whispered in his ear and he smiled mischievously. "Oh yeah?" The prince laughed and held the rope and his hand like a slingshot, aiming at Julian. When he let go, the little hand hit the feral's cheek and stuck.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Kubariu laughed loudly and pulled his toy back, aiming at things. At some point it stuck to Warbird's arm and she wasn't happy.

"My lord, shall I take this from you?"

"No way! It's mine!" He placed it close to his chest. Idie rolled her eyes as he continued to stick the little hand into stuff.

It was a fun afternoon, she concluded. Even though she wasn't able to go to church like she wanted. She had even forgotten for a moment what had happened. Seeing her classmates so comfortable, she smiled, thankful that nothing bad happened again.

"It was fun! Let's go again tomorrow!" Evan said as they joined the rest of the students, all talking loudly until Lullaby returned and Pryde began to lead the way back to the school.

When they arrived, Krakoa was so happy to see them it cried mud on the second grader's shoes.

"Alright! Bath time!" Pryde announced as the younger children cheered and jumped on the mud.

Chapter Text

September 25, 2018.

Autumn had already arrived. Which means that soon the decorations and festivals would begin. The students were excited to know that they too could go out and celebrate Halloween when the time came. With all the attacks happening, security rules had to change.

Older students were still upset about not being able to get out of school more often like they did before. Idie knew that they escaped at night, because once, just out of curiosity, she stayed awake during the night and saw them climbing her wall and disappearing into the forest. She hasn't told the headmistress yet. And Professor Logan hadn't returned from his secret mission.

No one knew where he was, and it seemed like the teachers were more annoyed than worried. A common occurrence, apparently. At least they would have more additions in the staff.

"Did you hear the headmistress found new teachers?" She announced as she sat with her colleagues at lunch, waving her hand to cool her omelet.

This time everyone had sat together at one table. Something new, Idie liked it. Having a full table to talk to. They still got dirty looks from others sometimes, but she didn't care as much anymore. And it seemed like things were changing too.

Julian was nice and helped them in language classes, Kubark really listened when they asked him to speak more quietly, Hunter spoke more, even if he was still shy. They spent time together when they could and studied in the library.

"Yeah? What are they going to teach?" Evan asked with a mouth full of omelette. Broo had already finished eating and was enjoying his pudding, his yo-yo next to his plate.

"I hope it's to take the free classes." Julian commented. Next to him, Hunter was immersed in a concert manual and had to be reminded to finish his food every five minutes.

He was taking up a lot of space on the table. In addition to the manual, he had pieces of metal, wires and batteries and some small tools scattered around. No one knew what it was for, just that it was for a science project. He was too involved to pay attention to anything else.

"Hm. I... don't remember their names." Idie turned around to poke Bling! at the other table. "Hey Roxy, do you remember who the new teachers are?"

The crystal girl turned around, taking her plate of pudding in her hand. "Chamber, Darwin, Petra and Sway. And Blindfold. Anole said they will teach Philosophy, Chemistry, Literature and English language. But Sway and Blindfold will help more with the administration."

"Do you know them?" Evan asked. Anole joined Roxy's table with his plate.

"Blindfold and Chamber taught us before. They're cool. Blindfold is a little weird." He answered with a frown and warned them. "She sees the future. If she tries to tell you something important, tell her you're not interested in knowing it and leave."

"That's very rude." Evan shook his head in disappointment. The lizard mutant snorted.

"Believe me. You don't want to know about your future. Or maybe you do. It's up to you." He shrugged and started eating. "It would have been better if she could have given me a warning that I was going to lose my arm."

He swung his right arm, showing how his mutation evolved, making his arm bigger than the others, with huge, dangerous scales and sharp claws.

Evan is a little uncomfortable, he didn't know about that. No one other than the older students did. He looked at his friends also making worried faces.

"Hm... well, but... I don't think it would be that bad to know the future." He pulled on his collar.

Idie shook her head wisely, waving her finger in the air. "Miss Summers says that it doesn't matter if you know your future, because the timeline always changes, there are many possibilities. My friend Hope said that visions of the future are more to give you an idea of ​​what will come."

"So, 'you make your own future' and that whole fortune cookie thing?" Hunter asked with his eyes in his manual, putting pieces of metal together.

"Interpret however you want." Idie shrugged, finger still in the air, missing Julian mimicking her. "In the end, God has a plan for all of us. Only He knows our ways." She smiled radiantly.

Julian quickly swallowed their omelette and pudding, letting out a sarcastic snort.

"Well, I'd like to complain to him whenever I can." He grinned and Idie frowned. "What about the others? Have you met them?"

"We've already heard about Darwin, Petra and Sway in Professor Pryde's classes." Broo said, wiping his mouth with a tissue. "I believe they were the '72 X-Men, along with Banshee."

"Ah, yes. From that poster in the Ethics room." Evan remembered. There are many posters and holograms of different X-Men teams scattered around the school. There was a new one of the New Mutants being placed in one of the hallways on the second floor.

The library has X-Men posters from '72 and '92 and a ridiculously large X-Force poster near the computers, with the phrase "Beware the dangers of the Internet" above their heads. It was so weird to use the net when Cable's image continued to stare at them reprimandingly.

"At least now we have more teachers." Hunter muttered. He got a shock from whatever he was doing and Julian started scolding him in Spanish.

"And finally one for Philosophy." Evan agreed, looking worried at the Creeds. No more essays to write, he hoped.

"It's better than taking lessons from Lockeheed." Julian stood up as lunch ended. Classes were longer and more annoying since they can't understand the alien dragon, with his growls and huffs.

Once again they would have free time. McCoy had exploded something in the laboratory of building three and the teachers would have to fix it. Then they should stay in the garden under Cannonball's observation.

As everyone left the cafeteria, Julian stopped, shaking two sheets of paper in his hand.

"Hey, I'm going to turn in my essay to Husk. I'll be right back." They turned away, Hunter going with them so he could get to his literature class. He was still finishing his pudding, cheeks full of food, his science project in his arms.

Idie put her hands in her hips. "You forgot to deliver it. You said you wouldn't forget."

"Shut up, frosty! I was just making some adjustments to the text!" Julian shouted, embarrassed.

But it was true. He didn't really forget, he was thinking about it all weekend. He just didn't have the will or the strength to sit down and write until 2 AM the night before and he sat in the dark racking his brain to write thirty lines.

They left Hunter in his classroom downstairs. Husk was writing on the board while the rest of the A-7 class was chatting, too loud and noisy. When Julian walked in and tried to get the teacher's attention, they got a good look at Hunter. And the three boys who surrounded him over the weekend.

O'Leary still seemed to have courage, but he was quiet and was glaring at them when he noticed their presence. Julian gave him a wild smile, just for fun.

"Hello, Julian." Husk went to him, leaving the Literature book on the table and closed the door behind herself. Julian could still see the class through the glass window.

"I finished my essay." They handed over the papers, not a single wrinkle. Amazing. "The bamfs destroyed the last one." They mubled.

Husk laughed and ran her eyes over the words, making sure everything was right.

"I'm sure so. I'll deliver it back during your class." She promises. Always smiling, always being so nice. Julian doesn't trust her easily, even though they smells her and knows she's more genuine than the others teachers.

They agree and turns his back, wanting to go upstairs to enjoy the day off. Unfortunately, Husk calls out to them once again, hesitantly and full of anxiety. He stops and turns around, making it clear on his face that he is in a hurry.

"Have you....have you spoken to your sister?" She almost stutters, holding his essay in one hand, keeping her arms around herself.

"No." He grumbles. "Clarice doesn't think it's safe to keep contact."

"Is she in trouble?" Husk becomes more worried.

Julian sighs and rolls his eyes. Be nice, be nice, he tells himself. It is a little hard.

"I don' think she's in any danger."

He stands still in the hallway, watching his teacher think, her free hand coming up to poke her face, removing pieces of her skin. Whenever she does this, his scent changes. This time, he catches a scent he's never smelled coming from her.

Well, he doesn't have time for that.

"You want to ask me, just do it, ma'am, I want to go outside already."

Husk continues to tear her skin off. "I'm worried.
Why didn't she want to stay here with you two?"

"Clarice doesn't feel comfortable. She doesn't like...she doesn't fully trust the X-Men." He responds, still very rude. He can't hide his feelings from her. He doesn't trust them either. "Not after she was left behind on the day of the Phalanx. And not after she was manipulated by the Inner Circle and it took the X-Men months to find her."

His words shake Husk. She lowers her eyes, memories of that day swirling in her head. Remembering when she tried to hold Clarice back from going after the Phalanx to save them. And Miss Frost holding her. Not even Sabretooth and Sanguinária tried to stop her friend from sacrificing herself.

She doesn't understand why Clarice would choose to side with them in the end. No one helped. But Husk tried.

"The Phalanx... It's ridiculous. I..." She shakes her head, trying to collect her thoughts. It's a mess inside her head. "We had no idea she was alive this whole time. There was no way we could help her. I wanted to know if I could talk to her. I need to know what happened."

It is difficult. Julian rubs the back of his neck, already feeling his skin heating up. It's always so difficult to keep this mutation under control. Any little thing makes him hot, and he doesn't want Husk to think he can't control it.

"I need to explain to her..."

"With all respect, Miss Guthrie, that's none of my business." Julian rolls their eyes. "I'm Clarice's brother, but I don't know what's goin' on in her head. I just know that she's upset and would rather stay away. She'll come back when she wants to. And if she wants to talk to you about whatever happened, she'll do it on her own time."

He shakes his head, feeling tired of this conversation. And from school. He doesn't want to talk about his sister, why should he? Clarice has made it clear where her loyalty and love lies. He knows her, and knows that she still suffers a lot from being left behind. And honestly, he doesn't care that Husk is feeling guilty.

"I'd rather not get myself in her affairs. Clarice knows how to take care of herself. Mom and Dad taught her to be tough." He assures her confidently, turning his back to her. He looks at his brother sitting in the class room, reading that manual.

"And please don't try to ask Hunter either. Clarice will come talk to you if she thinks it's worth it." He walks away. He saw Husk give him an equally tired and guilty look, half of her cheek had been torn off.

He ignores that this also affects him. He doesn't have to feel bad, he tells himself. Inside the elevator, he exhales smoke between his teeth.

The courtyard is noisy when he leaves. He hears sounds of drills coming from building three, across from the Ice Castle. The teachers fixing the labs while their classmates run around the garden.

They find Idie sitting in the grass, under a tree, the tree that always seems to have Evan's scent nearby. Broo is near the girl of ice and fire, holding a musical instrument. They're almost passing past them when Idie waves excitedly.

"Julian! Come see! Dr. McCoy gave Broo a gift!" Idie waves at him, looking so happy and relaxed.

"Is that an accordion?" They walk to them and plops down on the grass next to the alien, their backpack being thrown haphazardly.

"Yes! He gave it to Broo to practice on."

"I didn't know you play the accordion."

Broo was shy, his little paws holding the instrument awkwardly, it was perfect for him, the exact size. But you need to have a lot of control to play that.

"Oh no. I'm still learning, my talent is almost non-existent. Dr. McCoy allowed me to use this one to practice. I'm having a hard time, though." He laughs and plays a few notes.

Julian hides the way his eyebrows furrow and his ears move with the sound, taking in each note deeply.

"I'm sure you'll find a way." Idie encouraged him and smiled mischievously at Julian. "Did you hand in your essay?"

"I did." He threw himself back onto the grass with open arms. "Uuuuughhhh."

"What?"

"A vanilla ice cream would be so good right now." He dreamed. He had it on the weekend, but he wants to have more. The season has changed and is starting to get cold, soon he will not have to worry much about his mutation.

He still dreamed of ice cream or a milkshake. Or some Bocadillo con queso, Pandebono and almojábana, Bagels, or just some Empanadas. He misses the food from home. Even the berry pies his dad makes with too much sugar.

"I agree." Idie said with the same dreamy tone.

Broo continued playing his accordion, a little book of notes on the grass. He practiced with determination, missing a few notes here and there. Julian's ears hurt at times, but Broo soon started to get the hang of it, faster than they expected. Soon, the broken notes became a melody.

Still slowly. It wasn't a complete song. Sometimes they dragged and mixed with the wind, and the sounds of teenagers running around the garden, using their powers for fun.

There was a rugby game going on near the cafeteria. Kubark was there too. It looked like the older students were testing his strength and speed by throwing the rugby ball to each other while Kubark was in the middle, moving between them to catch it. Julian smirked every time the prince successfully caught the ball, surprising his colleagues with his agility. Their attempt to prank him were worthless.

Julian continued to lie in the grass, watching the light that touched his face through the leaves of the trees.

Just like when Dad took him, Clarice and Hunter to the pier near the house and taught them how to swim. Or when he took them hunting. Julian always went first, and Hunter was always carried by his father. The rare times Kyle stopped by the house, their older brother carried them, because Julian was always a jealous brat.

"Your hair is getting longer, Julian." Idie suddenly commented.

Julian sat up, touching their hair. They had used the clipper to shave the sides better, he tried to make an opening above the ear and it didn't work out very well. It's good that his hair grows fast. He still maintains his mohawk style, a little longer. Soon he will be able to braid it. He wanted Clarice to be there to help.

He also hadn't used the tapes. He thinks abuela might try to pull his feet at night if he tried.

"I know."

He must sound rude, because Idie frowns. Why does she look so upset?

"I'm growing it out. I want a mohawk or something." He clicks his tongue.

Broo giggles. "Same as the prince's?" And he continues to play. He misses a note. Julian's ears twitch and he hides it so as not to hurt the alien.

"Bleh!" They stick out their tongue. "Mine will be waaaay cooler than his triple mohawk!"

Idie laughs, in that sweet way of hers. The hand reaching up to her mouth to hide her lips. So delicate and sweet. So nice.

Kubark comes walking towards them, without a single drop of sweat on his face even after spending so much time chasing a ball. This time there is mud on his shoes and he has his blazer over one arm.

"I hear Julian Creed disrespecting my name!" The prince announces. Kicking Julian in the thigh, he grins and throws his head back. "It's not a surprise. You don't know how to appreciate my grandeur!"

Broo adjusts his glasses. "Friend Julian told us they will grow their hair and have a better hairstyle than yours, your highness."

Heck, maybe Broo is a big telltale, just like Hunter when he was a cub.

"I did!" Julian shows both middle fingers to Kubark and grins wider. The prince kicks them in the leg and they stand up, pushing him back.

Idie rolls her eyes as the two start pushing each other and calling each other names in their own languages.

"Boys are so silly." She looks at Broo, distracted by his accordion. "Not you, Broo."

"Thank you, friend Idie. I'm not a boy, though." He smiled huge. Idie just blinked quickly.

"Oh... apologies."

"But you can continue to count me among the 'boys'. I like it." He assures her.

Kubark holds Julian in a headlock, laughing at the feral's attempts to free themself, increasing their body temperature.

"Hijodepueta!" Julian growled, making him laugh.

"Kubark, be nice." Evan asked from above, coming to them in the quickest way he knows how: stretching his legs to take longer steps, towering over his colleagues, becoming taller than the tree they're under. "Guys, Angel is calling us to help in the garden."

"Help? Collecting plants?" Julian grumbled. He raised his arm to rip off Kubark's glasses and punch him in the nose, freeing himself.

"Ouch! Foul play, Creed! Not honorable!" The prince flies after the feral who is holding his glasses, running on all fours.

"What's with them?" Evan bends down to Idie.

The fire girl ignores the two idiots and stands, picking up her backpack. "They're just like that, aren't they?"

Evan agrees. "So, do you guys want to go help in the gardens? Krakoa is making the strawberries grow too fast. They're huuuuge." He streches his fingers to emphasizes his words.

"I love gardening." Idie smiled and waited for Broo to put his notebook in his backpack and grab his accordion before following Evan. "My sister and I helped our parents at home. So you can say I'm very good at this." She winks playfully.

Evan returned to his normal form to walk alongside his friends. "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Indeed, friend Idie." Broo agrees with the same good humor. "You never told us."

Idie stopped, the smile slipping from her face. She realizes what she said and her stomach drops. That horrible feeling rising in her throat. Memories of her village coming back too quickly.

Evan and Broo understood quickly. They stop walking and look at her in that pitiful way. She would be touched, but it makes her sick.

"I... had a sister." She corrects herself weakly, eyes falling to her shoes. "She died."

Because of her.

Idie shakes her head to shake that thought away, like she always does. Hope tried to teach her how to block these thoughts. It never worked.

Evan feels bad for commenting. "I'm so sorry." He says awkwardly, sincere and friendly. Broo nods, gently patting her hand.

"It's fine. I just… don't like to think about it." She asks, walking back to the gardens, passing close to the Memorial.

"I'm really sorry." Evan repeats.

Idie frowns and repeats, once again, in a slightly more serious voice. "It's fine, Evan."

Evan opens and closes his mouth. Idie hopes he won't try to be as nice as he always is and let the matter drop. She doesn't want to think about her family, her village and all the people she has lost. Maybe agreeing to go to the gardens was a bad idea. She hasn't thought about home since she was taken to Utopia. Even with all the little things that remind her of home.

"Hey, where are you guys going?!" Kubark shouts, his glasses on his face again, flying towards them quickly, spinning circles around the three of them.

Idie keeps her head turned away so he doesn't notice how her mood has changed so suddenly.

"We are heading to help Mr. Angel and Mr. Toynbee in the gardens." Broo reminded them

Julian also joined them. Idie saw them sniff, their nose twitching. Because of her, she noticed. Julian gave her a look, she can't read them, and then began pushing Kubark into the gardens as well.

"We have nothing else to do. Let's go, prince, get your delicate hands dirty for the first time."

"What do you mean by that, Creed?!" Kubark pushes him away. Evan chuckles lightly, taking a look at Idie.

She follows them, a tiny smile appearing at her friends' idiocies.

Helping in the gardens was enjoyable. Not only had they joined in to help tend the plants, some younger students had invited themselves to join in as well, so when Julian blinked, he was surrounded by seven-year-olds asking incessant questions with their dirt-covered hands.

No different from home. Now he understood why his mother did everything she could to distract him with dirt while she took care of the chickens and her beloved garden.

Working with Angel was easy. He was too talkative, but so patient and genuinely nice that not even Julian had the heart to be angry with him. He smelled so sweet, which made their stomach turn. Because at no point was Angel rude to them, or frowning and turning up his nose.

Julian remained quiet and distant and it seems that Angel saw them as just being shy and spoke in a low voice to not disturb them.

What an idiot. Being so nice. Julian hates him. He wants to stay away from the winged X-Man.

Because Angel - or Warren - doesn't remember anything. And they somehow hope he doesn't. Their mother ruined his life. Their father ruined his life. Took his wings, his power and freedom. And they both laughed and left. They never told Julian this, he found out on his own.

And Angel doesn't remember their face and continues to smile at Julian even when the boy is a little shit. Those eyes are not familiar to him. To Warren, Julian's eyes are just theirs.

"Are you having a hard time with this, young man?" Angel appears next to them as Julian is bent over watering the new seeds. His metal wings shine in the sun and Julian looks away.

"No. Why would I? It's just watering." He grumbles. Young Man. He likes it.

Angel shakes his head to the side, his blonde hair falling out of his bun. "You seem a little depressed. Tell me what's on your mind so I can help."

Julian rolls his eyes. "I'm fine. This is my normal face."

A chuckle escapes Angel. "Don't let your bad thoughts invade your mind. If you have trouble deciphering them, it's always good to talk to a friend."

"And you do this?" Julian asks with a hint of sarcasm. He continues to water the plants, walking between the rows of seedlings.

Angel nods. "I do." He looks around the garden, seeing the children playing in the dirt and watering the rest of the plants. His eyes fall on the fire girl sadly cutting the stems of some seedlings. "I believe you and that young lady are friends."

He points and Julian looks. "Idie?" He looks away, feeling his ears heat up. "I think."

"You think?"

"What do you want?!" They ask through gritted teeth. The water in the can ran out.

Angel finally becomes uncomfortable with their mood. He hides it and speaks in the same tone.

"I think your friend is feeling down. You should check on her." He takes the watering can from Julian's hands, not caring about the claws, and goes to fill it up again. "You go take a break, I'll take it from here."

Julian puffs out smoke through his teeth and hides in his blazer. He doesn't want to do this. He can smell Idie and how sad she is. She's been sad since the panic room. Sometimes this smell would get weaker or stronger. Now it was hard to ignore even with the distance between them.

They're not friends, Julian reminds himself. He has other things to care about, he thinks as he walks around the garden to get to her. Whatever she's feeling doesn't matter, he agrees with the little devil on his shoulder.

"What is it?" He grumbles as he stops next to her. Shit. Too rude. Always too rough.

Idie looks up, shielding her face from the sun. She still has a few seedlings in her lap, the scissors clutched between her fingers.

"What?" She's confused. Julian still has that unfriendly look on their face.

He huffs and crosses his legs as he sits down next to her. The plants in front of them are large and hide them from the rest of the garden. Julian knows this is what Idie wanted. He must be being a pain in the ass breaking into her little hiding place.

"You have something on your mind. I can smell you."

Idie frowns. "Excuse me. You can smell me?"

"I thought I made that clear. Yes, I can smell everyone. Except Bling!." He waves his hand. "And you smell the same way as you have since the panic room. It's sour and sad and kinda whiny. So I know there's something bothering you."

"I don't think that's any of your business, Julian Creed." Idie mutters. She cuts the stems off the seedlings and places them in a row, picking up the next one. "And why do you care?"

He rolls his eyes so hard his head hurts. "Ugh. I'm just tryin' to help." With a huff, Julian rests their elbows on their knees.

Minutes pass like this. Julian continues to look at the horizon behind the plants, almost daydreaming. He doesn't expect for Idie to actually speak. But as he has always done with Hunter, he sits silently, always keeping his distance.

They even think Idie will remain silent until she sighs and murmurs in a voice so low they would miss it if they didn't have good hearing.

"I'm sorry. For what I said that day."

She's not crying, he hopes. He can't handle it.

"I don't care." He says dryly. Idie lowers her head even lower and they go into a silent panic that she's going to cry. "I mean, I'm not angry." He corrects himself.

Idie shakes her head and finishes cutting the stems off the seedlings.

"I know you are tough and soooo cool, Julian," she makes quotation marks with her fingers. "but you're terrible at lying. You get nervous when you try."

Julian's ears heat up again.

"I don't!"

"You do!" Idie points at him. Julian holds his ears, knowing they're hot. Then Idie lowers her head once more. "I'm really sorry. You were upset, all of you. But I think you..."

Julian waves their hand to dismiss the thought.

"I don't care. I'm used to people not liking me, because of my parents, because of my mutation, because of my appearance, because of everything." He says seriously. Maybe it's too much. "And I don't care. If I'm going to be upset and try to make people like me, I'm going to go crazy."

It's hard to keep his voice flat. His mutation is always linked to his emotions. It's always so easy to read him. Which sucks for him. This time they hope Idie can see that he really isn't mad at her, they're being honest and trying to be nicer than he normally is.

"You have no idea what my family did. None of you do. And you know what? Fuck it!" He raises his arms in the air. "You, Adel, Broo, all of you are always so nice to me. And to my brother. So it's fine."

Idie is shocked. It's clear all over her face. Slowly her scent changes. It becomes sweeter. Lighter and more pleasant.

"You are not bad." She smiles the tiniest bit and Julian knows it's real. "You're grumpy like an old man, yes. But I know you can be quite nice." She gives his arm a shove.

"Ugh. Pretend you don't. It'll ruin my reputation." He grimaces and moves away.

"Don't you think that's a good thing?" Idie asks sweetly. Resting her chin on her knees to look up at him with bright eyes.

"If it's just to show these idiots that I'm a 'good person', I'd rather not."

"You are good." She insists.

Now it's Julian who's uncomfortable. Not really. The feeling they have is strange. Idie is so nice she makes them feel bad.

A small hand touches their arm and they shudder. He still hasn't gotten used to it.

"And we want to be your friends." She continues. Pulling her hand away when she realizes they still don't like touch. "I'm sorry I said those things. I didn't think. It's just... something I had in my head."

Julian knows. He heard her talking to Evan earlier. He has an idea of ​​what it is. He won't get involved, though.

"Whatever. Do you want to apologize? Apologize to everyone. Even that dumb prince."

"I will." She promises.

Angel smiles brightly as they hand him the new seedlings. Julian ignores the way his white eyes follow them, with a kind of pride they don't understand.

They stay behind while Idie helps put the seedlings in place. They are released from the last classes since they were helping in the gardens.

Julian and Idie leave together, going to look for their group of idiots. Julian refuses to call them friends yet.

"What's wrong, Julian? Idie looks sad." Evan whispers to them as they go to his favorite tree. Kubark is putting his face between their heads and Broo is straining to listen.

Julian looks at the girl walking in front of them, her hands clasped in front of her in a sign of anxiety.

"She wants to say something. So you better shut up and listen." He glances at Kubark.

"Who said--"

Julian and Evan poke him hard on his chest and arm to shut him up. Even Broo scolds him, with his little arms crossed. They form a small circle at the base of Evan's tree and Idie has her back to them, thinking seriously.

"What's on your mind, friend Idie?"

Idie turns slowly, nails poking her cuticles with careless force.

"I just... wanted to apologize for what I said earlier." She announces and claps her hands together, looking up bravely. "I'm sorry."

Silence. Kubark tilts his head to the side, making 'psst' between his teeth.

"Ah, it's alright. No problems or anything of the sorts." He gives her a thumbs up. He it learned from Cannonball. He doesn't seem angry. Idie didn't expected that from him.

Evan and Broo accompany him and smile at her, also assuring her that they are not upset. They are so light and understanding that Idie is dizzy for a moment.

"Oh, we forgive you."

"No harsh feelings, friend Idie!"

"Really?"

"I don't understand why you said that." Kubark crosses his arms. "I accept it anyway. Calling others monsters is not honorable." He shakes his head at her.

"I didn't mean to call you monsters." Idie mutters.

"You said 'we are all monsters'." Evan reminds her. Not angry. He was really hurt at the time, he couldn't understand why she would say that so suddenly. Especially after Julian told them about his parents.

"What do you mean by that, friend?" Broo asks with a sad face.

Idie feels bad. But she says what's always on her mind, with such simplicity that once again amazes her friends.

"We are all monsters." She says with her arms outstretched. They do not understand. "Not because of what we did. But... our mutations."

They still don't understand. She sees their faces change once again to insecurity, exchanging worried looks with each other. They think there is something wrong with her. Julian's eyes narrow, Kubark becomes even more confused and nudges his translator.

She sighs and wraps her arms around her stomach, her eyes falling to the grass once again.

"We're all monsters. Because we are mutants. This," she shows them her hands. "Is not normal. It's not a good thing. I say we are all monsters because of the horrible things we did as mutants. Because God is punishing us."

Evan's mouth falls, his eyebrows furrowing intently. He looks at Julian like the feral could cast a light in this confusing situation. Julian, however, is not even paying attention. He has his eyes stuck in Idie's face, looking just as upset as he was in the cafeteria days ago.

"Horrible things?" They finally ask, voice so harsh Idie snaps her head to look at them. "And what the fuck you mean with that? I'm certain we never did shit wrong."

Idie shakes her head. "Of course we did. We all did when we had our mutations."

"That doesn't even make sense." Kubark chimes in. "Why would you be a monster for being a mutant? Aren't you the evolved species in this planet?" He tilts his head between them, having more trouble to keep up with the conversation.

"Of course not." Idie continues. She looks among them, confused by their reaction. But, well, she already expected that. They look at her the same way Hope, Miss Storm and Mr. Logan always did since she arrived at Utopia, and since she left. "There's nothing good in being a mutant."

"That's bullshit." Julian says. He raises his hand when Evan opens his mouth. "What do you think that? 'There's nothing good being a mutant'." They repeat in a mocking tone. "What could have made you think that?"

"I killed my family because of it." Idie just says, simply. She blurts out so fast that no one has a reaction. Their faces are taken by horror and shock and she feel terrible.

Broo is shaking a little. She looks at her hands again and sighs, knowing they can't understand.

"When my mutation appeared, I killed my family. It was sudden. I didn't know how to control it. I killed them." She points out, her voice full of bitterness. Evan's red eyes widen as he understands. And Idie continues and no one stops her.

"Then my village tried to kill me. And I killed them too. I prayed for forgiveness. I still do. The X-Men rescued me and brought me to Utopia and I became part of the Lights."

"The Lights?" Kubark repeats softly, still trying to follow her words.

"We were supposed to be the new light of hope for mutants. I didn't understand what that meant. I didn't want to be a mutant, I never even cared about any of that." She spits more bitterly, looking at her palms. "And suddenly I was supposed to represent something I didn't understand."

"And then the museum attack happened." Julian points out, his voice still hoarse.

Idie nods. "The Hellfire Club. They destroyed everything and hurt innocent people. They cornered us when we were unprepared."

"And you killed them." Kubark moves his head to the side. Evan and Broo look shocked.

There is fire and ice behind her eyes.

She stands on the steps of the museum, there is an unbearable pain on her face. She smiles at Wolverine and Cyclops as they run to her. She still holds one of the soldiers by his uniform, steam and smoke rising from her arms, and she thinks she saved the day. The way the X-Men rush to her aid shatters this illusion.

She felt so tired after that. And confused. She thought she had done a good thing. And then everything got worse. The X-Men split up and she suddenly left the Lights. She understood why. Her friends said it was best for her, she deserved protection.

She doesn't need to read minds to know that's not what Hope was thinking as they said goodbye to each other.

"I was the only one left in the museum who could do anything." She runs her fingers along the scar below his right eye. "Cyclops said I should be the one to do this. Mr. Logan tried to stop me and told me to leave. I decided to stay. I really thought I saved the day."

The way Logan looked at her when she still hurts her.

"Then the X-Men Schism happened. And now we're here." She shrugs, trying to change her tone.

Her friends still stare at her with expressions of pity and fear. In the same way as Pryde did. As if there was something wrong with her.

She feels her eyes burning.

"I don't think you're monsters because you are bad people. But..." She shows them her palms. Looking at Evan's red eyes and Julian's claws. "Why are we like this? These 'gifts' only cause destruction. People hate us because of it. Look what I did to my village. Maybe... maybe they are right to hate us." She lowers her head.

"What a bunch of crap." Julian spits angrily.

"Don't." Evan whispers, holding their shoulder.

Julian pushes him away, turning to Idie, their face aggressive and she takes a step back.

"Do you really think we're monsters because we're mutants? That's fucked up. That's exactly what these people want us to believe."

"They're right." She murmurs.

"My dick!" The feral screams to the heavens. Idie flinches. Julian sighs heavily and rubs their palms over their face. "God-fucking-dammit, Idie! There's nothing wrong with us!"

"How you could say that when you know all the terrible things we've done? The things I did?"

Julian shakes his head. "You didn't do shit! And I certainly didn't either!" They take a step closer to her, trying to look calmer than they are. Idie sees that they are more upset than anything else. "We're not monsters for being mutants. We are just us. We're just normal."

He shows his hands to her, his claws that can never be hidden.

"This is not wrong. There's nothing wrong with us." They put their hands back in their pockets. "If there's anything wrong in this are those people that made you believe that you are bad for trying to do something good."

"Creed is right." Kubark said, much to her surprise. Everyone turns to him. Unable to believe it. He shrugs and floats toward Idie. "You killed people who tried to hurt you. And then you killed some soldiers who deserved to die! Where does that make you a monster?"

Idie opens and closes her mouth, stunned.

"As much as I don't accept violence, he's right." Evan also agrees and says in a gentle voice. "It wasn't your fault."

"I chose to do this." She insists, shaking her head at their words. "Mr. Logan told me to run and I stayed."

"To save people!" Kubark and Julian exclaim at the same time.

"It wasn't my responsibility. I committed a sin. I took lives! I did a horrible thing! And I deserve--"

"Oh, for the blessings of all the Gods above us, Frosty!" Kubark loses his temper. "Are you listening?!"

This time he flies to her and holds her arm. With as little force as possible. Idie is surprised when he is gentle, only touching to be friendly.

"There were innocent people in danger, you stood up and fought to protect them." He said, too loudly. "If anything, you were heroic."

Broo raises a hand, taking a step forward, speaking ever so politely.

"Friend Idie, as unfortunate as the situation is and as much as you belittle yourself for it, it wasn't your fault. You did what you thought was right." He smiles and holds her hand in his paw.

"And it had horrible consequences. I understand that you want--"

"Stop crying." Julian growls. Crossing his arms, his ears flick slightly. "We're trying to say it's fine."

He moves towards her, face impassive. This time she is not afraid that he is angry with her.

"That's what they want. For us to hate each other, for us to turn against each other, for us to cry and weaken. It wasn't your fault." Julian shakes his head and points to the school. "The adults, the X-Men, should deal with this. Not you. Anything that happened or will happen is their fault too."

"More than our fault." Evan says hesitantly. "They're the adults."

"And how many times have they fucked with us for not doing their jobs right?" Julian opens his arms, indicating the campus. Seeing mutant teenagers flying and running in the distance. Causing commotion in the hallways. "Look around. Half of our class is fucked up."

"We understand that whatever you did was horrible and this kind of experience can seriously affect someone's psyche." Broo says solemnly. "We don't hold bad feelings for you, friend. We're your friends, aren't we?"

Kubark grimaces and mutters something. Only Julian hears and they punch him in the arm to shut him up.

Evan moves his hands, rubbing his nails against his blue skin. He hesitates before speaking.

"I hurt Angel." He admits with a weak voice, receiving surprised looks. "A few months ago he was manipulated and turned evil, I had to help defeat him. Then he had an accident and became like that. I blamed myself for that, I still do, but... Deadpool said that one way or another, there was nothing I could do."

He looks over his shoulder, finding the X-Man still gardening with an aura so content that it's visible from afar.

"And he doesn't hold a grudge against me. The only thing I can do is help. I don't know how, really. But I will." He promises himself out loud, trying to put on a confident smile.

Idie remains quiet. The conflicting feelings racing through her mind. There is still a weight on her chest. She still feels her sins crawling under her skin and it scares her. Her friends being so nice makes her even worse. Because she feels, in the back of her mind, that she doesn't deserve this. She almost asks them to stop saying that.

Broo's little hand squeezes her fingers gently.

"We all understand your pain, friend. And we understand that it was not your intention to hurt our feelings - even though I was not present - and we forgive you." He concludes.

"You guys sound so certain of this..."

"Of course!" Evan and Julian say together, one trying to be confident, other already full of himself.

Idie sighs and sniffs. She puts her arms around herself, hugging her shoulders tightly. There's still confusion and anger in her mind, she can't shake it off. She thinks she can never get rid of this sickening feeling. There's still fire and ice burning behind her eyes.

"Just stop calling yourself a monster. It sucks." Julian grumbles.

Idie nods with a heavy chest. She rubs her free hand over her face to wipe away the tears that form.

"Alright." She says in a weak voice.

"You're still crying?!"

"Let her cry, Julian! Not everyone is made of stone!"

Idie chuckled lightly. They know she's still upset, and can't take it from her. They all pretend it's fine.

Hunter doesn't react when she goes to apologize to him too. He has the same indifferent face as his older brother. However, he is still much easier to approach.

"I'm sorry I said that, Hunter." Idie concludes when she finishes speaking.

Hunter doesn't ask why she said those things. Or why she's so upset. He nods and listens intently, his expressionless face appearing soft. In the end, he nods and shrugs.

"It's fine. Here." He reaches out and drops something into Idie's hand.

"What is this?" She asks and spreads her fingers.

"A rock." He says simply and flashes a smile so quick and tiny that she almost misses it. "I don't feel any resentment towards you, Idie. I hope you still want to eat with us in the dinner room. We'll have pie tonight."

He turns his back and goes to find his dinner. Idie looks at the stone in her hand. It is perfectly round and slightly flat. Hunter decorated it in art class that day, painted it to look like a flying UFO, a black cat emerging from one of the windows.

She doesn't understand the present. And Julian doesn't explain when she gives them a confused look. He just shrugs and follows his brother.

Either way, she smiles and clutches the rock in her hand.

"...pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Idie makes the sign of the cross and stands up, putting her rosary in place. She feels a little lighter now, even with all the poison in her mind.

She sits on the bed and looks at the doll Mr. Logan gave her, sitting next to Hunter's present and her little Frankenstein. All on top of her headboard. She smiles and turns off the light, hoping for a peaceful night.

Chapter Text

Exactly two weeks ago.

South Street Seaport, Manhattan, New York.

Clarice knows where she has to go. Her parents taught her everything she needed to know to fend for herself.

Not everything, she believes.

As much as Mr. and Mrs. Creed wanted to teach her to survive, to be tough, both her and the cubs, the way they saw the world is different from the way she saw it. It must be because the boys were already born into this family, they started training and learned to hunt too early. They've been in the family business since the beginning, Clarice has been in this since she was fourteen.

For the first few months after she was found by the Creeds and taken to live with them, she hated it. She was fourteen and had just "come back to life." She spent ten years trapped in that dark place. Unable to move or leave, until Ms. Márquez pulled her back into the real world. Time didn't pass for her. It was just a few hours.

Everything had changed in ten years, half the Universe was dust, her friends were all adults, she had been considered dead. The life she had before the Phalanx had been destroyed. Her fault, of course.

And so she had nowhere to go but follow the Creeds. She didn't understand at the time why Ms. Márquez fought so much with Mr. Creed and insisted that they take her home. She knew that Mr. Creed didn't want a cub that wasn't his. He couldn't deny Mrs. Márquez anything, however.

She was afraid of them. They helped Banshee and Emma Frost rescue her, Paige, Angelo and Monet from the Phalanx years ago, but she was still afraid. It took a long time for her to get used to the house, the training, the family's strange habits, Kyle coming and going when he wanted, Julian's antics and Hunter shy nature. Now, she is grateful that they have taken her in.

It was either going to live with them in secrecy in Canada, or staying with the other orphaned mutant children in Manhattan. Why?

Sister Margaret for Wayward Girls was a terrible place, but very well known. Mercenaries gathered there to pick up missions, weapons or just hide for a while. Ms. Márquez helped create the place, not for mercenaries, for mutants.

The community of mutants that had been formed around the old school was older than the Xavier Institute, and, in Clarice's opinion, much more dangerous. Especially when it was being protected by mercenaries, mutants, and the Márquez family.

Clarice could have stayed there, it wouldn't have been a problem. The other rescued mutant children, those who did not go to the Institute in Salem Center, were treated very well and were kept safe with the help of Mrs. Cavalcante, Mrs. Márquez's sister.

She wouldn't be alone. She would have someone to grow up with. Still, life with the Creeds gave her something different than if she had resisted going with them to Mackenzie a little more.

Now, after leaving her younger brothers at Salem Center, Clarice feels lost. There is nothing for her in the world now. Not even her distant family. The closest blood relative she has probably doesn't remember her existence after nineteen years. She only has one place to go now.

Sister Margaret hasn't changed much. Clarice knows all of it's secret entrances after spending all these weekends accompanying Mr. Creed to work. She needed to learn, he always said when he took her there, letting her hide under his coat while he made deals with the other mercs. It was different back then, she still had her father to protect her if any of these creeps tried anything. No one was crazy enough to try anyway.

Walking into the bar without him for the first time is strange. She's twenty-two now, but she still feels like a teenager wandering into somewhere she shouldn't. She can't camouflage herself, after all, it's very difficult not to see the pink mutant entering through the bar's main door. Nobody looks up, though.

All the mercenaries and shady agents are too busy with their drinks and the knife fight going on in one of the corners of the dimly lit bar. She wrinkles her nose when she sees that nothing much has changed. The bad smell and shitty lights still give the place that weird aura. They still have that stupid board with the Avengers faces to throw knifes at in the other side of the room.

"Clarice?"

Calling her name so loud makes her tense. She holds up the hood of her jacket to hide her face more, turning towards the bar. The barista she's known for so long has big, wide eyes when she recognizes her. Clarice has gotten used to seeing that look on so many people recently.

"Delphine." She mutters, walking up to the counter.

Miss Delphine stares at her with a frown. She always seems worried about everything, Clarice remembers. Always suspicious and guarded. She needs to be. She's been here in this hellhole longer than Clarice can think of. And she never left. What is good. Delphine, even if an stranger, has to be one of the nicest people in this building.

"Girl, everyone thought you were dead!" The older woman says, walking around the bar to go to her, holding her arms carefully. Looking her up and down to make sure she's in one piece.

Almost. She must have lost some pieces while she was trapped in the emptyness and after being pulled back to reality.

"Yeah. I've been hearing that lately." Clarice shrugs with an indifference and apathy that she has grown over the last two years. And that has been growing in her since she killed the Phalanx.

Delphine continues to look at her. "What happened? Where are Mrs. Márquez's boys?" She pulls her towards the bar, pushing past two guys who were sitting there. Their murderous looks don't make her tremble. "Both of you, get out!"

And they do crawl away from the bar. Clarice knows they would anyway. Delphine hasn't been living this place for thirty years to accept any shit that comes from them.

She sits on the high bench, feeling tired. She doesn't want to get up now. Better no one try to mess with her, the guys who frequent the bar like to pick fights with anyone available. The bow in her coat is a comfort, and she knows where her arrows and quiver are hidden. She just need to teleport them to her hand.

Food is served while she explains what happened. Delphine stands behind the counter, listening to everything, making faces of pity and anger at every word. Clarice is too busy with her plate of rice and meat to pay attention. She hasn't eaten good food like this in a while. She made it, at home, after they got back, but having food made by someone else is still good.

"....thank God they are both okay." Delphine takes a deep breath when Clarice finishes speaking, one hand going to her chest. Clarice nods with her mouth full, scraping her plate to finish her water in one gulp.

The former mercenary is still agitated, irritated. "I can't believe it. You know, when the news of Mrs. Márquez's death came... no one believed it." She clicks her tongue, lowering her eyes. "There was no way it was true. She was too strong. And the poor boys and you."

"Thanks." Clarice pushes the plate away. "It was difficult. We didn't have much time to absorb everything. It's a long story."

Delphine takes the plate and takes it to the back, returning quickly, not wanting to leave her alone for too long. She notices the way Clarice looks distant, her bright pink hair tied up in a messy braid, her green eyes exhausted. She takes a look around the room, searching for something.

"Where's Mr. Creed?" Delphine asks, drawing her attention back to the bar.

Clarice rests her arms back on the counter, shrugging. "We don't know. Since that day, we haven't heard anythin' about him. I don't think anyone has. Didn't he come 'round here?" She asks with disappointment.

Mr. Creed didn't spend as much time there as Ms. Márquez. Even though the job he got there were good, he preferred to do things alone. They both did. Mrs. Márquez often came to see the mutant children and sort things out with Mrs. Cavalcante about running the place. It was one of the family's safe places, Mr. Creed would have come here to search for his children. Maybe he didn't because of the news of mom's death.

"No. We kept waiting for one of you to come back, but no one ever did." Delphine shakes her head. Still, she tries to crack a smile. "We kept the rooms that Mrs. Cavalcante prepared for you, we cleaned whenever necessary. If you want, you can stay here. The three of you."

Finally, a smile appears on Clarice's lips. Genuine. Even after two years, there are still good things there. Even from the most terrible people in this country.

"Thanks, Delphine." She says, feeling happier. However, she begins to hesitate when she remembers where her brothers are. And knowing that the old mercenary doesn't like the place at all. "But I don't think it's necessary now, the boys already have a place to stay. And as far as I know, it's good. They have food, and security, and they are studying."

And Delphine knows what she's talking about. Her old face starts to fall slowly.

"... you didn't send them both to Xavier's house." The old woman says and Clarice can only smile nervously with her teeth showing. "Oh, lord have mercy..."

Clarice throws her hands in the air, feeling the adrenaline of everyday life returning. She's still too tired.

"I had no choice!" She exclaims and Delphine continues shaking her head and moving behind the counter, as if she can't keep still with the anxiety inside her.

"I can hear Mrs. Márquez turning around in her grave. God help me." She makes the sign of the cross, disappointed. It seems that even in death, her mother continues to haunt everyone.

"There was nowhere else for them to go." Clarice mutters, sinking into the old bench.

"I know Mrs. Márquez has a lot of safe houses all over the world. Not to mention your own house."

"It's not so secret now. And I plan on going back there, alright?" Clarice clapped her hands together. Thinking. She would like to take a nap now. Things get funny when you don't have enough sleep. "When possible, I will take the boys back. But without my mother around, we have no money, and if we can't pay for things, we can't keep the house."

She shakes her head, thinking. The house could stand on its own, they had everything they needed there except the money, but they were standing on their own two feet, getting what they needed for themselves.

Julian hunted, Hunter kept the electricity and water running, and Clarice kept everything in order. If they could, they would never have left. However, it is dangerous. Even if they were still there, she worries that more people would know about the house. After all, Wolverine found them with the help of Inferno and S.H.I.E.L.D. They already know where they live, they could very well go after them at any time.

They also know about the bar and the orphanage hidden behind Sister Margaret's. No one ever attacked the place, sure there were some stupid anti-mutants who thought they had a chance against a whole neighborhood of superhumans, but there'd never been anything horrible like Stryker's attack on the Institute in 2014.

Just a matter of time, Mrs. Márquez was always saying.

"That's why I came here." She continues and clasps her hands together, staring at Delphine with hard eyes. The former mercenary just raises an eyebrow. "I need money. I can't get into Mom's account. SHIELD shut everything down."

"Only God knows what those bastards did with her money. The money she worked hard for years. Some of that money was sent to us, you know?" Delphine spat angrily. Her face is still between anger and sadness. "We thought it was strange that we weren't gettin' shit. That's when we knew that the boss was gone..." She says a little lower.

Clarice agrees. It was also hard to believe that Mom was dead. They didn't see her. It was SHIELD who told her brothers, and it was Inferno who told her when she was taken to the Inner Circle. She remembers Julian spending months yelling that his parents were going to come take them back and 'kick Inferno's ass'.

She swallows the poison in her mouth.

"We thought you were in control of her account."

"If I had, I wouldn't have cut your expenses." Clarice says calmly. Delphine sighs and opens a sympathetic smile.

"I'd understand if you did. Everythin' Mrs. Márquez had should have gone to you. And if Mr. Creed also died, which I think is as unlikely as Mrs. Márquez dying in that battle, then you should have received even more."

She moves her hand around the dirty bar. Not the best view. Clarice wrinkles her nose and tries to focus on the house hidden behind the shitty bar.

"Mrs. Márquez helped Mrs. Cavalcante build this place. Ignore the fucking bar, but the house, this community, was made for us. Not just mutants, anyone who needed."

Clarice regretfully agrees. She sees some mutants and other supers present, some of whom she met while living here.

"A bit ironic, isn't it?" Delphine lets out a dry laugh. A little humor in her eyes. "Considering everything she did. To so many people."

"Mom has always been weird. The X-Men wouldn't believe it if they knew she did helped you." The teleporter shrugs. Not that any of them cared what the X-Men think.

Delphine crosses her arms. "People have their reasons. She understood what it was like to have nothin'. Then she gave us something."

"For me too." Clarice turns back to the bar. She sees some old photos taped to the wall behind Delphine. She recognizes some, two of which have her brothers present as children. "Where's Patch?"

She points to the photo of the old man who used to tend the bar and destroy missions. She doesn't remember hearing from him since they were last in New York two years ago.

Delphine looks over her shoulder, then looks at her with disinterest. "Oh, he died." She says simply. She puts a finger against her head, making a gun sign. "He was shot right between the eyes. Now I'm the one who takes care of the bar. Wade caught the guy who did it. But now I'm the boss. Since Mrs. Cavalcante didn't specify who should take care of the house." She smiles long and menacingly.

Yes, Clarice expected that. "And everyone took it… well?" She looks around. All the customers are busy with their stupid fights going on.

"Some funny fellas tried to take over the house." Delphine grimaces. She leans against the bar counter, still with a shit-eating grin on her face. "But when you spend your whole life being raised by mercenaries, you develop a thick skin. Not everyone turned against the house, most even accepted it. Things continue as normal."

Clarice looks at the Dead Pool board in the corner, new names were added. She wonders where the mercenary of same name is. She could use a favor.

"You come in, get a job, and leave. No problem."

"Well, I need a job." She says calmly and Delphine almost chokes on her own saliva.

"AS A MERCENARY?!" She exclaims in a high-pitched voice. A few heads turn, looking for trouble. Since Delphine gives no signal, they return to their tables.

Clarice continues to stare at the woman seriously, her long, pointed ears lowered against her skull.

"No. No chance." Delphine shakes her head erratically, her face sour with disappointment, denial, and a bit of apprehension. "Mrs. Márquez would rip my skin off if I let you do such stupid shit."

"Well, she's not here anymore." Clarice shrugs harshly.

"I am." Delphine spits. "And I don't like the idea of ​​lettin' you get the same kind of dirty work those bastards get."

"You started this job when you were younger than me." Clarice looks at the photo behind the bar, of Delphine thirty years ago, together with Mrs. Cavalcante and Mrs. Marquez. A disheveled child version of Deadpool smiles next to them.

"I was crazy." Delphine shrugs. "And times were different. I started this shit too soon, I know how much it fucks with someone's head. So I'm going to say: no." She states firmly.

"Delphine! You can't--"

"I can." She states, coming out from behind the bar with quick steps. "I'm in charge here now. And you're not goin' anywhere near a mission!"

Clarice jumps off the bench, keeping her hand in her pocket. "Del--"

"This place isn't for you." The merc turns to face the girl, a finger against her pink cheek. "You're a good girl. You're not a murderer."

"A lot has changed since the last time my family came here." Clarice says coldly, her face full of tattoos and scars becoming darker. When she does this, she looks a lot like her parents. She used to have a softer face.

Delphine sees this. This girl has had that same tired look ever since Mrs. Márquez brought her in and then took her to Canada. At the time, Delphine believed that Clarice would not survive long with the Creeds. She was a delicate little flower compared to the mercenary couple and their three little demons.

Looks like she was wrong. In a way. Clarice still changed a lot because of them.

"Delphine, I ain't asking."

"This isn't for you." She stands her ground. "You need work, there are other places that will serve you better."

"Nobody's going to hire a pink mutant!" Clarice exclaims, throwing her hands up. Her hood falls down to reveal her tattooed face and pink hair tied in a braid. It's hard to ignore her eyes, the tattos of her birth family, and the scar running fown her right eye. "And I don't have much experience with other shit. My parents taught me to kill, not to... serve tables and... I don't know. I need money to support my brothers."

Delphine shakes her head and turns away, knowing the girl will follow her. There are many people in the bar. Some are already looking. She follows the corridor opposite the front door, following the path that leads to the real house of the Cavalcantes. It's a passage so old it looks like it's going to fall on their heads.

Clarice keeps talking the whole time. "I need money to get the house back! Or my brothers will stay at that school forever!"

That wouldn't be appropriate, Delphine thinks. Mainly for the two boys, who have never been around other children, much less lived away from their parents for a long time.

She sighs and opens a door, entering the house, which is much more luxurious and cleaner than the bar. It's silent at this time of night.

"You know Julian. I don't give it more than three months before he burns something and gets into big trouble."

A hand grabs her arm, making her turn around. She sees Clarice's green eyes become softer and more desperate, her ears now drooping.

"Delphine, please. I have nowhere else to go."

Oh, she hates that puppy ​​look. When the Creeds came to visit the house, the two demons, Julian especially, used to get into trouble, managing to convince the other bar staff to give him anything dangerous with just their eyes.

Thirty years of living in this hellhole, seeing all kinds of shit, hasn't done much to erase the softer side of her and she hates it.

Delphine pulls her arm away and makes a sour face. She's going to get old too fast like this.

"...maybe I need help around here. Setting tables, cleaning." She looks down the hallway of the old house. Those old decorative trinkets that were never useful.

Now it's Clarice who makes a face.

"Seriously?"

Delphine raises her chin, becoming more stern, with no option for disagreement or debate.

"It's the best I can do. And you know the place. And everyone around here." She turns around and goes down the hall. "I'll send someone to clean your room again."

Clarice's boots hit the carpet, muffling the sound, as she runs after Delphine.

"No thanks. I... I'm trying to get back to one of my mom's safe houses." She thinks for a while.

Delphine lets out a dry laugh.

"Good luck with that. SHIELD already found them all. We don't know what kind of shit the lady was hiding in there, but it looks like they already took it all."

"Even the apartment in Manhattan?"

"Hm...?" She stops at the long, stylish staircase. "Oh, no. Wade stops by. It's still empty. But will you be able to stay there? With no money?" She puts her hand on her hip and looks the Creed girl up and down with that disapproving look of hers.

Clarice rolls her eyes and lowers her head. She feels like a kid again, with Mom scolding her after her practices when she still couldn't hit the targets.

With her silence, Delphine starts to climb the stairs in a hurry.

"I'll have your dinner prepared too, honey."

"You're too good for me." Clarice follows her to her old room. At this point she thought someone would already be occupying it, but it seems her family is too important to the house for that to happen.

"It is what you think?" Delphine pushes her into the bedroom. "Now, go wash. You smell worse than Mr. Creed soaked in the rain."

Clarice casts a grateful and tired smile at the mercenary's back. Her old room is the same, still clean, filled that smell that settles when the windows are closed for a long time. She sits on her bed and looks at the empty bunk on the other side.

She misses dinner and sleeps for a whole day.

"Creed, what are you doing?" Kubark asks as he lands softly in the platform, standing by Julian's side.

The feral shrugs, hugging his knees close to his chest, watching the breeze touch the trees in the other side of the garden. Kubark tilts his head, seeing Julian's dark expression, eery golden eyes glowing in the shadows.

They can't sleep. And they don't really want to. They don't want to go through dreams again. If they can call the flashbacks dreams. Hunter is sleeping soundly in their room, unaware of his brother's absence and bad humor.

Kubark slowly falls off the platform, floating in front of them.

"Do you want to fight?"

He waits for minutes, slowly getting impatient with his colleague just staring right ahead with cloudy eyes, until Julian shrugs and stands up.

"Yeah. Let's go. I wanna kick your ass." They say dryly. Not giving a hint of sarcasm or that they're just playing with him.

"Say it after I wipe the floor with you, Creed." Kubark laughs and grabs them by the arm, jumping from the platform.

Chapter Text

It looks like Krakoa is excited for autumn. His first change of season since arriving, he said. Because that morning when Quentin woke up early and went to give the island it's breakfast, most of the trees surrounding the school had turned from green to orange. It wasn't unwelcome, just a little surprising. No one knew that Krakoa could affect the nature around it so much.

The weather is starting to get cold. October had finally arrived. Quentin feels like time is running too slowly. When he saw it, only a month had passed since classes started. He's been here for over three months and is already starting to go crazy.

It's all Logan's fault and the damn teachers.

The rules they put in place for him are suffocating. He could almost be proud. They put so much effort into keeping him in line, even more than any other student. Still, it is humiliating. Not even the villains kids in his class have that many rules. Quentin does, because he's the bad little boy who likes to cause trouble.

He can't leave his room at night, he can't wander far from the grounds without someone watching him, he can't use his telepathy, he can't access any kind of social network, and he can't go out at all. If he were to have to follow so many rules, he would rather go back to his hibernation chamber and sleep.

A ugly lie. He hates that thing. It still gives him nightmares to imagine being sent back to that confinement. No thank you, he had enough for six years.

He pokes the side of his neck, feeling the almost unnoticeable bulge of the tracker they inserted on his skin. It's too small and doesn't bother him. Another protective measure to keep him in line. Even so, he doubts this thing can be that complicated. The objective is to track him, no alarms were sounded when he walked a little deeper into the edge of the trees.

He tested it. Just a little joke, to see if the X-Men were really keeping an eye on him.

It seems not. The idiots are starting to soften around him. Excellent. This gives him some more wonderful ideas to how he'll take this thing off without McCoy noticing.

A smile grows on his lips and he hums to himself.

"You're screwing with my case, QQ." Martha Johansson's voice echoes in his mind.

It's been a while since he's had a telepathic conversation with anyone outside of Prestige's special tutorship. His telepathy is still being blocked, he can't reach people alone, but Martha needs her powers to communicate. She is the only one who invites him into her mind so willingly.

He shrugs and holds her capsule more carefully on top of the books he's placed on the floor. The courtyard behind the ice castle is empty. So no one can see this act of good charity while Quentin fixes his classmate's floats.

"My bad, Martha." He grumbles, putting it aside to try to fix the connection of the floats to the jar. He concentrates and is careful when he does it. It's some of his best work and he doesn't want to fuck with it.

This has nothing to do with Martha. No, no.

A giggle emerges. Martha is always nice. She doesn't need to make much effort to transfer her emotions to others. It's the only way she has to communicate. To make her feel more real.

"Ooooohh. What's this? Quintavius ​​Quire apologizing?"

Quentin rolls his eyes. "Shut up or I won't fix your capsule again." He carries her careful not to drop her. One of the injections was missing. He frowned at that. "What happened here?"

Injections can be replaced by McCoy. Martha needs them, of course, the only thing keeping her alive besides her own power. As long as they are not all destroyed. He starts connecting the floating devices back to the bottom of the capsule.

Martha stays quiet. Her presence, which is bright and soft, diminishes and almost escapes Quentin's grasp.

If he had to describe Martha's aura it would be as a very light and beautiful blue. When she starts to get nervous, it becomes darker and stormier. Martha says that his aura, of course, is a bright, painful, irritating pink. She made sure to use these same words.

"Hm.... You know those kids from 10° grade?" She asks and he searches for faces through the connection between them. It's not difficult to find. "They were playing ball, and Anole was taking me to the gardens. It was an accident." She ends urgently, fearing that Quentin will be upset.

Because she could have gotten hurt. Or because the work he put into her capsule could have been ruined. She never knew what the reason was. Quentin's face tightens as he thinks. She knows he is looking for the culprits inside her mind. Even though she can't see anymore, she caught their faces through Anole's eyes.

Martha wonders if Quentin would do something. And she wonders if he would be upset. Quentin is an idiot, she knows it, everyone knows it, but she's known him longer than most of the kids at this school. After all, she, Ernst, Quentin and Armor have been here for a long time.

And Quentin, being the biggest asshole she'd met in so many years, still offered to build her new capsule. For that she is grateful.

"Show them to me, I'll teach them a lesson." Quentin asks in a disinterested voice. She knows he already has the faces. And she knows that soon he and the boys who hit her with a ball will be in detention together.

"Since when you're nice?" She laughs, echoing in his mind.

Quentin shrugs and presses the new floating device into the bottom of the jar, watching the lights turn on again. Martha tests the controls connected to her mind. Her capsule moves just a little and Quentin grunts, testing it once more.

"I'm fixing your jar, aren't I?" He asks, holding her a little higher. "Heh, I'm not a complete douchebag, Martha." Something inside his mind flashes and he groans. "Come on, I need something to have fun with! None of these cowards want to play with me."

Martha wishes she could roll her eyes. She sends the message to Quentin, trying to form a convincing image of herself doing so. It is difficult. She hasn't been herself since she was nine.

"You're an idiot." She says, her mood changing. The voice in her mind becoming a little more disappointed. "Always picking on Broo and Evan. I see it. Every time."

Quentin doesn't care. He finishes fixing the device. This time Martha gets all the controls and her capsule ​​makes a soft hum as it rises into the air, its chain dragging on the ground. Her colleague watches with satisfaction as she moves around, floating above his head.

With everything ready, Quentin begins to put his tools into his backpack. These things he either stole from McCoy, or got from the scientist himself.

"Heh, if Lips wasn't such a wimp, it wouldn't be so easy to pick on him. And he's Apocalypse!" He exclaims with indignation, as if it were an outrage. He's been acting like this since their new colleagues arrived. "You'd expect someone like him to have balls to do something'. But no! He needs to hide behind Creed for everything." Quentin throws his backpack over his shoulder, pouting. "And Frosty!"

Martha says nothing. Her chain is gently pulled and the two leave the courtyard and go along the side of the school to the garden. There are no children yet. They both skipped class. It's a secret they keep.

There is a breeze cleaning the already orange leaves from the ground, Krakoa is resting somewhere near the lake, she can feel its presence and see it's childish dreams in her brain. Who knew a walking island could dream.

She wishes she could enjoy the breeze. She likes autumn. She hasn't enjoyed it for a long time.

And Quentin doesn't notice. He keeps talking, complaining about things she doesn't care about.

"And she's also so, so..." The telepath waves his hands in the air, grimacing. It's a good thing Martha can't see his face right now. "She lives as a protector for Sleazoid and Adel. They even tamed that bastard prince."

Another giggle. "Careful, QQ. You talking like that makes someone misunderstand your intentions." Martha provokes him. No, she can't feel what's going on in his head, even more so now that his telepathy is being blocked.

"Whatever."

They stop, hiding near the school wall, looking at the garden and greenhouses ahead. The new teachers arrived this morning. The students were curious to meet them. Pryde was giving them a tour, even though they had all lived in this place for many years.

Quentin crosses his arms and leans against the brick wall, taking a look at his new tormentors. Chamber remains dark as ever, even more emo than before, Blindfold is admiring nature (or he thinks she is), a little distant. He's never met the original X-Men, so he's curious.

Darwin, holding an umbrella to protect his extremely pale skin from the sun, seems to be one of those smiling teachers that wants to help every poor, tormented soul, so he'll be sure to avoid him. Petra and Sway are still dressed in their X-Men uniforms. So corny, he scoffs.

Martha floats a little closer to him. It's not necessary, he can hear her clearly. And no one else can.

"QQ, are you afraid of Evan?" She asks with concern. He laughs, mocking the question, and drops the chain, turning to look at her brain the jar.

"Why would I? That kid doesn't know how to take care of himself. Did you see Herman pick on him?"

He imagines that if Martha could, she would be frowning.

Classes are over now. He hears children running through the hallways and talking loudly. The first to leave the school, as if they were summoned, are precisely Adel and his new troupe of idiots.

Quentin follows them with his eyes. Feeling his smile fall and give way to a dark expression.

"You two are so mean to him." Martha catches his attention. There is an invisible smile in her voice. "Evan is a sweetheart. And so cute when he gets shy." He grimaces as her sugary emotions enter his mind. Bleh, those girly things. Light blue turns dark and he can tell she was upset. "I know he's Apocalypse, but he seems so kind. And adorable."

More students arrive. There is more noise now. Quentin looks for Roxy in the crowd. The crystal girl said that she would take Martha to her next class when the jar was ready. First, they have to go get another fluid injection from McCoy.

"Those things you said in the panic room were cruel. But..." He looks at Martha, as if he can see her expression. He still feels the apprehension inside her. "Do you think he and Creed are planning to do something awaful against us?"

"Afraid of those idiots, Martha?" He laughs a little, putting his hands in his pockets. His colleague moves up and down in the air.

"It won't be the first time that people we thought were our friends turn out to be our enemies."

Quentin looks away again, his face becoming more serious. She must be talking about him right? He searches her mind for something and finds nothing. Martha allows it.

He doesn't care what his colleagues think of him, they can all go to hell. But he knows that many of them still hate him, for a thousand reasons, among them his little riot six years ago, and his stunt trying to bring back Sophie, and the whole shit with the Mutant History Museum a few months ago, and all the crap he has been doing since the first day of class.

He doesn't care. He did what he thought had to be done. Or what he thought he needed and deserved. The truth is, he didn't know what the hell he was doing right when he woke up back in the real world after spending years trapped in his astral form.

He was disoriented and lost. With a new body he made for himself. And he was angry. Pissed off at the X-Men. And at humans. The Avengers. The whole fucking world. And the only thing he had in front of him was a human brat giving him a chance to get revenge.

It wasn't the smartest decision he made in his life, he's aware of that. The consequences don't affect him as much as they should. Not as they seem to have a hold on Oya.

But! He wasn't an enemy, damn it! He was not. Everything he did was for the fucking school. The whole revolution was for them. He doesn't have to feel bad about it, he fucked up some things, sure, he knows that, but not because he was against the school.

His old and new classmates seem to think differently. They still think he screwed up on purpose. And it seems even Martha thinks so.

"I like this place." She continues, feeling his bad mood growing. She's already gotten used to it. When they were new at the old Xavier Institute, Quentin was already a bad-tempered little shit. Even before his transition. And of his failed riot. "We don't need to fight like we did on Utopia. It would be a shame if it ended."

She tries to boost his mood by throwing some of her own feelings at him. Quentin builds a barrier between them. As if he could escape his classmate's shower of positivity.

"So you think I was right?" He asks arrogantly. Martha moves back as if she's looking away. It boosts his ego. "Creed and Adel may have fooled everyone by pretending to be nice, but I know the truth. I'm just waiting for the right moment to expose them."

He looks out of the corner of his eye at the group of idiots running in the garden, going to help Angel. Heck, even the prince of the Shi'ar is there, carrying bags of fertilizer for Krakoa, showing off. Adel is being a jerk full of rainbows and good vibes and smiling and shit.

He makes Quentin's stomach turn. That boy should be a villain!

"I didn't knew you cared so much about our school, QQ." Martha provokes him. He snorts and waves his hand to dismiss her words.

"I don't care. I'm just not going to let any other super villain-in-training destroy this place before me!"

More silence. Martha is thinking about something he can't see. Maybe she didn't want to hurt him with whatever was on her mind.

"You haven't changed at all." She says and he raises a sarcastic eyebrow. "Well, you did. But you're still the same jerk." Her jar moves near his head.

He runs a hand through his dyed hair, feeling it longer than before.

"Tell that about the guy who fixes your fucking jar." He pushes her away. That giggle is in his ears once again.

Krakoa is running around the grounds, opening its huge mouth to play tag with the younger children. Hysterical screams and laughter can be heard even from far away.

"Evan is soooo cute." Martha repeats. Her inner voice becomes more excited. Quentin looks for Apocalypse boy again. And he's still playing nice, chatting happily with Frosty and the sleazoid. "Do you think he would like to go have lunch with me some day?"

Seriously, Martha could be twirling her hair around her finger if she still had any. Giggling and blushing and all that crap.

"I think he's too stupid to say no." Quentin says boredly, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

A wave of pain explodes in his head, Martha's voice grows angrier.

"What do you mean by that, Quire?"

He puts a hand to his forehead, raising his shields even higher to protect him from the projection of pain, but keep the path open for them to talk.

"Ugh. I mean he's just too damn nice all the time!" He looks away again, finding Adel helping Angel carry potted plants. "With that stupid face." He snorts and turns around as the sound of heavy boots crunch the grass beneath them. "Ah, DiamondHead."

Roxy's crystal face contorts. She always makes that same face, her white eyes narrow. She uses her purse to hit him on the arm.

"I swear if you call me that again, I'll send you back to the astral plane myself." She threatened. Quentin doesn't know if he believes it or not.

One strange thing about being trapped in the astral plane for so long is that time has flown by out here. And not for him. Quentin is still getting used to this. Why? Because he remembers a time when Martha was a boring nine-year-old girl following him around and he's entering high school.

Now, they are almost the same age. He is almost the same age as Roxy. Armor is graduating and he's still here. The balance of authority has tipped too far to one side.

He would like to call Roxy a brat for the way she always has an attitude towards him. However, he doesn't want to lose a tooth.

"Not before I destroy this place."

Roxy rolls her eyes. "Again with that crap?Whatever. Are you done with Martha's jar?" She takes the telepath's chain, taking a look at the concert he performed on her capsule.

"Brand new. You're welcome, you're welcome." He says sarcastically, giving an exaggerated salute, a hand on his chest. "I always do my best."

Roxy nods, not paying much attention to him. He gets a little irritated when she continues to check the new floating devices. As if he wouldn't do a good job! He was the one who created this thing.

Martha can feel his bad mood rising. She increases the limit of her telepathy for the three of them to communicate, making the giggle in her voice clear.

"QQ, we're having a girls' night!" She announces with hysteria. Quentin imagines her smiling brightly somewhere in his mind. "Do you want to join us?"

Roxy grimaces. Quentin grimaces even deeper, his pale cheeks turning slightly red. He leans against the wall and turns his head away.

"I think you got the 'girls night' part mixed up, Martha." He says with venom. He didn't need to be so rude, he knows. Fuck. It.

There is a slight flash. Martha floats closer to him, excuses flying into his brain, giving him a headache.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You used joined us before for our girl's night!" She says with disappointment.

Quentin continues to look into the distance. He feels Roxy's eyes are on him now. This time it makes him uncomfortable.

"That was a long time ago." He makes it clear.

And he didn't even liked it before. Sleepovers with the girls when they were still new to the Institute could be cool. But even when he still presented himself as a girl, Quentin still didn't like it. He accepted it because it was better than being alone all the time.

And because he wanted an excuse to spend even more time with the Cuckoos. They rarely joined sleepovers, however. So it was another shot in the dark for him.

"You're still welcome to join us."

He takes a deep breath. Martha is just being nice, he tells himself not to get upset. Trying to make him fit in with the new group. He can sense that she is genuinely sorry because she thinks she hurt him.

He opens his mind to let her know that he doesn't. He does not care.

Roxy raises a hand, still not happy about having Quentin with them. "Hey, I never said he is. Not because you're a guy." She states and Quentin nods thankfully. "It's because you're super annoying. And you're not allowed to leave your room at night anyway."

"Like I want to join you again." He snorts and picks up his backpack, giving them a bow. "Have fun watching Legally Blonde and getting your nails done, ladies."

"See you later, QQ. Thanks for fixing my jar."Martha is already being pulled by Roxy back to the main building.

"That'll be fifty dollars." He teases, his voice coming out sharper than it should.

Roxy gets angry and pushes him back. Her crystal skin could mark his pale skin if she was a little more rough with the action.

"Quire! Stop being an jerk!" She pulls Martha and walks away, leaving as quickly as she can. "Come on, Martha. Next time we'll ask McCoy to do the job. Why do you keep coming to this guy?"

Quentin turns his back. He can still hear Martha talking, the limit of her powers slowly slipping from his grip.

"It was QQ who made my jar. And... I don't know... he was nice, at least."

And he's alone out there. Just a few students his age walking around on the grass, playing ball or talking. Quentin knows his bad mood won't go away so easily. He ignores the girls' words and continues further away from the building, entering the gardens.

"Damn it. I wanted to watch Legally Blonde and do hot girl shit."

He kicks a rock into his path. One and another time. Making it follow the path he walks aimlessly in the grass. The stupid rock doesn't go too far, it just bounces off the ground and stops. Until Quentin gets angry and kicks it harder and watches it fly away with pride.

His grim stretches as he sees the rock make arc in the air and land with a muffled thud on the soft grass. Coincidentally, right behind Hunter Creed.

The little boy is sitting on the ground, his jacket spread out to serve as a picnic cloth. Golden eyes fall over the rock and find Quentin, eyebrows furrowed beneath that bright orange beanie.

What an incredible opportunity, Quentin decides with satisfaction, hands clenching inside the pockets of his shorts. He looks around and doesn't find the older Creed. How wonderful. He begins to walk towards the feral quietly, knowing that he's aware of his presence now.

Hunter Creed may be quiet, but Quentin knows he's a lot smarter than he looks. He's been keeping an eye on him over the last few weeks. Watching the villain's pup with watchful eyes and curiosity. Of course, staying hidden.

He doesn't want to go through the same embarrassment as in the panic room.

The sun hits his back. His shadow stretches and falls on Hunter's shoulders like a sheet of bad news.

Golden eyes shyly meet his brown ones, shit eating grin streching.

"Hey, Creed Jr., what are you doing there?" Quentin asks with that tone.

Hunter moves, running his clawed hands across his knees. On his jacket resting on the floor is an old shark plush and what appears to be an old radio. Small tools, screws, metal parts, wire and metal wires and batteries.

Quentin has also stolen many discarded electronic parts since being taken from his chamber.

Hunter's voice is husky and quiet. He doesn't try to look smaller. ".... homework." He wants to send Quentin away from him.

"Oh, yeah? McCoy's?" Quentin puts his arms behind his back, making a thoughtful face. "Ah, he always asks us to do these things. He thinks everyone here is a super genius in disguise like him." He looks around. It's just them. He moves his head towards Hunter. "Well, not everyone can be, hm?"

Hunter shrugs. He moves to sit off to the side, keeping his attention on Quentin in case he tries anything, and on his homework.

"...I think he just wants to...encourage us to try... new things."

Quentin lazily agrees. He doesn't think so. McCoy might be a genius on his own, he might be considered the cutest furball in the whole god damn school, always smiling and being so... friendly. But Quentin knows that guy isn't all that.

He knows McCoy can be just as bad as Wolverine. Just as bad, or just as negligent. This is what fuels Quire's anger towards him. Absolute hate for that blue thing.

He blinks and sees McCoy turning off the light. Leaving him alone on the shelf for all this time.

He blinks and Hunter is frowning at him. His nose twitching. His smell must be so melancholy.

"What are you doing?" He takes a step closer and squats. This makes Creed Jr. more uncomfortable.

"A translator for Krakoa." Hunter responds, hand reaching out to grab the old radio. There are parts missing, wires hanging down one side, a small antenna is delicately inserted into the top. Quentin has to admit he's curious.

He holds out his hand, not stopping even when Hunter tries to keep him away.

"What? A fucking translator?" He laughs and pulls the object out of his small hands. "Lemme take a look."

"Careful! I only have these parts."

"Relax. I have delicate hands."

Quentin pushes the clawed fingers away. It scratches his pale and already easily irritated skin. He still has his hand against Hunter's chest, looking at the little boy's science project. It really is well done and Quentin has no doubts that it will work.

He holds the radio in one hand and shakes it a little. "Did you made this alone?" He asks with a bit of humor, earning a shy nod. His eyebrows rise even higher. "Who taught you how to program and shit?"

Hunter snorts. "My dad. Can you give me back?"

Quentin lifts the radio higher and pushes Hunter back. The answer amuses and surprises him. Fucking Sabretooth? Teaching someone anything that is not murder? He laughs freely, not caring when Hunter gets offended. Or hurt.

"Your daddy? How? Does he have a computer program for villains in the making?" His mouth falls open, his shoulders shaking violently. "If so, maybe I'll even sign up. I'll ask Pryde to put me in the exchange program."

With a growl much lower than his older brother's, Hunter extends his hand to grab Quentin's wrist, moving it in a direction his bone shouldn't go, making Quentin groan in pain, almost hissing when the boy doesn't let go for long seconds.

So he drops that piece of trash, letting Hunter have his homework back. And when he release Quentin, he makes an extra effort to run his claws on pale skin.

The telepath falls on his butt when his arm is free and back to where it should be. Nothing is broken. He holds his sore wrist, and finds angry red marks on the other. Hunter throws his things into his backpack and holds his project to his chest, his lip curled into a pout.

"You're tougher than you look, huh?" Quentin lets out a heavy breath, the burning from the cuts is already bad.

"I'm used to dealing with idiots." Hunter throws his backpack over his shoulder and they both stand, trying to avoid the other.

Quentin holds his wrist against his chest and leans forward. Hunter is much shorter than him.

"And he you knows how to bite. Sabretooth Jr." He spits angrily.

Hunter comes closer, showing his fangs.

"Xavier's puppy."

Okay, he doesn't like that last one. Quentin throws his hands in the air, leaning back with an even wider grin, his eyebrows furrowed in masked anger.

"Calm down, I'm just curious about a few things." He pretends to be fine, maintaining that air of disinterest. "Your brother doesn't talk to me, so there's no way I can ask."

"Must be because no one puts up with your annoying ass." Hunter rolls his eyes and puts the radio in his backpack, tying his stuffed toy to his belt. "What do you want?" He crosses his arms, Quentin can see his disinterest and genuine monotony. The feral interrupts him before he can speak, clicking his tongue. "Ah, you want to talk about my father."

Quentin closes his mouth and opens it. Hunter is shaking his head like he's getting tired.

"I remember what you said in the panic room. And I didn't like it." He makes it very clear with his tone getting thicker.

"I'm just curious, you know? It's not every day that we got children of villains here. Does Rogue count?" Quentin chuckles, rubbing a finger across his chin. Hunter is not amused. "Seriously. Why did you three come here?" He comes closer.

Hunter moves away, keeping his arms against his chest. His tired, golden eyes sweep the lawn around them.

"I don't know anything about Evan. But Julian and me came here to be safe."

"Safe from what? From your daddy?"

"What do you think?" The boy grimaces, his voice sourer. Aw, he didn't like the joke. "All this shit going on with mutants. Ever since your failed riot."

Now it's Quentin who feels sour.

"Everyone keeps reminding me of that." He mutters angrily.

"It was quite embarrassing." Hunter shakes his head and tries to turn his back on him. "You want to play savior of mutants, can you do it somewhere I don't have to hear you?"

Quentin won't let him.

When Hunter takes three steps away from him, hands tight on the strap of his backpack, the telepath follows him and grabs his shoulder tightly enough to keep him in place, his braids flying in the air as Hunter looks over his shoulder. with big eyes. Surprised and angered by his audacity.

"Do you think you're a smart little thing, brat?" Quentin pulls him close, slender fingers squeezing his white shirt.

He sees - and feels - that Hunter is wearing out his patience on him. His face becomes even harder, much more like his brother's. His hand is slapped away, the same arm that was already scratched.

Hunter growls louder. "I don't think."

This game is already getting boring. Quentin is getting bored. Because it's hard to get a reaction from the younger Creed. He plays with him too, he joins the game, but he stays away, he just wants to get out as quickly as possible without harming himself. If it had been Hothead Creed, Quentin would have already gotten a broken nose.

Julian enters the game and pushes him back. Even Frosty or the Prince are more fun adversaries.

He doesn't want to play that anymore. Not when he can't even get the right information from this kid. Quentin sighs and decides to just be more direct. No jokes or dry humor.

"Listen here." He continues, face turning serious finally. "I don't know what you, your brother and Adel are up to." He points at Hunter and the empty space around them. "But... as I plan to destroy this pigsty one day, I have to warn you: there's only one place for one villain here."

His words are harsh. Almost whispered. Quentin has a dark, slightly sharp intensity.

Hunter still isn't shaken. Again his eyes dart across the lawn and fall behind Quentin.Then his face softens and he shrugs, stepping away quickly.

"Be my guest, Quire."

Quentin has a second to be confused before a warm hand grabs him by the scruff of his neck and pulls him away. Hunter is smiling now at the prospect of seeing him get spanked for bothering him.

He doesn't need to turn around to know it's Julian Creed. And they are so hot, smoke coming from their sharp teeth.

"Oh... Hey, Creed." Quentin winks.

Chapter Text

"What are you doing, Omega?" It's a hoarse growl against his face. Quentin has his feet scraping the grass, being held in the air by the boy younger than him.

It's embarrassing.

Julian keeps his grip on Quentin's blazer for a few more seconds when the telepath begins to struggle, letting him fall back and stumble back. Hunter walks around to stand behind his older brother. Watching everything with Broo. The alien is worried about the aggressiveness of his colleagues.

"Wow wow wow! I ain't doing anything." Quentin pats his blazer. "Just chatting with your little brother." He smiled. Julian is giving him dirty looks.

A push is thrown against his chest. Quentin staggers away, with some humor, seeing that Julian is keeping themself between him and the other two brats.

"Protective, aren't you?" He provokes.

Julian's claws are still showing. "What do you want?"

"He came with that villain talk again." Hunter responds from behind him. Julian looks at their brother, then at the telepath, and their nose wrinkles in disgust.

"Why are you so obsessed with this thing about heroes and villains? You don't have anythin' better to do, hm?" They take a step forward as if to shoo Quentin away. "Get lost."

Quentin's face sours deeply. He hides it, of course. Placing a hand on his hip, he shrugs, scratching his nose.

"Like I said, I'm curious."

If possible, Julian's pupils become even thinner. "About what?"

Quentin opens his arms in the air, a big smile on his face. "About your plan!" He wags a finger in the air, eyes quickly searching for Evan. "I can't believe any of you came here just to study. This smells bad to me. Especially Adel."

Julian turns to look at Broo, the alien shudders, his hands together in a sign of apprehension, the two exchange looks. Understanding looks. Then Julian turns to Quentin and lets out a tired sigh, their hands going to the pockets of their long skirt.

"Quire, I'm already fed up with this talk." They say in a calmer, lower voice. "I don't give a shit what you think of us or what you think we're 'up to'." He motions to Hunter and Broo, turning his back. "Stay away from us. And forget about Adel."

Quentin rolls his eyes and takes a few steps after them as the three brats start to leave.

"Don't you think it's weird?"

They stop and turn around. Or rather, Julian stops, his back tensing once more, his head turning to look over his shoulder. Broo completely turns around, while Hunter is torn between leaving or staying.

"Weird? What is weird?" Broo asks, head flying between Quentin and Julian.

"The son of the Apocalypse at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning." Quentin responds, moving his head to indicate the Creeds. "More sus than Sanguinária's and Sabretooth's kids gardening and getting good grades."

Now Julian finally turns and starts walking towards Quentin once again, bare feet crunching the orange and yellow leaves beneath them. Quentin takes a few steps back, his heavy boots almost tripping him, his eyes burning a little from the heat, even though his yellow tinted glasses protect him.

"Come on! Look at him! He's too nice to be real." Quentin laughs, pointing his hand to where he last saw Evan.

Apocalypse Kid must be parading around the garden with his Disney princess smile, helping Angel with the flowers and trying so desperately to be a knight in shining armor. How many times has he had to listen to Krakoa prattle on about how caring Evan is? How sweet he is? How many times had he thought about blowing his brain when Martha got all mushy and silly thinking about him?

They don't understand how annoying this is. This little farce. This stupid attempt to be cool when Evan has the blood, face and powers of one of the cruelest eugenicists in the entire history of the planet. Quentin can't stand it.

He sees Creed silently mock him. And that irritates him too. Creed is the son of two villains and has already made it clear that he hates anyone talking about his family, bringing up his parents' crimes or trying to condemn them for it. Of course he would side with the golden boy Evan Adel and defend him.

"Maybe you're too much of an asshole." The acid mockery is thrown his way.

"I don't trust him. All this shit." Quentin crosses his arms, over his chest, hiding his 'Holiday in Utopia' shirt. "Prestige and Logan want us to keep quiet and not comment. And Adel seems too innocent. This whole happy family living in Kansas thing smells bad."

Evan doesn't go into much detail about his family, however, he likes to talk about his parents, his little house in Kansas and his mysterious uncle Cluster. Not many people are interested in this, Quentin only got the chance to find out more about his classmate when he walked past the group of idiots and heard them talking about their lives like they were in a high school teen movie.

Which made him even more curious. From the few things he had gathered about Evan, he seemed to have such a slow and boring life that it made Quentin's head hurt. How can Apocalypse's son be so boooring? He doesn't even know how to control his powers properly! One more suspicious thing in all this.

"Don't you think it's strange? Apocalypse must be five thousand years old. Why would he only now fuck to have a son?!"

He didn't have full access to his powers, but he could still see the surface of Creed's mind, the way their nose wrinkled and they looked down told him they were thinking about it too.

"And how does Adel not know who he is?" Quentin pushed some more to the edge. "And if--"

"Shut up." Creed rolls their eyes. A little smoke comes out of his mouth, not because of their temper, but because of the temperature. It's getting cold outside.

Quentin opens his mouth, Julian's nostrils flare as he sniffs the air. He'd already noticed Evan arriving, his blazer draped over his shoulders, a smile so sweet on his blue lips it made Quentin want to throw up.

Ah, so it was just Creed trying to protect Kid Apocalypse once again. Wow, that's such a good name!

And here he comes, Quentin's jaw locks, Evan comes stumbling through the grass, his sneakers stained with mud.

"Quentin! Are you here to join us?" It comes in that childish and brittle voice. Evan passes Broo and Julian, getting in front of Quire. "We're picking berries. Krakoa can grow anything we ask for, at any time. Isn't it cool?"

Quentin tilts his head back to look into the red eyes, his lips pursed. Evan doesn't get an answer and his shoulders slump, Quentin's bad mood getting to him.

"What's wrong?" He asks with concern. Julian moves to stand a little closer behind him. Broo whispered something to Hunter as the little boy crouched down next to him.

"You can't be real." Quentin shakes his head, dumbfounded.

Evan's eyebrows come together. He thinks he got it wrong, that Quentin meant something completely different and his words flew above his head.

"I'm sorry? I'm sure I'm real."

He chuckles to get rid of the tension between them. It doesn't work. Evan's ability to be irritating is incredible. Quentin throws his hands in the air, his head tilting back before falling forward.

"You are ri-di-cu-lous!" He claps his hands to emphasize his words, making Evan jump in surprise. Still, he doesn't understand.

"Did I... did I o something wrong?"

"Yes! Everything!" Quentin spits, exasperated. "What is wrong with you?!"

Julian grabs Evan's shoulder and pulls him back, more gently than expected.

"Quire, do you want to get your nose broken again? Leave us alone." They threaten, trying to end the argument. "Enough of thi-- hm?" Evan holds himself in place, pushing their clawed hand down.

"No, Julian, it's okay." He assures his friend, turning his head to Quentin, there's still so much patience behind his eyes. "Why don't you like me? I never did anything wrong to you. And if I did, I'm sorry."

Quentin growls in anger. He has no idea what's going on. He has no idea how much Quentin hates him. And yet... he's too nice.

"You're so nice it annoys me." The telepath continues. Ignoring Creed's angry look, he pushes a finger into Evan's chest, who is also shocked by his lack of respect. "You can stop playing pretend. I know you're not that sweet and stupid."

Evan pushes his finger away from him, now starting to feel hurt. "I'm just trying to be polite." His voice comes lower.

"Friends, let's not--" Broo stutters from behind, tiny paws leading him behind Julian. Quentin interrupts him as if he wasn't even there.

"You can't hide what you are by being nice and all that shit. In the end, everyone knows what you are."

Evan chokes, staying quiet for a second, not understanding where Quentin's anger is coming from. Julian doesn't wait for him to respond or react, they just push him aside, now more aggressive, to be face to face with Quire.

"Shut up. Or I'll call the headmistress."

Quentin waves his hand right in front of Julian, almost poking one of their eyes. "Oh fuck you, Creed. You're in this game too!" He shouts and leans to the side to point at Broo, who is getting more anxious. "And that thing too."

Ah, now he sees Evan change. He can't read his mind. But there's still that change in the water. Evan's softness, all that... light, fades and grows colder, his blue face changes. A hint of anger arises.

"Don't call Broo a thing. He's our friend." Evan holds out a hand to protect Broo and Hunter from Quentin. Just like an idiot trying to protect his friends from the evil bully.

"He's literally a parasite." Quentin rolls his eyes, and Julian has had enough.

Quentin is grabbed by the tails of his blazer and lifted off the ground by a few inches.

"Again?!" He gasps and holds Julian's warm hands. The feral shakes him a little, not listening when Hunter and Broo cry for him not to get into another fight.

"I've already warned you once, twice, to shut up and you keep talking." He speaks softly, his accent a little more noticeable. "Do you want attention so much? I can give it to you no problem." Oh, are those his eyes glowing yellow?

Quentin laughs loudly, kicking his legs to try and hit Julian. He feels Summers in the back of his mind, like a heavy blanket thrown over the flames to put them out, as if he were back in his chamber.

He pushes this barrier as far as he can, forcing his powers to reach Julian, fighting both the feral and Prestige when she realizes what he is doing. She must be running to stop him right now.

"Go ahead, Creed. Show everyone what you are." He challenges, reaching into Julian's mind, beginning to pierce the natural barriers. Brown eyes find Adel in the back. "You and Kid Apocalypse over there."

Scratching. Starting to cause pain. He scratches and peels away Julian's first layers and enters. Ah, Prestige is shouting something in his mind. He pushes her away, dividing his attention between invading Julian's mind and starting to attack Evan.

"Apocalypse?" Adel repeats with a bad taste in his mouth, not liking his colleague's tone of voice. It takes a long time before he realizes that the headache that has arisen is not natural.

Julian notices first and tightens his grip on Quentin. He resists the intrusion in the only way he can.

"Shut up." He growls and Quentin feels that the moment he passes to the next barrier, something slams into him. It feels like a sea of ​​flaming red, pushing him away, leaving him disoriented.

He won't stop for that. He pushes the fire away and hears something growl louder.

Oh, this is going to be so--

He falls on his butt on the grass.

The red fades and he's pulled away from Julian's mind with far too much force and the world around him shakes and glows and he feels like he's been spinning and spinning for hours before he stops.

Prestige tightens her grip around him, putting a barrier between Quentin and the rest. Another cage.

Kitty Pryde's annoying voice comes over when he comes to. Good grief, Prestige doesn't play with her telepathy. She hits him with everything.

"I didn't do anythin' wrong." Creed protests angrily. Quentin looks at him, he's already back with his brother, sitting on the floor, sleazoid and Apocalypse holding him by the shoulders to help him stand after being hit by Prestige.

Kitty puts her hands on her hips, scolding him with her eyes. "I just saw you puttin' your hands on a classmate. And you smell like smoke."

On wobbly legs after having two telepaths in his mind at the same time, one forcing its way into his brain, and the other invading to take out the first, Julian is disoriented.

"I always smell like that. It's part of my fuckin' mutation."

Sure. As if that were a good excuse.

No one helps Quentin to his feet. He rubs his forehead, blinking tears away, and lifts his head to glare at Prestige, the redhead walks past him, looking intensely at the Creeds, they shake their heads, then Broo, who shudders, and Adel, who is embarrassed and shrinks.

"What happened here?" She asks, cape fluttering as she spins, white eyes moving between them.

Hunter, always the telltaler, steps forward, a small claw pointed at Quentin. "Quire's who started it, ma'am." He says in a craking voice. "I was doing my homework and he came to torment me and talk bad about all of us. Jules is just defending us."

Quentin looks around for his glasses, finding it laying by his side, untouched. He grabs it and forces his knees to straighten and support his weight while standing.

"Oh, right! Because Creed is everyone's golden knight, isn't them?"

Kitty sighs, still looking at Hunter. Among all these kids, she can only trust Hunter and Broo. And the alien is very upset right now.

"Unfortunately, I don't need to ask if that's true." The headmistress rubs her hand over her face, feeling her youth diminish by at least thirty years.

Quentin opens his mouth in an exaggerated gasp of shock and outrage. "What?! Unfair!" He waves the glasses on his hand to the colleagues he was antagonizing seconds ago. "You can't take their word without hearing my side of the story!"

Rachel rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, the spikes and red straps on her uniform moving and shining in the sun. As always, she has that expression that makes it clear that she's not happy about having to be in the same place as Quire, listening to his nonsense that she's not even paid to listen to.

"Alright, go ahead, Quire. Tell us what happened to make Mr. Creed grab you like that." She encourages him with an ironic wave of her hand.

Now Quentin has no idea. He purses his lips and looks at his colleagues, a finger on his chin. Julian has their shoulders slumped and is just waiting for a good reason to kick Quentin's ass back to Utopia.

A minute passes. Quentin shrugs.

"Maybe they're just crazy about me?" He cheekily winks at Rachel and Kitty.

Nobody finds the joke funny. Julian, much less.

"I'll fuc--"

Kitty reaches out her hand to keep Julian in place, pulling it quickly when the boy starts to heat up a little.

"Enough, Mr. Creed."

She lightly pushes him to stand next to Evan. The always sweet boy keeps his head down, hands making that movement that she already knows means anxiety.

Her eyes dart between the students, stopping on Quire with suspicion. Maybe they will need to look into everyone's mind to make sure Quentin and his big mouth haven't said anything that could put Evan in danger.

"Do I by any chance need to take you all to my office so Rachel can take a look at your heads?" She asks and her friend quickly has her eyes lighting up.

Quentin and Julian shake their heads with furrowed eyebrows and displeased expressions. Broo, already worried about the course of the conflict, ran to Kitty, pulling at the hem of her worn jeans.

"No, ma'am." He shakes his head, red eyes wide. "We're telling the truth. Friend Quentin came to attack us first. He is being very rude, saying some... terrible things about my friends and their families." He points, his high-pitched voice full of emotion.

Quentin puts his tongue between his teeth. "I really did! I'm getting tired of this game!" He screams as loud as he can. At least three people are ready to put him down. "Everyone keeps pretendin' that there's nothin' wrong, that this kid here is normal, that it's completely rational to have a Broodling in our school--"

"Quire." Kitty speaks in a more reprimanding tone, standing in front of Broo.

Evan frowns, hands balling into fists. No one notices the blue sparks beginning to glow between his fingers.

"...And there are still these two here!" Quentin turns his head to the Creeds. "Am I the only one findin' this strange? You can't pretend that Kid Apocalypse isn't up to something."

Julian moves once more, his hands smoking, not dark type of smoke, he's not that warm, Quentin raises his fists on instinct and prepares to receive a punch. He gasp when his glasses are slapped off his hand and Julian moves forward with his teeth bared. Rachel is faster and keeps the feral teenager stuck in place.

Evan, Broo and Hunter let out warning shouts. The sparks fade and are replaced by worry as Evan reaches out to hold his youngest friends.

Kitty has had enough. She stands between Quire and Creed. Not that they can leave the place while they are under Rachel's control.

"That's enough! You two, in my office!"

"I didn't do anything wrong!" Julian repeats as he gains control over his body again. Kitty throws up her arms exasperatedly, already losing her patience from having to scold the same students so many times.

"You tried." She says dryly and points back to the school, like a mother scolding her children. "Come on, I won't say it again." It comes harsher than she would like.

"But Julian didn't do anything wrong!" Hunter cries, letting go of Evan's hand.

"He was just defending us." The older boy begs the headmistress. Julian snorts and waves them away, already turning to do as Kitty ordered.

"Leave it, cub. It doesn't matter." They say in a deep voice and kicks a rock towards Quentin as they leave.

Kitty bends down to grab Quentin's glasses and goes after Rachel and Julian while they complain.

Quentin has that same look of indignation, being grabbed by the arm by Kitty, dragged across the lawn. His insignificant protests are still heard even when they are all inside the school, and of course some students have already heard everything, heads turning to hear better.

Hunter sighs heavily, finally feeling the tension from before falling away. His hands still shake with anger after seeing his older brother and his friends being insulted.

His nose itches, he looks at Evan and his thoughtful, dark expression. He's noticed now that when Evan is upset, a deep frown appears on his normally soft face.

He tries to suppress the horrible thought that the sight makes him look a little more like the man everyone compares him to.

And Broo notices this too and reaches out a hand to hold Evan's. "What's wrong, friend Evan?" He asks. "I know it's unfair for friend Julian to be punished alongside Quentin, but I'm sure the headmistress will be understanding with them."

Evan doesn't hear that part. Or anything else. Broo and Hunter exchange glances as he shakes his head and... scratches his nose. His eye coloring makes it impossible to see how upset he is. But his friends can still smell it.

"Did I do something wrong?" He asks weakly, keeping his head down, curls barely covering his forehead.

Hunter shakes his head. "No. Quentin just wants to mess with everyone for fun and shit. Don't let him get to you."

He hugs his shark to bring himself comfort. Evan's shoulders seem to slump even more and he moves to rub his arm against his eyes.

"....I think there is something wrong. With me." He whispers, making Hunter's ears twitch and Broo's bug eyes widen. "Quentin keeps calling me Apocalypse. Everyone calls me that. Did I do something wrong?" He lifts his head to look at his two friends.

Broo and Hunter don't know how to answer. A small panic arises between the two, looks exchanged, concern and guilt on their faces that end up giving them away. Evan immediately knows they're aware of what's going on, why the students avoid him, why the teachers are weird with him, but they won't tell.

"I... I don't know... I... I'm sorry... I don't know..."

"You're lying, Broo." Evan interrupts the alien, sounding thicker. Broo shrinks into himself. Evan looks between them with furrowed eyebrows. "What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing!" Broo blurts out, holding his paws together. If he could sweat, he sure would be now. His head swivels between Evan and Hunter, claws clacking against each other. "I...um..I don't know if..."

Evan's lips press into a firm line, the deep blue marks on his cheeks moving as he clenches his jaw, thinking. Broo looks extremely guilty for lying so blatantly. Hunter feels his hands sweating and approaches Evan, looking for something to appease him.

But Evan turns his back on both of them, one hand holding his own arm to stop Hunter from holding him back.

"I need some time alone."

He walks away. Past the tree where his friends always find him reading. Continuing until he enter the tree line of the forest.

Broo makes a sad noise that surprises Hunter. His little hands come up to hold his head as he shakes it, pushing his glasses up.

"Broo?" Hunter kneels beside him.

"I lied to friend Evan!" Broo exclaims, violently shaking his head. "Oh, no! That's horrible! I know it's not good to lie, but Dr. McCoy told me not to say anything no matter what he asked! Oh, no, no, no."

He keeps at it. Hunter feels his mouth drop a little, his eyebrows rising.

"Wait... you know too?!" He holds Broo's shoulder, making him turn towards him, but without taking his hands away.

A few more seconds of scolding himself, Broo takes his hands off his head to adjust his glasses that have fallen to the side.

"I do." He admits it guiltily. "I know about Evan's... connection with the mutant called Apocalypse." Hunter opens his mouth even wider. "I found the X-Men's old mission records. I noticed a strong resemblance between our friend and... that man." Broo sighs, looking around, then moves closer to speak a little more quietly.

"He lived in Okkara, he is very important to the history of mutants. The Okkari claim that their ancestors born in the ancient nation had the ability to talk to Krakoa. When I saw Evan doing the same... I went to ask Dr. McCoy about it."

Hunter agrees, patting Broo's skull. "And he told you not to say anything?"

Broo confirms. "He made me promise. And I don't want to break that promise. It would make him so, so upset."

Hunter rubs a hand on his head, pushing his braids to the side, remembering the headache of having Prestige on his mind.

"Miss Summers made us be quiet, too."

Broo looks down and sits down on the grass, hands on his knees. "Dr. McCoy said it was best not to say anything. For friend Evan's sake. And... I don't want him to get hurt."

Hunter sighs and falls to the ground next to the alien. God, everything is more complicated than he expected. Evan's drama is much worse than they could have expected and it seems like the more time that passes, the easier it would be for Evan to figure it out. And they've only been at school for such a short time.

He doesn't like how much Quentin wants to reveal things, how interested he is in Evan. And in Hunter and Julian. However, he knows that Quentin speaks some truth. There's no way to keep Evan ignorant of his own lineage, whatever his connection to Apocalypse is, and the more time passes and the teachers continue to hide it, things are only going to get worse.

Evan has to be one of the most patient and understanding people Hunter has ever met. What if they keep stretching this lie and testing how much they can fool him?

Hunter swallows something sour in his throat.

"I don't even know what Evan is. I just know he's not... like us."

Broo looks at him with big, sad eyes, before lowering his head.

Headmistress' office, main building. Again.

Julian stretches their arms above their head as they stand up, receiving yet another reprimanding look from Prestige shortly after receiving permission from the headmistress to leave.

This time, the scolding they got wasn't so bad,
Pryde decided he wasn't at fault and as Prestige looked into his mind to make sure, he was warned not to start fights if Quentin tried to torment them, just call a teacher.

Julian couldn't promise much. They agreed anyway. The only thing they took away from him was his freedom to visit Salem Center on the weekend.

Quentin was even more displeased when he was told to continue sitting in the chair.

"How come you let them go and not me?" He stood awkwardly, shoulders raised, almost against his ears. "I was the one who was attacked! Where is the justice in this place?! Shouldn't you be 'helping' the students?"

Julian smiled widely, letting their sharp canines pop out of their lips. He loved that Quentin's extremely pale face took on a rosier hue.

Kitty pressed her fingers against her forehead, eyes closed. "Shut up, Quentin. You can't come with your talk about justice or what's right and wrong. You started it."

Quentin tsked and fell back into the chair.

"Fucking fascist."

Now it was Rachel who was losing her patience. Not that she had much when she had to deal with the younger telepath.

"Watch your mouth, kid. You're just digging your grave deeper." She crossed her arms, the Hound tattoos on her face slowly becoming visible before disappearing once more.

"Is it forbidden for me to take a walk around the gardens?" Quentin continued with feigned innocence. "Or talk to my colleagues?"

Julian kicked the leg of Quentin's chair, making him move backwards and grip the seat to keep himself still, and Rachel and Kitty didn't mind that much.

"You weren't just talkin', you were bothering my little brother."

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true, Creed!" Quentin gave him the middle finger and looked at the teachers, moving an arm toward Julian. "You can try to keep me quiet all you want, but I'm not going to participate in that!"

With an air of superiority, he crossed his arms against his chest and swung his legs in the air, letting his heavy boots fall onto the wood of the table, letting his chair tilt back. Julian's mouth dropped slightly. He was actually shocked that Quentin could be so stupid and annoying.

Seeing the way Rachel's eyes were boring a hole into their colleague's skull, Julian shrugged and walked backwards to the door, hoping they could see Quire at least be punished or humiliated.

Julian narrowed his eyes to see that the shirt he was wearing under his blazer had changed to 'I'm ready for the reboot'.

Kitty rubbed her hand over her eyes once more.

"Julian, you can leave."

"I'd liked to stay here and watch him get scolded."

"Get out, Creed!" Rachel exploded and in the same moment Julian was on the other side of the door and running down the hall.

Kitty waited for the sound of bare feet hitting the floor to disappear completely. Rachel was standing right next to her chair, a subtle aura emanating from her, not heavy, but slowly burning. The headmistress looked at her worst student still sitting shamelessly in front of her.

She's going to have to do it again, right?

She wishes she could apologize to Logan and Xavier and Ororo and anyone who had to deal with her when she was fourteen.

First she pushed Quentin's legs off his desk, not caring when he slammed them hard onto her rug, probably getting mud from the garden on the surface. Then she clasped her hands in front of her face.

"Quentin, I'm going to try to be as patient and gentle as possible right now. Which is really hard with you, understand?" She started in a calm voice.

Quentin raised an eyebrow, lips pursed. His eyes fell to Rachel, who had her full attention on him. He was momentarily distracted when he noticed her presence intruding his walls, searching for something.

Kitty snapped her fingers to get his attention again.

"We've warned you several times not to bring up anything related to the Creeds or Mr. Adel. It doesn't matter who they are, villains or agents or whatever. That's none of your business."

She shook her head, glancing quickly at Quentin's shirt. She was sure that a minute ago the slogan wasn't 'I am with stupid' and that bunch of red arrows around it.

"Logan decided that they will stay with us and be our students until the end of the school year and that will happen." She continued, looking up from the shirt, Quentin was smiling. "I don't care what you think of them, it doesn't change anything. And I won't let you insult your classmates for things they're not to blame for."

Her eyes became more cold.

"After all, you have no place to judge people, mister."

Quentin's face fell, the smile disappearing in front of the director's hard gaze. He kept his arms crossed and moved his head to the side.

Of course he would try something. The last part was what hurt even more. His teeth clenched tightly, fingers clenching his blazer. Rachel didn't even give him time to pronounce the first letter. Her power enveloped him, keeping him locked in place, voice ringing in his mind like a command.

"Quiet."

Kitty glanced at her friend, making sure she wouldn't hurt her student too much, then looked back at Quentin.

"We're giving everyone a chance to have a better future and a peaceful life. That includes even little monsters like you."

Quentin closed his eyes, pushing the pain away. The more he tried to push Summers out, chase her away, or form a shield around her, she came back with twice as force, keeping his mind open to her.

Idiots. His anger slowly rose. How dare they?He's not a monster.

Or is he?

He knows he did wrong things, terrible things almost. He did it for them, didn't he? The fucking riot, for them, mutants!

And how did they react? They took his body away. They let the Cuckoos destroy him. They put him in a jar and forgot about him. They locked him in that chamber. And he hated it. They forgot him there and didn't even stop to think about how he felt.

That's why he was angry. He came out of his cell and was so angry. He tried to be nice and they left him behind. He was just a big meanie villain, isn't he? And now they were here scolding him, pretending to be friends with the real villain and not listening to him again. They--

Forget it, he'll show them.

Stretching his back in the chair, Quentin felt Rachel release him a little, just a little, just so he could move properly. He gave her a smoldering look, she didn't flinch or care. This increased his hatred towards her. He would still show her what a real telepath does. She's just playing with him.

"You must be confused about the monsters here, madame headmistress." He smiles at Pryde, showing his bare teeth. "The monster just walked out the door." He pointed to the window that overlooked the garden, orange trees moving in the wind. "The monster is gardening with Angel outside."

Kitty let her head fall with the knowledge that nothing she said could make Quentin stop his games. And he continued, speaking loudly, with the same rebellion and anger as he always had, since the last time she saw him six years ago.

She wonders if he had this anger even before. When he was still the teacher's star student. Or if it just came about after that phone call.

"He's the Apocalypse! And he has no idea!" Quentin stood up. He pushed Rachel's power as far as he could. And it came back, like a wave. "How much longer are we going to have to pretend he's just a normal student? He's going to find out one way or another! If not from me, then from other students. Maybe Keller, Herman, or someone else."

"We won't let that happen." Kitty said with certainty, brow furrowed, eyes not leaving Quentin. She kept her hands on the table, discreetly asking Rachel not to hurt the teen.

Rachel didn't respond and Quentin grunted, either irritated with her or in pain from Rachel's grip, she wasn't so sure.

"Why so much drama?! Everyone already knows, but he doesn't. So why not just kill the suspense and tell him? What are you trying to do?"

"That's none of my business--"

Quentin threw his hands in the air.

"Enough of that!" He shouted and Kitty tensed as she heard something break.

Looking around her office, slowly, ever so slightly, it began to tremble. It was the window. The glass had cracked.

"Quire!" She stood. Quentin wasn't paying attention to her, he was looking at Rachel. The light hit his yellow-tinted glasses, hiding his eyes, his mouth was set in a frown, fists clenched at his sides. "What is he doing?" She asked Rachel, holding out her hand.

Her student was stuck in place, not moving. Just standing there. Anything he had written on his shirt was gone. He wasn't joking anymore.

Rachel clenched her fists as well, leaning forward to yell at the boy, the color in her eyes fading in an orange glow. Kitty removed her hand from her shoulder as the palpable tension in the room began to rise. As if the temperature was rising and rising.

"Don't try to get through my barriers, Quire!"

Another crack appeared in the window. Kitty covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Quentin. His glasses were cracked too, he didn't care, too focused on his dispute with Rachel. She had no idea what the two of them were doing.

If Quentin was trying to break something or steal something, he was trying too hard. The tension increased further and Kitty moved away from the table a little as the shaking in the walls increased. Let it only be in her classroom and not in the rest of the school.

Because first it was just the books and pictures moving, then one of her pens fell and the windows cracked. And the lights above began to flicker. Then she felt a headache so bad that she had to hold on to the bookshelf next to her.

She remembers seeing this happen other times. Living with telepaths over so many years may have made her create some kind of resistance. Still, she felt like everything was starting to get out of focus.

"Rachel, make him stop!"

Rachel turned her head towards her, realizing she was sliding down. Concern arose and she returned to Quentin, giving one last order, letting go of everything, not caring about hurting him more than that.

"Quire, that's enough!" She ordered and everything stopped.

The tremor is gone. Quentin fell back in his chair, suddenly breathing again. Kitty swallowed as much air as possible and held on tightly to the shelf, her legs regaining strength. There was silence the next moment. Rachel shook her head at Quentin. He looked little paler than before.

"I warned you." She grunted and helped Kitty to her feet, holding her by the waist and her hand.

Her office was a mess. She would have to change the windows this time, great. And almost all the books had slid to the floor.

It does not matter now.

"The students."

The headmistress sat down in the chair and pushed Rachel towards the door. They didn't know if that explosion affected everyone. But...she knows how powerful Rachel is. And Quentin, even with all their attempts to hold on to his power.

Rachel nodded and ran to open the door, looking down the hallway, stepping outside for a minute.

Kitty didn't wait for her. She turned to Quentin, throwing all her damn patience out the window to slam her hand on the table aggressively.

"You crossed the line with that trick, Quire!" She shouted hoarsely.

Quentin closed his eyes with a headache, barely hearing what she said. He opened and closed his eyes, blinking away the discomfort. The ringing in his ears.

"I'm going to give you a month of detention. From now on, the only places you can go are classes, the cafeteria, and your room. Don't you dare leave after dinner, or try to sneak out of school." Kitty continued. Passing her hand over her sweaty forehead. "You understood?"

He frowned once again as he registered her words. Rachel returned to the office. Now her block was much stronger than before. He cursed her in his mind, sending the message to her.

She sent it right back.

"You understood?" Kitty repeated, louder.

Quentin shouted too. "I fuckin' got it, okay?! So what?! What else does it matter? You call it a punishment?!"

"No! You deserve more than that!" Kitty rose on her chair, leaning towards him to shout. "So much more! So be thankful we're not sending you back to your fucking containment cell in that S.H.I.E.L.D. compound!"

Quentin scoffed, ripping his glasses off his face. He didn't even feel that there was a trickle of blood running from his nose until now.

He rubbed his face clean. His voice getting lower and more serious. "What do you think I am? A fucking damn child?" He laughed bitterly. "I went through a lot worse while I was in my fucking hibernation chamber! I went through a lot worse sitting in a jar on a bookshelf for six damn years before McCoy left me alone in that room in the dark!"

Rachel pushes herself away from the door, boots clicking as she marches towards him.

"Quire, if--

The chair fell to the carpet when he stood up, not as threatening as he wanted. Kitty didn't lose the aura of power trying to emerge. Fighting Rachel's block.

"Do you think you can do something to me?" He slapped his hand against his chest and threw his head back, his mouth open with a loud, cackling laugh. "You already did! Leaving me trapped in that jar!" He looked at Kitty, his wide brown eyes staring at her. "A jar! For six years!" He repeated angrily, voice breaking at the end.

And Kitty didn't know what to do with it. Quentin laughed some more, too dry and exaggerated to be real. He had already made an explosion, certainly knocking down more students outside. And now he looked like he was sliding into yet another explosion.

And he didn't care. The laughter was cut off abruptly and he let his head fall to one side, his face expressionless.

"You think I give a shit about this place?! You think I care what you take from me?!" He looked between the two. "You can't take anything else from me! What good will that do?!"

Once again, the room shook. Not like before. The books that still remained on the shelves threatened to fall, sliding towards the edge. Kitty reached out to hold Rachel back as she advanced on Quentin. This time she didn't stop him, her face full of worry as he continued to scream and wave his hands in the air.

"You all are pathetic! Always have been, X-Men!Worse than Xavier to be honest! So congratulations, you managed to overcome being a total joke." He clapped his hands sarcastically, his nose running more blood.

The lights flickered. Rachel looked for Kitty to stop him, but the director let her. She just watched as Quentin vented all, or just some, of his anger on them.

"This place, you, these students! You're all going to hell before the school year ends, I'll make sure of that! Just you wait!"

And he stopped. Quentin took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling, and he fell into the chair once again with his head down, his pink-dyed hair sticking to his sweaty forehead. Rachel still expected Kitty to do something, something really bad to punish Quentin for the second outburst of insults, but in a way she understood.

Kitty rubbed her face, staring at Quentin and thinking that without doing anything, they managed to break the boy. Far worse than he was before the call, the riot, the attack, the deaths or the lost of his body and the incarceration. And now they needed to do something about it.

Chapter Text

There’s a wall between them, the rest of the school falls into that peace that only exists when all the students are asleep. Julian rolls over in bed and lies in a ball, hugging his knees and trying to ignore the rustling on the other side of the wall.

There was a moment when Evan’s heart started to race. A scent of anxiety and apprehension lingered in the air. It followed all the way to the dorms, leaving a miserable trail through the halls. Julian didn’t think it could get any worse until, two hours after curfew, he heard sheets rustling as Evan tossed and turned in his bed, clearly unable to sleep.

He tries to ignore it, pulling the pillow against his head. Evan continues to sigh, pacing around the room, sitting on the window and then on the bed.

Finally, there’s a knock and his suspicions that their beds are both pushed against the wall are finally confirmed.

“Julian?” Evan’s soft voice calls out hesitantly. Another soft knock. Julian lies still. Another knock. "Julian? I know you can hear me." Silence. Evan wonders if his friend really has as good a hearing as he claims. "You can hear me, can't you?"

He waits a little longer. Sitting cross-legged, tugging at the loose threads of his pajama pants. Finally, he hears a knock on the wall and the super low, muffled voice of his grumpy classmate.

"What do you want, Evan?"

He smiles when he realizes that they can actually talk through the walls. He can't hear it like Julian can, the words reach his ears a little more muffled. How well can Julian understand him? Does that mean he doesn't have to whisper? He presses his fingers against the back of his hand.

Licking his dry lips, he speaks a little louder.

"Can I come over?"

Julian still sounds surprised, even from behind the wall. "In my room?"

"Yes." Evan nods in the dark. "I... can't sleep."

"Why would I let you into my room?"

Evan's scent would be trapped in their and Hunter's space.

"I don't want to be alone."

He shrugs, starting to feel even more stupid for asking. Maybe he shouldn't. After all, he and Julian aren't as close as he thinks. Julian is nice when he wants to be. That doesn't mean he would comfort him right now.

But Evan really just wants someone to talk to. He feels like his mind is racing and none of his thoughts make sense. And he knows Julian knows a lot more than he does. They just don't want to talk. Evan is torn between suspicious and angry at his friend for it.

"I will go to your room. Wait."

Evan blinks, knocking his knuckles on the plaster. "What?!" He stutters and stands up, running to his door. His hand touches the doorknob when he hears a tap on the glass of his window. His head turns almost all the way back and his eyes widen in surprise. "Julian!"

Yes, there are his friend's bright eyes in his window. In fact, Julian is hanging on the ledge, like a cat climbing up a window, or Spider-Man, waiting to be invited in.

Evan rushes to unlock the window. "Julian! You're crazy!" He scolds and lets his friend in before closing it again.

Julian grins, always finding it funny how Evan worries about everything. He puts his hands in his sweatpants. "So? What do you want?"

Evan rolls his eyes and sits down on his bed, allowing Julian to join him. They do so, standing on the other end, so there's space between them. Evan picks at the skin around his nails, wincing at the pain that comes as he accidentally draws a little blood.

"I'm thinking about what Quentin said."

Julian exhaled a bit of smoke between their lips. He was a second away from coming up with a ruder retort. He couldn't, Evan didn't know him that well. And it wouldn't be acceptable. What had Hunter said?

"Be nice to them, you idiot."

"Don't." Julian shrugged. "He just wants to get inside your head. Forget about it. It's not worth the time."

It could have been a little better. Evan shook his head, letting it fall between his shoulders in disappointment. Julian sniffed deeply.

Evan didn't get angry that easily. It took a lot to get him mad or make him act aggressive. When Julian did that, acted too annoying or kept things from him even though Evan could read his mood, Evan wanted to yell at them. Or say some not-so-nice things.

It happens now. Evan sits up, staring at Julian, their golden eyes glowing in the darkness of his room, and he knows his friend is a little uncomfortable with the eye contact.

"You're lying to me." He states in a deeper voice, with no room for his soft tone. "You're a terrible liar."

And that's true. Julian almost chokes and drags their body further away on the mattress. Their face is hidden in the shadows, so Evan doesn't see how their nose twitches and their ears move up and down.

"I'm not."

"Julian, there's something wrong with me!" Evan exclaims, hands furiously waving in the air. "I know that. Quentin isn't the only one who calls me Apocalypse. Roxy, Glob, Match, our classmates, do the same." He sighs, running a hand over his forehead, exhausted. "I don't know what that means."

Julian avoids looking at him. The two bright spots that are their eyes fall to the ground, and he moves further away, avoiding getting too close or showing that he is starting to get agitated. Evan is backing them up against the wall, he starts running different ways to lie in their mind.

Evan doesn't let them. Standing up, he places a hand on Julian's shoulder, moving his blue face so that he is closer to Creed, feeling their warm breath.

"You know something." He accuses. Julian shakes his head. Another hand grips his other shoulder. "I know you do! You make this same face every time I ask or Quentin says something weird."

He can't even see their face. Julian shakes their head once more. Pushing away the two hands that are holding them, being careful of their claws in his blue skin, he pushes Evan away from him.

"I don't know shit." He stands and walks to the window. "And I want to sleep."

Oh, he's so annoying. Evan runs over to them, tripping over his own feet. His arms reach out and grab Julian by the legs, nearly making them fall forward and slam their face into the window.

"No you won't!" Evan didn't mean to be so mean. Julian won't cooperate, so he has to be mean too. The feral turns around with wide eyes, surprised that Evan has the nerve to grab them and wrap both his arms around them. "You're going to stay up all night and then you're going to train outside! Don't lie to me!"

His arms stretch out a little more. Carefully wrapping themselves around Julian's waist, around his right arm, one hand closing the window again. Julian is so shocked that it takes him a while to react with his curses and growls.

"Let go of me, Adel! What the fuck you're doin'?!" He finally screams and starts to struggle. Kicking his legs and moving his neck around. Evan pulls him a little closer. It would be the strangest sight he’d ever seen, if he could see in the dark.

Evan stands his ground and pulls his friend back into the middle of the room. He lets out a low hiss as Julian’s skin heats up. The feral struggles. He doesn’t want to hurt Evan, but the fact that he’s being held so tightly, even unintentionally, makes all his instincts scream.

“I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s wrong with me!”

“You can’t hold me hostage!” Julian screams. Loud enough to be heard in the hallway. “I don’t know shit.”

“You’re lyin' to me, just like everyone else, Julian.” Evan loosens his grip a little, pulling one of his arms down. “I thought we were friends.” He groans, his eyebrows drawing together.

Julian pulls one wrist out of his grip and starts to push Evan’s arm down.

“Who said we’re friends?!”

Evan’s arms go limp.

His scent is so sad, it feels like poison. Julian is gently placed on the ground, the grip disappears completely and he is free. He is the only one who can see in the dark, the way Evan's face becomes even sadder, his completely red eyes fill with tears and - fuck! - Julian feels sick.

Why he needs to be such a jerk? He imagines Clarice screaming at him, scolding him and telling him to apologize immediately. He can't do it. His body goes hotter in embarrassment.

Evan goes quiet. He should have expected such reaction, shouldn't he? Hurt, he hides his face and falls onto the bed, his now normal-sized hands resting on his knees. Is this a sign for Julian to leave? Or that he should stop being an idiot and do something?

The feral sighs, but doesn't sit up or come closer. He scuffs one foot against the floor, embarrassed by his rude response.

"I don't know anything, Evan." He shrugs, sounding a little less hoarse. And his words don't have as much effect now. He scoots a little closer, his nose itching at the melancholic scent in the air. "What other people say about you... It's not much different from me." The bed dips with the extra weight. There's a stuffed unicorn hidden under the covers, and Julian accidentally sits on it.

Evan huffs, in the same mocking tone Julian has. He pulls the toy from under Julian's butt, nearly knocking them off the bed, hiding it behind his pillow.

"Your parents are villains. Mine aren't."

Julian grimaces, but nods. The Adels and the Creeds would never be caught in the same room. From what he has heard about Evan’s family, honest and kind parents with a peaceful life, Julian wishes they never met his father. He would hate to have Ms. and Mr. Adel meeting the ultimate disaster that his parents were.

“What is it?” Evan turns around once more. He looks so upset. He really is. His friend is so bad at hiding how upset he is. So Evan persists in finding out what he is hiding. “Julian, tell me. Why is everyone afraid of me?”

He can’t bear to see Julian’s face sour, their lips pursed in a grimace of pain, their pointy ears flapping slightly.

“It’s because of your face.” They confess finally. Almost in a single breath. Evan’s eyes open wider, red irises glowing. Julian continues, regretfully, now that he can no longer take it back. “You look like a villain everyone is afraid of. A villain who has existed for a long, long time.”

Evan shakes his head in denial. Of course, he has no idea who it could be. Which is almost ridiculous, even though Evan has lived his entire life in Kansas on his peaceful little farm. The first time Apocalypse and his Horsemen emerged as a threat was before Julian was even born.

But he knew who Apocalypse was. How could Evan not know?

"His name is Apocalypse. You look so much like him that..." Julian looks away, "it scares people."

"But I..." Evan stutters, chokes on the words, raising his hands to Julian, dark blue skin, almost black nails. Soft hands and not at all cruel. "My mutation did this." He whispers.

He... oh no. He suddenly remembers the whole battle with the Horsemen. With Warren when he was infected with that sinister thing. Uncle Cluster waking him up in that dark room, telling him he was the world's only hope. What did he mean?

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the name sticks in his mind. What does that have to do with him?

The luminous dots that are Julian's eyes move slowly. Watching his face, he realizes. Julian takes in the completely red eyes, the pink sclera, thick lines running from the tip of his lips to his ears. Thick eyebrows that pinch together, confused.

Julian wonders if Evan has ever felt bad or questioned himself about his mutation, about his appearance, why he is so different, why he is the way he is.

Just thinking about it makes them feel bitter. Because Evan is so kind. So joyful. He loves his own powers, even if he is afraid to use them around others. Evan once said that he would like to be like Blue Marvel or Thor. Flying to save people. Julian doesn’t want to think that Evan could hate his mutation when he loves it.

Julian himself, as proud as he is, as much as he has the courage to say how much he loves having the same claws as his father, knows what it’s like to hate himself for something he can’t control.

He hesitates, looking down at his hands. Sharp points that cut through metal at the end of each finger.

“Evan, do you really not know who Apocalypse is?” He asks, keeping his eyes on the space between them.

Evan’s hands fall to his lap. In the darkness of the room, Julian looks closely at his fingers and notices that Evan has no calluses, bruises or scars. Only a small cut on the back of his right hand. Hard to notice.

Strange. He almost asks about it. Evan stares at him in indignant silence for a few seconds and then makes an exaggerated face, trying to outdo Julian in his sarcasm.

“Oh, of course I know! That’s why I’m asking you!”

Oh, what a son of a bitch. Julian frowns and flicks Evan’s nose. He pretends that his colleague doesn’t close his eyes and tenses up because of the claws. The smile that follows and the giggle are like a disguise.

“I thought you knew.” Julian explains, thinking. Evan tilts his head to the side. “I thought you were some distant descendant of his, hence the resemblance. There are many descendants of Apocalypse among the X-Men.”

“Like who?” Evan asks curiously

Oh, this is not the time to talk about that. Julian shakes his head and crosses his legs, indicating that he won't say more than that.

"I don't know. I just know that there is."

Evan can't smell him. His face falls anyway, and he can hear the lies in Julian's voice, in the way he avoids looking him in the eyes. His smell is too bad to bear, Julian lowers his head even further.

"So you already knew..." He whispers, the words barely leaving his lips.

Julian can hear him perfectly. He understands that Evan might be upset when he finds out. He didn't expect it to make him feel so bad, he didn't expect them to become... friends. Now he feels guilty. But he doesn't want Evan to be upset with Idie, Kubark, or Broo.

"I knew, and so does Hunter. The others don't." Julian explains. As if that would make it any better. Make Evan less upset with them. "I didn't tell you because I thought you didn't want to talk about it. I mean... grandson of the Apocalypse or something, I thought you were embarrassed."

Evan rolls his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't even know who this man is."

Julian sighs. "We're studying mutant history with Logan. The Okkara story is coming up." He doesn't know if he wants Logan to come back in time to give them this lecture. And he wonders if the teachers would try to stop Evan from watching it so they can continue to hide the truth from him.

If they did, they’d just be shooting themselves in the foot. Or prolonging the inevitable. Damn, it looks like Quentin was right about one thing. Julian growls low in his throat at the realization.

“What does this have to do with Apocalypse?” Evan asks, taken aback by his friend’s sound of irritation. “Or with me?”

“Apocalypse was the king of the first Kingdom of Okkara before it was destroyed.” Julian says matter-of-factly. "According to the Okkari themselves, they kinda of worshipped him years ago."

It wasn’t something everyone knew. Since Okkara came out of hiding, a few things had been revealed. They had the Museum of Mutant History last year, ready to share the ancient history of their people, their ancestors, ready to carry on traditions most modern mutants had no knowledge of.

Now it’s all gone. Or mostly gone, and Okkara is too hurt to share anymore. Julian looks at Evan and thinks about how much more he could have learned about himself if those fucking Sentinels hadn't attacked the Museum that day. How much he himself could have learned.

He stays quiet as Evan digests everything they told him, his blue lips set in a deep, thoughtful frown. His nails continue to pick at his cuticles, drawing blood. Red begins to bloom beneath the blue skin.

Evan looks down at his hands, biting his lip as the pain flares, and brings his bleeding thumb to his mouth to wipe away the blood. Having Julian so quiet next to him bothers him deeply, their cold face now clearly showing that they feel guilty for lying. And, oh boy, Evan feels bad for being upset too, and wants to forgive him. He tries to convince himself that Julian — and Hunter and the teachers — had a good reason for keeping him in the dark.

Maybe they didn’t want him to get scared, or freak out, or think they were… trying to keep him under control.

Like they do with Julian. And Quentin. And Kubark. He looks at his friend and thinks about all the times they tried to keep Quentin quiet when he wanted to tell Evan the truth, or intimidate him for - now Evan knows - looking like this Apocalypse guy. Was Julian trying to protect him? Or just follow the teachers' orders to hide his heritage from him?

His head spins a little. Making him dizzy and disoriented. Like his brain is rattling around inside his skull. His feet aren't really on the ground and there's a pain building in his stomach.

He doesn't want to look at Julian any more right now. So he turns his face back to the silhouette of his feet.

It's Julian who breaks the silence, hesitant, a little curious too. "Do you think that's it? That you're his grandson or something?"

Evan doesn't want to talk about it. He wants Julian to go away and stop bringing it up, just like he's been doing this whole time.

Don't be mad at him, he tells himself, you're not friends. He doesn't have to tell you anything.

"I don't know." Evan answers anyway. Pressing a finger against the wound he's opened. "Mom and Dad... we don't have any family in this country, they moved from Egypt to Kansas before I was born."

Julian clicks his tongue in the dark. "Fuckin' ironic because ol' man Apocalypse was born in Ancient Egypt."

What the hell, Evan curses under his breath. His mother's voice comes to his mind, scolding him for his bad language.

"Are you okay?" Something hovers over his shoulder, almost touching him, before it comes back. Julian clasps both hands in their lap the same way Evan does.

"No. I'm not." He's honest. Sounding harsher than before. More upset. "I feel like... everything's been a mess since I left Kansas. I need some time to think."

He stands and motions for Julian to get up from his bed. His classmate doesn't make much of a fuss, just follows him back to his window, neither of them looking at each other, even though the light from outside illuminates them when Evan opens the window. Julian easily and gracefully slips out and holds himself to the wall with his claws.

He takes a moment, keeping himself still so he doesn’t fall. The words come out a little slurred between his sharp teeth. “Sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”

He sounds sincere. It makes Evan’s heart soften even more. And he can never be tough for long anyway. He nods slowly, his frown fading.

“You were just trying to be…” He shrugs. He doesn’t know why Julian would lie to him. He hopes it’s for a good reason. “You were just trying to respect my privacy. I appreciate that.” He smiles and Julian nods back. Before he can go, Evan reaches out to grab their arm. “But, Julian!” He squeezes his friend’s arm a little. “Next time, don’t hide anythin' from me.”

Julian raises their eyebrows, then lowers them and nods, shaking their arm a little to get out of his grip.

“Okay.” They smile, just a little. "And as for the others, ignore them. Or come talk to me, if they mess with you. I can solve it real quick." They promise and sounds quite soft, friendly.

Evan knows what he means by that. He's a little grateful that Julian is willing to fight for him, it should be an admirable attitude, right? He still shakes his head.

"I don't appreciate violence."

Julian makes a slightly derisive sound. Then they bid him a quiet goodnight and climbs back to their window, disappearing into the other room. Evan waits until the window closes before closing his own.

It's too quiet at school. It can be a little scary sometimes. He lies in bed, feeling the silence of his room make his ears ache with every deep breath. It's dark, the ceiling of his room stares back at him silently as he stares at his hands, thinking of his family and his farm in Kansas.

His hands are smooth and callous-free. Unnaturally blue skin. What kind of kid looks like him?

He curls up into a ball and prays that his uncle will finish his mission soon so he can go home and not have to think about anything but home.

He dreams of the Horsemen once more. Red flashing and blue glowing behind his eyes. And when he can't sleep anymore, he gets up and leaves his room, heading secretly to the library of the school.

This time in the present.

Bar of the Mercs for Money, Sister Margaret for Wayward Girls, Manhattan.

Clarice would never say that things are wonderful for her. Because that would be a fucking lie. But despite everything she’s been through in the last two years, and maybe even in the last eight years, she’s managed to keep herself sane in the two weeks she’s been working at the bar.

She knows the place like the back of her hand, and most of the dirty places and hideouts there, and almost all the strange customers. She knows which ones to watch out for. And which ones she can trust. And the ones she can't even look in the eye. Delphine, for example, has been an absolute angel, taking care of her, making sure she has everything she needs, and letting her stay at the house.

Clarice thinks she’s slept more in the last few weeks than she has in two years. She still has to keep an ear out and look over her shoulder at all times, with all the mercenaries she serves all day, but now she feels a little safer being within four familiar walls.

And she always has her bow hanging at her waist, clearly visible because of her sleeveless shirt.

"You've been doing great." Delphine compliments her the other day, a smile on her old face, which makes her seem less stiff.

Clarice walks around, picking up fifties and stuffing them into her pocket, her pink hair tied in a bun on top of her head.

"You've already accumulated more than most of the other girls here."

Clarice smiles a little, the deep lines under her eyes are already fading, and she doesn't feel as tired as she used to. It helps keep her in a good mood. And if she's in a good mood, it's easier to deal with the mercenaries.

She shrugs and sets a few more empty glasses on the bar. "Yeah. The guys seem to like me."

It's not a good thing. Most of the mercenaries, the ones who've been there the longest, keep to themselves and don't try anything funny. They're still afraid of Mr. Creed, of course, that was what kept Clarice and the boys safe before. And because they were Mrs. Márquez's kids.

Now that she's alone, she had to toughen up and deal with unwanted stares. It wasn't that hard. Ever since she teleported a guy out of the bar with a few pieces missing, the previously hostile atmosphere had changed.

Delphine stops her before she can return, grabbing her by the arm. "Better be careful. No one here is trustworthy. If anyone messes with you, tell me." She warns seriously, speaking softly so that no one else can hear.

Clarice stops herself from rolling her eyes at hearing those same words for the tenth time. She's too grateful to be rude, so she nods and tucks the metal tray under her arm.

"Yes, ma'am."

It's hard to tell how many hours pass when you're in the bar, there aren't that many windows and the ones that do exist are covered with old newspapers. Some of the customers Clarice serves go upstairs, as do other employees. Young women who were also taken in by the house in the past, most of them mutants. Some of them mutants who lost their powers on M-Day.

There were only a few hours left before her shift ended. She'd be up downstairs until midnight and then have some free time before she had to go sleep, and since there was hardly anyone in the bar other than a group of old mutants playing pool in the back, Clarice sat down at a newly cleaned table and watched the evening news, wrinkling her nose at the news that Janet van Dyne was going to run for president next year.

It seems like all of Mom's exes are fucking weird. She didn't even remember van Dyne ever getting involved in politics before. But Osborn hadn't either.

A loud noise upstairs caught her attention and she stood up with her bow in hand. The patrons stopped their pool game and did the same, grabbing guns and knives. Delphine head back down the tunnel that leads to the house, slamming her flip-flops angrily, a bō staff already in her hands.

"Put that shit away! It's just Deadpool parkin'."

The men sit back down and go back to their game. Delphine walks past Clarice and pats her on the shoulder. "Hold on, I'll get rid of him."

Clarice shakes her head. Something upstairs bangs against a trash can. "You don't have to. You know, he's not such bad company."

Footsteps start to descend the stairs that lead to the front door. Delphine shakes her head at her, sighing heavily before putting her staff down, walking around the counter to hide from Deadpool.

The front door opens like a hurricane is invading the place.

She remains seated in the chair, turning around, only to see Wade arrive, his famous red and black costume covered in blood, a piece of metal through one of his shoulders. He's louder than she remembers, saying something to the guys playing pool. They're not happy to see him.

She gives a forced smile when Wade's white eyes scan the bar and fall on her.

"Clariceeeeeeeee!!" He yells in a hysterical way, his hands covering his mouth in a dramatic pose. He's always so over the top.

Nothing she's not used to. Back in the day, Julian and Hunter always sought out the immortal mercenary to cause trouble, so she has learned long ago not to care about his ramblings and weird speeches.

And how to use them to her advantage.

Clarice waves and jumps out of her chair as he trembles and runs to her.

"Hey, pool." She almost falls when the mercenary runs to her, strong arms securing her shoulders and pulling her into a hug. At least he remembers to rip out that piece of metal from his shoulder first. But now she has blood on her shirt.

"It's been such a fucking long time!" He says in his strange voice. Fruit of the damage done to his throat. He pulls back a little, looking into her eyes, holding her shoulders. "You've grown."

"And you still the same as always." Clarice sighs and pushes him away completely. There's no point in trying to get the blood stain out now.

Wade laughs, waving his hand in the air. "They're finally giving you a spotlight, you just disappeared like that, without even saying anything. You need to show up around here more." His head whips around, then he pushes her aside and looks under the tables. "Besides, where are the cubs? Where are the babies?"

Clarice crosses her arms, waiting for him to stop running around, looking for her siblings in places they totally shouldn't be. She smiles a little wider. Wade is a real pain in the ass, but he can't hide the fact that he loves kids. Especially kids who have the ability to breathe fire or cause some controlled chaos.

"I sent them to school."

Wade nearly breaks his neck with the speed with which he turns around, the white eyes of his mask as big as golf balls.

"Uh, uh, you sent them to Xavier's with Wolvie. I can hear Tez turning in her grave right now." He laments, placing one hand on his chest and the other on his head, like the Victorian lady he is. "And Vic, wherever he is."

Clarice sighs and sits down again. This is an invitation for Wade to sit next to her, crossing his leg so he can lean on the table.

"They can't stay here with me. It's better if they stay somewhere safe. And Hunter asked me to go."

"And Junior?" Wade raises an eyebrow. She doesn't answer, and he already knows, anyway. A nervous chuckle comes out of his mask. "Oh, he didn't want to go, huh? I bet in three months he'll be setting the place on fire and coming back to us. Oh, remember when he used to try to set my balls on fire every day?" He wipes away an invisible tear with nostalgia. "Good times."

"Julian's not a kid anymore. He's more... mature." Clarice says, a little more harshly. Wait, did she tell Wade that Julian had changed his name? That can't be the case if he still calls him 'junior'.

Wade continues to chuckle, letting his shoulders shake, resting his chin on his hand. "Sure, sure. So, are you going to join us here?"

Clarice glares at him, pink glowing under her fingers.

She is grateful when Delphine shows up with her bō staff, swinging the bat to hit his head. Wade jumps off the bench with his hands in the air.

"Wade! Leave her alone, she's working." Delphine hits him square in the shoulder and tries to shoo him away like an annoying fly. "Get your drink or a job and get out!"

"Whoa, Deedee, careful with that stick!" Wade raises his arms to defend himself. The attacks continue and he takes steps back.

Clarice sees that Delphine isn't putting much effort into the blows, so there's no need to intervene.

She stands up and holds the woman by the shoulder, speaking sweetly. "It's okay, Delphine. I have to get back to work now, Wade." She turns to the chatterbox, smiling a little. He nods shyly. "But I want to talk to you later."

She takes the tray under her arm. There aren't that many people down there, so she'll be able to leave soon. She only needs a few moments to take a deep breath before speaking to Wade. Delphine is still glaring at him, her favorite weapon resting on one shoulder.

He understands this and nods. Reaching into his many pockets, he holds out her hand, catching her by surprise with the gesture. "Okay, here. Meet me here later." He holds up a piece of paper between his fingers.

One of the mask's eyes blinks, comically and even friendly. Wade nods and skips off, going to pester another of the waiters for something to drink.

Delphine huffs and curses something under her breath, heading back to the hallway that leads to the main house. Back in the kitchen, Clarice opens the paper in her hands. And frowns when she realizes it's the address of a local pizza place.

**************

It's past one in the morning when Clarice leaves the bar. By the time she teleports to the front of the pizzeria, already showered, with the bow now hidden in her jacket pocket, Wade is waiting on the sidewalk, with a half-cold pizza box in his hands.

She smiles gratefully and apologizes when she sees that the establishment is closed. He dismisses her, and they sit on the roof of the building next door instead, sharing slices of pizza and a Coke.

"I love the pizza here," Wade says with his mouth full, his mask pulled up above his nose. "They always... overdo the cheese."

Clarice stays quiet. She doesn't eat much, taking bites of her first slice while the mercenary finishes his third and moves on to the next. Her green eyes roam the lights of the eyes ahead.

Wade notices that she's quiet and tries - really tries - to get serious. "So, what did you want to talk about? Tell Uncle Wade everything." He pats his chest, his mouth full of cheese.

Clarice rolls her eyes. "I already told you I won't call you that." She says and shoves the rest of the slice in her mouth, taking a sip of her Coke.

Wade makes a fake sad sound and slumps.

"Okay." She takes a deep breath after eating. Turning to the mercenary, she speaks seriously, trying to convey the severity of the matter. "Wade, I need help. So, please, can you be serious for a few minutes?"

It's not his strong point. She knows it, and everyone else does too. But seeing how stressed she looks, Wade stares at her silently before nodding slowly. He makes a stupid joke right after, and Clarice twists her hands in the air to stop herself from grabbing his neck and twisting it until he turns blue.

After that, he lets her talk. Clarice explains everything she can, about what happened since her mother died until the day she arrived at the bar looking for a place to stay. Wade devours the rest of his pizza while he listens, nodding occasionally, but not interrupting.

It takes a minute, Wade lets her relax, then tosses the crust of the pizza off the edge of the building to a dog rummaging through the trash below.

"Seems like you have a rope tied around your neck."

"I have no idea what I'm going to do. I sent the boys to school to make sure they'd stay..." she waves her hands in the air pathetically, "you know. There was no way the three of us could continue living in the house alone."

Her ears droop further. She accepts the last sip of Coke Wade offers, downing the bottle before teleporting it in pieces to nowhere in particular.

"And I don't know if it's safe for them to stay there." She laments, shrugging. "With the X-Men."

A gloved hand, somewhat smeared with cheese, touches her hand, making movements that should be comforting.

"Easy, easy." Wade holds up a finger sagely. "In these last few years since I met the love of my life, Cable, I've learned that if there's one thing the X-Men are good at, it's taking care of children." He says in an excited voice.

Clarice slowly lifts her head to give him the biggest 'are you serious?' look, moving away when she realizes his hands really are covered in cheese.

And Wade continues, with a big smile. "And you have Wolvie keeping an eye on them! Who better to take care of abandoned puppies than that grumpy guy?"

He laughs dryly. It's clear he's forcing the sentiment. Clarice slaps his hand away and frowns.

"Are you kidding me?"

Wade immediately nods. "Yeah, I was lying to your face. They suck." He admits, pointing to the nothingness in front of them. "Look what's happened to all the new generations of X-Kids since Morrison. They don't even make appearances anymore. And they had so much potential."

"Wade..." Clarice groans in frustration, letting her head fall into her hands, smelling faintly of cheese and ketchup.

"No, no, no!" Wade waves his hands in the air. "I'm trying to help!"

"Then listen to me!" Clarice turns to him, her hands clenched into fists in her lap. "I can't stay at Sister Margaret's forever! My mother still has an apartment here in Manhattan and I want to move back there, so the boys have a place to stay when they get out of school. But I need money for that."

Wade shakes his head. "You came to the wrong guy in red, sweetie pie. That's Tony Stark."

She's going to strangle him. She's going to cut him to pieces. Maybe teleport him to the void and leave him there for a few days.

"Wade!" Clarice exclaims irritably, grabbing the strap across his chest, pulling him closer. "I need money fast. I want to work as a mercenary." She says, louder than she should.

The white eyes of the mask widen. Wade stares at her for half a second before he starts patting her hand and throwing himself back. She lets him go, and the chatterbox rolls backwards to fall off the edge of the building.

There's a loud cracking noise, followed by Wade's high-pitched scream.

Clarice shakes her head and stands up too, following him as he tries to run away.

"Ugh, don't even try! The finger trick doesn't work anymore!"

There's another loud crack and he groans, his hand returning to its natural place.

"Fuck, these kids today and their horror movies!"

Clarice teleports to the other side of him, the pink light illuminating the mercenary's scarred face and the way he pouts. Wade sighs and turns to her, his hands in the air, a nervous smile on his face.

"Clarice, beautiful, you can't ask that of me," Wade says sweetly, as if he's in danger. "As proud as I am right now, my little girl wanting to carry on the family business..." his voice changes to something between pride and nostalgia, "Your mom would kill me if I let you work with me."

Clarice's face hardens, her eyes narrowing and glowing in the dark. "Mrs. Márquez is no longer here. She's dead, Wade." She says without any emotion. "You know that, don't you?"

Wade's shoulders slump. She's never seen him display anything that's opposite to his chaotic energy. The way he lowers his head and deflates a little at her tone makes him seem a little more human. A little more real.

"Oh... yeah..."

She doesn't have time to waste. Even though it makes her sick that she's possibly upset Wade. He's a babbling idiot and it's hard to take him seriously. But she knows he respected her mother (if it's possible for him to respect anyone) and the news of her death must have been surreal for him too.

She sighs and crosses her arms. Trying to shake off the awkwardness that's settled in. "I need to find something better than washing dishes. I make decent money, but I need something better."

"You have so many options." Wade whines, his voice weak. "Why me?"

Clarice grabs the strap on his chest once more, pulling him closer. She couldn't if he didn't let her. But he doesn't fight it and shrinks back a little, even though he's much taller than her.

"Because you're the irresponsible idiot who's living in my mother's apartment, and I'll teleport you in pieces if you piss me off."

Wade chuckles a little. "Now that sounds like Tez. Congratulations." He claps his hands softly in front of Clarice's face.

"Wade! I'm serious!"

Deadpool sighs and shrugs, trying to free himself from her grip. It takes a moment before she lets him put more distance between them.

"Listen, girl, this isn't for you. What we do behind the scenes. You don't want to get involved with that."

Clarice rolls her eyes and pulls her hands away, placing them on her hips.

"Now you want to give me good life advice? Save me, Wade. I'm not a child." She scoffs and points a finger at his chest. "And I'm not afraid of anything that goes on behind the scenes. You, Mrs. and Mr. Creed never hid anything, they wanted me to know what they did. They trained me for this."

Wade looks down, remembering when he was in charge of teaching her how to use knives and hit moving targets. It wasn't the most fun day for him, but he was proud when Clarice managed to hit them all, even when she was afraid to aim at him.

"You trained me for this." She continues. "So why do I have to be afraid now? I did a lot of fucked up shit after my mother died. Whatever happens on these jobs, it's nothing."

"Hehehehe, you're telling the wrong guy." Wade continues joking, laughing. A knife is teleported to Clarice's hand, the blade pressed against his neck. He stops laughing immediately. "Hey! Hey! Put the knife down. You're not fooling anyone!"

Clarice continues to press the knife against his neck, ready to teleport him into a million pieces, maybe to the moon or somewhere worse, Wade sees it in her eyes. He understands that it's time to be less Deadpool and more Wade.

"Okay." He lowers his voice, that hysterical, light tone disappearing. Clarice is even surprised. "Look, I may be an idiot, but right now, one of us has to be the bigger person, and unfortunately, that's me."

He sighs and opens his arms a little, his eyebrows furrowing, marking the fabric of his mask.

"You don't want to get involved in this. This is coming from the guy who's been in this shitty game since before his own publishing debut. Here we bet our lives every day for fun. You won't fit in."

Clarice stares at him. There's a sick feeling in her throat, making her sick, it feels like her head is starting to spin. She knows Wade is telling the truth. Who knows more about what the bar's customers go through than him? She saw what her dad did at work, remembers him coming home after finishing his missions.

She remembers that he seemed so content after a good business trip, he would come back smiling, in a good mood, and she could see the traces of blood still hidden under his claws. She can't imagine being like him. Not after she herself had blood on her hands at such a young age.

"I know," she admits in defeat, looking away to avoid Wade. "But I have to do something."

"Girl, look around. There are other things you can do." Wade continues. He nods to the skyline painted with bright buildings. "There are agencies helping mutants with these things. I heard about a former Xavier student living around here in Manhattan."

"The easy way, then?" Clarice asks sullenly. She looks to where he's pointing. Yeah, he's right, and she hates it. It seems that living with the Creeds has done something to her ego, she doesn't want to admit that the loudmouth mercenary is right.

Dad would die ten times before he did that. For Wade to be making more sense than her, has she gone too far? She thinks about it for three seconds and decides not to.

"Okay. Forget it." She shrugs and teleports the knife from her hands to her other weapons. "What the hell was I thinking?!

It's past time for her to get back.

Wade stands still as she opens a portal. A fissure appears in the air between them, illuminating the entire rooftop. He knows she doesn't need this. Just one blink and she'd be back at Sister Margaret. Oh, is she trying to pull the sad eyes trick?

Putting one foot inside the portal, Clarice looks over her shoulder, smiling weakly. "Thanks for the pizza, Pool."

She definitely is. And Wade is weak for that.

Three seconds is all it takes for him to have a full-blown meltdown at seeing Clarice so defeated, and if she has to come to him to ask for something so unrealistic, then she must be desperate. And Wade is an idiot, but he has a heart. It must be lost somewhere down there, deep down, but it's still there.

"Ughhhh. Aghh! Wait!" He groans in anger, his hands clutching his head.

Clarice smiles to herself before turning to him with an innocent and sad face. Wade rubs his masked eyes a little, thinking for a moment. Finally, he lets his arms fall in front of his body and leans down, like a broken doll.

"You're not going to tell Deedee, are you?" He asks quietly. Clarice closes the portal and walks back to him.

"No, why?"

Wade shrugs and turns his head to her. He's already sold anyway. "Maybe I have something. Something easy like... killing some abusive father, some child trafficker. Maybe I need someone to... oh!"

Clarice jumps forward, wrapping her arms around him, making him stand up again. It surprises him, he looks a little silly before awkwardly patting the woman on the back. If he could blush, he would.

"Thanks, Pool! You're amazing." Clarice smiles, squeezing him tighter.

He smiles weakly. "You're the first person to say that."

"And I'll probably be the last.”

Chapter Text

October 2, 2018.

"Impressive, Hunter. Well done." McCoy repeats for the tenth time in the last five minutes since Hunter left his desk to present his homework.

The boy moves back and forth near the board as McCoy analyzes the machine he has created over the past few days. He doesn't look up from the floor, but he can feel his classmates' eyes on him. He can smell the burning smell coming from O'Leary in the back of the room.

His classmates, for some reason, don't like science classes. McCoy is weird, sure, but Hunter likes learning from him, it's more fun than taking online classes or having to listen to lectures in SHIELD complexes.

So even with the anxiety building inside him, hearing his new teacher praising his work feels fantastic. Even if his colleagues aren't so happy.

"Thanks, sir. It's no big deal." He mutters, burying his face in the high collar of his jacket. His backpack is at his feet, his stuffed shark tied to one of the straps.

"You have created a universal translator." McCoy says with a big smile that shows his fangs. He continues to look at the project, carefully with his claws, moving it in the air to get a better look.

Hunter shakes his head. He used an old radio that he found in the abandoned laboratory on the last floor, and more parts lying around. It seems that in the midst of the school's renovation, many things were left behind. Some he found in an old pantry.

"Can you explain your project, Hunter?" Beast asks gently, placing a large, furry hand on his shoulder. Just like dad did. He moves away from the touch and picks up his project from the table.

"Um... yeah... it's for Krakoa, actually." He murmurs and looks sideways at McCoy, who nods and encourages him to continue, moving him slightly so that he is facing the class.

Hunter holds his project, and slowly looks up. He finds O'Leary in the background, staring. The rest of the class is curious, he notices. Everyone with their own homework on the table.

"Hm... I use it to detect particle explosions and the energy signature of Krakoa's seismic movements." He turns on the machine, an antenna he made opens and moves in circles. "Then, we can use this to send signals and calls to it using the same frequency. Just like whales." He smiles a little and looks at McCoy. "I used Kubark's translator as a base."

Of course, it still needs to improve. And he needs a much bigger machine to get better results. He wishes he could ask McCoy for more pieces, but he doesn't know if the professor would let him. This project was just supposed to be homework.

A hobby, actually, for Hunter. Just an attempt to communicate better with Krakoa, which seems to get a little lonely with only telepaths to talk to.

"Incredible." McCoy keeps smiling, his furry face lighting up, pushing his glasses up. He takes out his clipboard and writes something down on it. "We can test it after school if you want. I'm sure Krakoa will love being able to communicate with the rest of the school without needing telepathy."

Hunter nods and turns off the machine. "Thank you for letting me use your laboratory, professor. I still want to improve it. To use it for other things too." He shrugs. Besides Krakoa, it would be cool to use it to talk to bamfs, perhaps.

"You're welcome, Hunter."

In the front row, Leo Eng raises her hand, holding her own homework t in the other. "Mr. McCoy, we also brought ours."

With a soft chuckle, McCoy waves for the children. "Of course, of course. Come here." He pats the little feral on the shoulder. "Hunter, can I talk to you after class?"

Hunter tenses up, and agrees, picking up his backpack and homework to sit at his desk. He plans to take a nap until class is over. He can't believe he had to present his work in front of the class. As he passes to the back of the classroom, Leo gives him a thumbs up and a smile, Hunter raises his eyebrows in surprise.

Another class period passes. McCoy praises the class, despite clearly being a little disappointed with some of their projects, he is very kind to everyone and has time to ask questions.

As class comes to an end, McCoy asks the class to tell Husk that Hunter would be late for her class and sits down at her desk with some papers in her hand.

Hunter was already suspicious when he saw one of the SHIELD files coming out of the folder. Worse, he easily recognizes the Department of Damage Control symbol on one end.

"I'm quite impressed with your project." McCoy tells him and laughs a little. "By God, I keep saying that. If you want, you can join me in the lower levels whenever you want."

"Thanks." Hunter mutters, holding his shark under one arm. His homework is on the table again. "What did you want to talk about?"

The professor takes his glasses off his face for a moment. Sitting on the surface of the table with his hairy arms resting on his thighs.

"Hunter, wouldn't you like to take advanced classes with me?"

Hunter is surprised. Truth is, a few other scenarios ran through his head. Most were a little pessimistic.

"It must be difficult for you to adapt to school, but I think it would be good for you. I noticed you have a certain..." McCoy brushed a claw against his chin. "How can I say?" He cleared his throat and smiled some more. "Lullaby told me that you get distracted easily in her classes, and the same happens in her other classes: history, literature, English."

Hunter lowered his head a little, feeling embarrassed. It wasn't that he did poorly in these subjects, his success in them was reasonable, or acceptable. However, he really couldn't concentrate or give them much importance.

McCoy didn't seem to be scolding him for that, at least.

"May I know why? You're always excited to take classes with me down here."

Hunter tightened the straps on his backpack.

"Can I be honest?" He asked and McCoy, in a gentle way, nodded. "The other subjects tire me. I can't concentrate, they just don't captivate me." He tilted his head to the side, thinking about something. "Julian is the one who likes history."

McCoy's long eyebrows disappeared into his blue fur. "Julian? Really?" He asked a little in disbelief.

In fact, he had heard from Logan that Julian had gone a bit overboard on his last few history essays and had almost corrected the veteran in his own class once before catching himself and shutting up.

Hunter nods. Not surprised that the teacher will doubt his brother. Julian has a habit of feigning disinterest so as not to appear to be a "nerd" like himself. Someone needs to knock some sense into them.

McCoy laughed warmly.

"I see you two are opposites, then."

"Clarice says that, too."

McCoy nods, playing with the long hairs falling from his chin. Hunter tries to stay still, seeing that the professor is studying him carefully, tiny eyes taking in every detail. He sees his nostrils flare.

Then the teacher leaned back further. The table creaked under his weight.

"Is there something you need to tell me?"

Hunter shook his head. He really hadn't. Nothing that mattered to McCoy or was worth telling. Mom and Dad had already taught him never to talk too much. Which was difficult for him, believe it or not.

"Well, I'd like to talk to you about your classes." Hank returns to the subject. Taking the same folder that was on the table. "You seem to be a little ahead of your colleagues in some matters. And seeing your project," he indicates the object next to him, still impressed. "That you built in such a short time with the basics of my tools, I see that you have talent. I would like to help you explore it."

Hunter licked his lips. Moving back to step on his own sneakers.

"I don't know..."

"I read the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files about you, Hunter." McCoy blurted out.

He showed the folder to his student, seeing that he didn't like this new information. Which is understandable considering his mother was an agent for years before leaving, and her father...

He clears his throat. Water under the bridge, right?

"It's just some basic stuff we got. It says you went through a special class."

Hunter was now frowning, refusing to look at McCoy too much. He didn't understand, at the time, as a child, why S.H.I.E.L.D. had his documents, and had done so many tests with him. Now he does. And knowing that his teachers have some of these documents makes him uncomfortable.

"My mom decided to put me in online classes with S.H.I.E.L.D instructors."

"Were they interesting?"

"Sometimes." Hunter didn't care. Classes were so boring. It must be because he was a child, right? Spending so much time still learning about math and physics is not something someone his age would find fun. "Actually, I spent more time sneaking off to Dr. Cho's lab."

"Then you found something even more interesting." Hank said, his voice becoming a little quieter when he heard his old colleague's name.

Hunter scratches his nose. "She used to let me tinker with her stuff. I took some pieces home."

That's what Hank is interested in. He sits a little closer to the edge of the table, clearly eager to know more.

"And what exactly did you do with these pieces?"

"Anythin' I wanted."

Hank still stares at him steadily. It makes him uncomfortable.

"Dad also brought me pieces, he taught me how to program, then I taught myself."

Oh, he could never miss McCoy's incredulous look, how he lifted his head a little and his smile fell at the mention of that horrible man. Hunter would be upset — he is — but he can't blame McCoy for always acting like this when his father is brought up.

"Your father?"

He confirms, without hesitation and pretending that his father is not one of the biggest taboos among the X-Men.

"Dad took me to science fairs, to Stark Expo, everywhere. He thinks I'm too smart for school." His nose wrinkles a little when he remembers how much his father used to argue with his mother when she raised the idea of ​​sending her children to school. "He doesn't like school, I believe. Dad is weird."

McCoy looks at the ground, mouth a little open with a thought he can't let loose yet on his tongue. Hunter's innocent little face, adorned with golden eyes, makes him maintain his posture and force a smile.

"I understand." It opens the file folder. A little more suspiciously, he shows some printed pages from a notebook, with Reed's handwriting. "It also says that you ran other tests while you were at S.H.I.E.L.D. compounds."

Hunter makes a sour face. More irritated or bored than uncomfortable.

"They said it was standard. Julian and I did some psychological tests to determine if we had any disorders." He shrugs. "We both have ADHD and autism."

"I don't remember you telling us that." Hank frowns. No, Kitty and he would have made necessary arrangements to accommodate both of them in classes. He's pretty sure the Creeds never mentioned anything.

Hunter just raises his eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah." He says simply and waves a hand in the air. "Well, we never got our diagnoses, it happened before..." his voice trails off. His heartbeat quickens as his eyes shift to the floor.

"Before?" Hank reaches out a hand, trying to touch Hunter's shoulder to encourage him to speak. It has the opposite effect. Hunter takes a step back and shrugs to keep him away.

He understands and pulls his hand back. So he and Julian really have a touch problem. Kitty had warned him of this before. He will start keeping his hands steady from now on.

"Before mama died." Hunter finishes, bitter. His little face hardens, making him look a lot like his brother and mother. "And she spent a lot of time trying to get these diagnoses for us."

He takes out another paper and holds it in the air. There are other things he wanted to talk about, but for now he thinks it's best not to interrogate Hunter and overwhelm him. Lullaby said he becomes easily agitated. And it wouldn't be nice to upset him, or let his brother and sister know that they've been asking too many questions.

"And this?"

Hunter narrows his eyes and moves closer, reading the small words. He doesn't take long and moves away, not giving so much importance to the document once again.

"Ah, Dr. Storm and Dr. Richards asked my mom to run tests on me." He says it as if it were something completely irrelevant. "They wanted to prove something to the Future Foundation. I didn't hear anything more about it."

Hank reads the paper himself. Notes and some comments about Hunter. He reads everything quickly, squinting when he comes to Hunter's full name and the year Reed asked to take the tests. From what he could see, they didn't do anything other than put Hunter through calculations, logic tests, puzzles and asked him questions.

His eyes stop on the date. The summer of 2015. A year before Hunter's mother was presumed dead and just a few weeks before the Helen Cho and her husband were murdered.

He suddenly feels very tired. Aching bones creaking as he settles down on the table and touches a hand to his forehead. A silent minute passes, and it worries Hunter. He shyly calls out to his teacher, hugging his stuffed animal, and Hank has to take a deep breath and put the file folder aside.

"You know, Hunter," he began soothingly, smiling. "I would really like you to join me in advanced classes. I take Broo and other students to study with me in the lab, and sometimes we visit the Baxter Building for research. Even Mr. Eng participates."

"Miss Eng." Hunter corrected him in a quick breath. Hank raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"Oh, apologies." He picked up the clipboard with the students' names and a pen, carrying on the conversation. "Wouldn't you like to come along?"

Hunter looked at his plushie in his hands. Thinking about the issue a little. Spending more time in a lab wasn't something that bothered him, he likes studying and testing new things, but would he want to do that with McCoy? Or with his colleagues. So far, he has enjoyed talking to Broo about science and his classes.

Staying in a room with McCoy overtime might have been as much fun as studying with him in class.

Gears turned in his mind. McCoy chuckled when he saw his thoughtful face. He would give the boy time to think. The clock above the door indicated that Husk's literature class should be halfway over and soon there would be free time for the students.

He patted the folder on his desk, catching Hunter's attention.

"About this, I'm going to talk to some people and see if I can help you get your diagnosis."

"Serious?" Hunter asked in surprise. Hank nodded, smiling a little wider.

"It would be good for you, wouldn't it? And for your brother." He thought for a while. "I think we're going to have to change some things in both of your school subjects. I've noticed that Julian also falls a little behind in certain classes."

Certainly, Julian always left his classroom with a defeated expression. And there was a little talk in the staff room about him not being able to concentrate in his literature class. And Husk had said that Evan was having some difficulty with his essays, right?

"May I know why he never told us?" He asks and Hunter shrugs and takes his homework in his arms.

"Julian doesn't like to tell things."

"Very well."

McCoy pushed himself away from the table, letting out an exaggerated grunt as he stretched his legs. Ouch, he can feel his forty-five years weighing on his back. He walked Hunter to the door, still with the file folder in hand.

"And this, I'm also going to talk to Richards about these tests, is that okay?"

"Yes. I..." Hunter stands outside the door. The hallway is empty.

When Hank looks down on him, he appears to be much younger than he already is, hugging his stuffed shark like a child. He had forgotten to ask about it. He had never seen Hunter bring such a toy to class, or anywhere else in the school. Was he anxious?

"About the advanced classes, I'll think about it." The boy says and holds up his homework. "Can I still go to your lab to finish this?"

Hank nods, his mood improving. "Please, do. It would do you good to give your project a name." He leans against the door frame.

Hunter grimaces.

"I'm not very good with names."

Hank laughs loudly, shaking his head. "We'll get to it. For now, you should go to class." He moves his neck to look at the clock. "Did you get your new locker number?" Hunter nods. "Very well, you may go."

"Thank you, sir."

Hank watches Hunter walk away. A few steps away from the classroom, he stops. Hesitantly, as if a thought had struck him and he was debating it. Hank waits, patient with the boy, until he turns back, swallowing hard.

"Er... Mr. McCoy... do you by any chance..." Hunter stutters, arms tighter around his shark. Hank narrows his eyes. "Do you... know anything about my father?"

Oh. There's a ringing in Hank's ears. The lower corridor is so silent. It's as if the machines and gears have stopped running between the walls. Hank stares into Hunter's golden eyes. They're still soft and a little sadder than his father's, not a hint of animalistic aggression behind them.

He still looks away and clears his throat with a fist against his mouth. Hunter continues.

"I wanted to ask Wolverine first, but he disappeared. I know you guys don't like my dad, but..." He shrugs. Shy, melancholic. Like a child missing his father. "I want to know if he's..."

His voice dies. Hank feels very guilty. For a reason that has nothing to do with him.

"Unfortunately we haven't heard from your father in a long time. Two years, in fact." He says heavily. "He just disappeared. I'm sorry, Hunter. If I knew anything, I would tell you."

The silence continues. Hunter lifts his head and looks at him. The hallway is not dark at all. But Hank is sure that Hunter's eyes become lighter, gold turning almost orange.

"Yeah, I'm sure you would." He says evenly. Hank is surprised. "See you later, professor."

Hunter turns his back and disappears around the corner. Hank blinks a few times before hanging his head and sighing tiredly. Damn it, Logan, you were the one who should have been taking care of this.

The students have lockers now. Rows of them are scattered throughout the hallways. It gives more of a "normal school" vibe to the institute. Hunter's locker is in the hallway on the other side of the main building, closest to the passageway to building number 4 and the exit to the back courtyard.

So far he hasn't had much stuff to decorate the metal door with other than a whole sheet of glitter stickers and a few books. Julian's locker is even emptier and boring, so Hunter thinks his is the best of the two.

After leaving McCoy's classroom, he didn't go to literature class like he was supposed to. It was already ending anyway, and he wasn't in the best mood to try to decipher the wonders of Shakespeare's writing with Husk. Until the bell rang again, Hunter hid in that secret space between the towers of the lab building and the main building, drawing in his notebook and waiting for the time to pass.

He saw Quentin suspiciously walking towards the edge of the forest, looking both ways before leaving. And Hunter didn't do anything. After last week encounter with the telepath, he thinks it's better to avoid him at any costs.

He didn't feel any better after talking to McCoy. He didn't know what he expected. Or why he decided to ask the teacher about his father. He knew that even if they knew where Dad was, they wouldn’t tell him, or any of his siblings. He doubted they’d let them go if Dad showed up at school looking for them.

That realization made him even more melancholic.

Chris O’Leary’s smell getting closer only made it worse. Hunter didn’t notice when he slammed the door to his new locker shut, clutching a magazine in one hand and his stuffed shark in the other.

The smell of burning was right behind Hunter. A warm hand gripping his shoulder made him turn around.

“Hey, Sabretooth Jr.” O’Leary’s sneer was the first thing Hunter saw. Behind him were Jacob and Jamie again. He wasted no time in putting his shark behind his back. “Did you forget about us?” Chris laughed stupidly. Then he stopped when he saw the magazine in the clawed hands. “Hm? What’s that?”

Hunter flinched away from the touch. It made his skin feel strange. O’Leary let him go, and gathered the other two kids to form a barrier in front of Hunter, letting him stuck him against the row of lockers. Hunter had to tilt his head back to look them in the face.

He wasn’t sure if it was a rhetorical question. He answered anyway, “It's an article about Aiko Miyazaki.” He held up the magazine, the science story. Jamie tilted his head to the side and made a noise of confusion. “You know, Honey Lemon from Big Hero 6. She’s a famous physicist from Japan, she developed the Power-Purse and the Chem-Purs—”

The more his voice rose as he spoke, the more bored O’Leary became. He quickly raised a hand to interrupt Hunter.

“Fuck, you really are a nerd.” He complained frankly. Beside him, Jacob looked down, still silent. Did he smell… embarrassed?

Hunter’s brief excitement faded. The magazine in his hands shouldn’t be as interesting to his classmates as it was to him. So he tucked it rolled up in the pocket of his backpack.

“What do you jerks want this time?” He asked calmly. Clutching the backpack straps, he moved closer to the locker, shoulders raising when Jamie leaned in close to his face, sniffing deeply.

Furry ears flicked and his teeth popped out in a grin. “What’s that on your back?” Jamie got closer.

Hunter tilted his head back. “My sh—” Trying to dodge, he’s not fast enough to escape Jamie’s hand as he grabs his toy and pulls it away, holding it above his head. “Hey! Rogers, give it back!” He reaches out to try to grab the toy back, but it’s already in O’Leary’s hands.

The pyrokinetic's fingers tighten around the fabric. Hunter’s stomach churns with fear. He remembers Julian melting a plastic Hulk toy when he was a kid until it was nothing but a green and purple puddle in the floor. And he doesn’t want his favorite plush toy, a gift from his father, to suffer the same fate.

O’Leary laughs at his clear desperation, waving the toy in the air. “You still play with this stuff? First you like trash, then you steal Beast’s class, now you’re a brat.”

Hunter leaps forward, hands outstretched, and is shoved back by Jacob. His teeth grit, a low growl rising in the back of his throat. He has to keep calm. He can’t get into a fight right now.

He stops, hands at his sides. Adrenaline starts to rush through him and all he can think about is grabbing his things and leaving. He can’t remember if he closed his locker, or where he left McCoy’s class project. There’s a weight in his backpack, so that must be it.

“Do you know that your attempts to humiliate and put me down actually backfire?” Hunter asks in a falsely indifferent tone. He still can’t hide the venom in his voice. Or on his face.

O’Leary’s red hair starts to burn, and Jamie sniffs the air and steps back, looking between his friend and Hunter, as if to avoid the trouble that will ensue if either of them loses their temper.

And Hunter continues, mockingly, leaning forward. “I’m not intimidated by your childish taunts. If anything', I get irritated and find it ridiculous.”

For the first time, Jacob scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “You like to talk in fancy words, don’t you? It doesn’t make you any smarter.”

“And it doesn’t make you any better than me.” Hunter moves his hand between them, lingering his gaze on O’Leary. “We’re in seventh grade. Grow up a little.”

There’s fire coming out of the top of Christopher’s head now, the orange hue blending together in a jumble. Hunter winces as he sees Chris' pale fingers heat up as he holds his plush.

“Quit actin' like you’re better than the rest of us!” O’Leary points a smoking finger at Hunter’s chest, pushing him back painfully.

The little feral slaps his finger away. “What gave you that impression?” He asks with a small, deprecating grin. Reaching out, he hears footsteps approaching. “Give me my shark back." He demands seriously. “I'd like to go get my lunch now"

O’Leary exchanges a quick glance with Jacob and Jamie. Slowly, he bends down a little and holds out the hand that holds the toy.

Hunter knows it’s a trap. He has two older brothers. Kyle used to play this trick on him too when he couldn’t reach higher than his brother's hips, when he was feeling too nice and had to be a little jerk to his little brothers to balance things out. The only time he stopped was when mama came to pull his ears or papa chased him around the yard.

It’s no surprise when O’Leary tosses the stuffed shark to Jacob, who catches it with a smile that’s less menacing than Christopher’s, but still not friendly. Hunter doesn’t make an effort to try to catch it again. He slumps his shoulders and looks at Chris.

"This is ridiculous. What do you gain from this other than wasting our time?"

The pyrokinetic shrugs, amused by Hunter's annoyed expression. "Just try to catch it, Creed." He nods to Jacob, who hands the toy to Jamie. "Come on! It's no big deal!"

Hunter shakes his head. He hates this game. Jamie swings his shark in the air by its fin, the same one that had come loose once and was sewn back on by Clarice.

"Here, shorty!" Jamie taunts him, tail wagging behind him.

He waits while Hunter ponders whether it’s worth it, whether he should play this stupid game and just be humiliated. And Jamie smiles when he sees no other alternative and holds out his hand, giving him the go-ahead to toss the toy back to Chris.

“Catch it!”

Chris grabs it back with both hands, now there’s only smoke in his red hair. Hunter stands over Jamie, looking between the three of them and down the hallway where they were standing. It’s almost time for lunch to end.

Why aren’t there more students showing up? Where is Julian, anyway?

“Your brother isn’t here to help you.” O’Leary taunts, reading his thoughts on his face. Hunter frowns. This pisses him off even more.

In his mind, he decides he doesn’t want to wait for Julian to show up any longer. He’s had enough of the humiliation last week with Quire. With more determination, Hunter throws himself at O’Leary, as he had done with Quentin, and reaches out, pulling one of the wrists of the pyrokinetic down.

"Just give it to me!"

Chris fights him for the toy. Suddenly he realizes that Hunter's hands are still dangerous, even though his claws are shorter, and they are too close to his face. Letting his skin heat up, he pushes Hunter back with all his strength, making him fall to the ground with a loud thud, the backpack sliding off his shoulder.

"What's so special about this?" The pyrokinetic asks, turning the plush in his hands in disgust. "It's so old and all patched up."

Hunter growls and stands up so fast that O’Leary barely has time to throw the toy over his head. He won’t admit that he did it on reflex. For a second he feels a chill when he sees the claws approaching. He swears when Hunter collides with him, they both fall to the ground, but Hunter is turning his head, seeing Jacob holding his toy in his hand.

“Was it a gift from your mother?” Jacob teased. Hunter had never really seen him get involved in Jamie and Chris’s games. Now it seemed like he was actually having fun annoying him.

Hunter stands up more slowly this time. Leaving O’Leary on the ground. His teeth are more exposed, dangerously clenched. He doesn’t know what in his voice makes Jacob hesitate and let his shoulders slump, looking to Jamie for help, but Hunter hopes he looks as scary as Dad. Because he’s two seconds away from doing something stupid.

“Give it. Back. Now.” He says between a growl.

Jacob hesitates. Looking at the toy in his hands, he wonders if it would hurt to be punched by a kid smaller than him. In fact, he wonders what the teachers would do. Jamie yanks the hideous shark out of his hands and tosses it up and down, with a big, fanged grin. Ah, right, Jacob doesn't think Hunter can hurt any more than Jamie. Or Chris.

"Come here and get it." The purple feral calls, laughing.

And so it begins. Hunter, throwing all common sense aside, runs at them, jumping to grab his toy, growling as they continue to toss it back and forth over his head.

It's humiliating. His throat and stomach burn with this horrible feeling, which gets worse as this theatrics goes on. He's much smaller, and whenever he grabs a fin or a delicate cloth tail of his toy, it's immediately yanked out of his grip.

He's so afraid his classmates will damage the gift papa gave him. When he finally tightens his fingers around the toy's tail, so that it won't escape, Jacob wraps one scarred arm around his neck, the other around his waist. And Hunter kicks and tries to push him away, at some point his orange beanie falls off his head, causing his braids to cover his face and blind him for a second.

Jamie grips the toy and pulls it back. Hunter won't let go, so Jamie tries to push him away.

The three of them kick, push, and pull, while Chris laughs in the background. Hunter doesn't even know how long they've been at this. He only turns his head to the side when Chris calls his name and - Hunter will kill him - he's holding his science project in one hand.

"Here, let's do something way more fun." Chris swings the metal object above his head, kicking Hunter's backpack away. "Your choice: your toy or your homework."

Hunter struggles harder to get free. Jacob's arm tightens around his neck. "This is unfair. And pointless." He protests.

Jamie pulls the shark back again. Hunter keeps his grip and kicks his leg. Chris's grip on his project is limp, threatening to drop it on the floor. Hunter's ears twitch at the sound of footsteps.

"Come on, Creed, what are you going to do?"

Jacob starts to pull him back, and the shorter boy resists. "You can't call your brother in time to save your toys."

"I'm warning you..." Hunter threatens hoarsely.

Chris stares at him for a few silent seconds, with an expression of dislike. Then, without ceremony, he lets go of the old radio, letting it fall to the floor. Hunter watches his project break, not completely, some parts come loose and pieces crack and roll away.

His heart sinks as a whole week worth of work goes down the drain.

"You asked for it."

It shouldn't have been a surprise when Hunter broke free from Jacob's grip to shove his fist into Jamie's nose. Just so he could run after Chris, his knuckles stained with blood.

Chapter Text

Idie doesn't like being late for class, even the ones she hates, and she likes to think she's an exemplary student. She arrives early when she can, always pays attention and makes an effort to participate in lectures. Most teachers like her because of this. And secretly, she thinks that if she continues to show how responsible and studious she is, maybe Pryde will stop thinking there's something wrong with her.

Idie is absolutely sure she doesn't need help. No, she's perfectly fine. Not perfectly, perhaps, but she doesn't need Pryde to waste her time trying to get her to see Husk or another doctor like she has been trying to since last week.

On the first Tuesday in October, classes for high school grades were canceled and students were instructed to go to Building No. 4 for a "special class" with Professor Chamber. "Dealing with physical changes when you're a mutant", was the name they chose.

The name made Idie raise an eyebrow and get a little apprehensive. Something about having to face her own mutation made her feel sick. She knew this class would be important for them, and even more so for some of her other classmates, but even they weren't that excited. She heard Anole complain to Roxy in the cafeteria when Husk came to announce the change in their schedule.

"They could have chosen a better name." Julian grumbled to her before class started. He also wasn't interested in the class and had spent fifteen minutes hiding behind the main building trying to get a can of soda from the vending machine in the back courtyard.

"But I don't think they have much creativity."

"I think it was quite creative."

Idie would normally tell him how wrong it is to skip school. This time she pretended to be helping him, trying to hide from the teachers. When Julian managed to grab the damn can, opening it with ease due to their claws, Idie must add, the two walked slowly through the corridors, luckily for them, Building No.4 was huge and had many corridors and floors.

Idie wasn't paying much attention on the way, almost tripping over the bamfs that were running down the stairs at the same time she and Julian were going up. The blue creatures hissed at her and ran away, one of them carrying entire pieces of meat in its mouth.

"What the hell?" Idie narrowed her eyes at them. She quickly covered her mouth and muttered an apology to herself.

Julian was sipping their soda, looking at her instead of the bamfs. "You're acting strange."

Idie ran her hands over her long skirt, avoiding looking back and meeting her friend's attentive gaze. "No I'm not." She denied it and went back up the stairs, looking for the direction signs. A thought came, and she stopped again and turned to Julian, placing her hand on their chest. “Are you smelling me?”

Julian pulled away from her hand as soon as they touched. "Ain’t looking to do that. It's natural for me." He shrugged, taking a sip from the can calmly.

Idie still narrowed her eyes at him. Not knowing if he was being honest or not. It didn't seem like they would have any reason to want to do something like that on purpose, maybe it really is something they can't control. As far as she knew, Julian had no reason to want to meddle in other people's affairs.

"You smell anxious."

Either way, it still bothered her to know that her friend would always know how she was feeling just by breathing. She turned away and went to find her way to room 204.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Silent footsteps followed her. Julian remained close behind, still speaking indifferently. "Wanna skip class?"

Oh, she does.

"No!" Idie shook her head. "I don't want to go to detention in our second month of school." They were already in the right hallway, the room Professor Chamber was in was right at the end.

Julian chuckled dryly. "We're already being late on purpose, what difference will it make not going to class?"

The two stopped once again side by side, two doors away from the right one. Idie clutched the strap of her bag apprehensively. Clawed hands surprised her by touching her shoulder. She turned her head slightly to find Julian staring at her intently.

"Come on, we just stay at the back and wait for it to finish." He encouraged and pointed to the door to room 204.

Idie didn't want to, she made it clear in the wistful way she looked at Julian. He shook his head silently and made her sigh and accept that she couldn't escape.

Class was already underway when they entered. Professor Chamber was leaning against the table. Idie stopped for a moment and wondered if it was normal, even with four classes, for it to seem like there weren't enough students to fill the room, which was larger than the classrooms in the main building.

Idie glanced at the board, but Chamber paid them no attention and continued the lecture he had already begun, hands moving gently to sign. He was a strange man, more than usual for the X-Men, he was much darker and gothic, always hiding behind leather jackets and scarves that covered his face, in addition to the red flames always glowing in his throat and chest.

Idie looked at him curiously as she followed Julian, who led her to the other side of the room, where they found Evan and Broo sharing desks. The little alien smiled at them, his yo-yo wrapped around his fingers.

"Good morning, friends. You are late for class. The teacher started the lecture exactly ten minutes ago." He announced, twirling the yo-yo string up and down.

Julian sat next to him, leaving him squeezed between them and Evan. "We got lost. Be careful with that toy."

"Sorry, friend." Broo rolled up the yo-yo and put it in his pocket.

Evan waited for Idie to sit next to Julian and leaned towards her. "Are you okay, Idie?"

"Yes." The girl lied and hugged her bag. "The bamfs tried to play a trick on us.” She looked around, fiding Quentin doodling on the wall with a red pen, didn't see her other destructive colleague. "Where's Kubark?"

"In detention, being watched by Doop and Warbird." Broo responded naturally. "He got into a pretty aggressive conflict with Rockslide and Hellion. And he accidentally burned Warbird's feathers in his private training. And--"

Julian laughed, darkly and low. "Damn, he's going to break the record for detentions in a month if he continues like that."

"It's not funny or cool." Idie sighed. Would she have to put up with her friends' antics until graduation day? If they survived until then.

Julian shrugged and the four of them looked back at the board. At no point did the professor stop his lecture, but it seemed like his sharp eyes were roaming the entire room, carefully analyzing the students.

Idie couldn't understand sign language even though Chamber moved his hands slowly, so she was torn between looking at the teacher and listening to the metallic voice coming from the device placed on the table he was leaning against.

"I wish I could give advice that works for all of you, the problem is we're all different, why are we here, right?" The metallic voice translated Chamber's words. He continued signing before the device even finished speaking. "What I can offer you is a place to speak your mind without worrying about someone will laugh at you."

The room murmured, some students exchanged glances with each other. Even though his words were kind, in a strange way, Idie still frowned. At least, Chamber was trying to help them feel more comfortable. With their mutations, with themselves. However, she couldn't swallow it. Why take a class like this? To help them with what? Accept their mutations? Their sins?

She glanced sideways at her friends, feeling her stomach drop when she saw that Evan was a little more curious. The red eyes glowing.

Chamber moved his head to look around the class, then leaned against the table and signed again. "Who wants to start?"

Idie clasped her hands in her lap and waited for someone to speak. There was another round of murmurs and students trying to encourage friends to join the class.

Finally, Santo Vacarro, sitting at the very end of the room, curled up so as not to take up too much space, raised his hand with a clearing of his throat. "Er... Why do I still get horny if I don't have junk anymore?" He asked casually.

Sitting on his shoulder, Cessily Kincaid laughed freely, shaking her head at her friend's seriousness.

Idie shook her head in her corner for a different reason. "Oh my God."

Professor Chamber, however, was almost pleased with the question, and his face seemed to soften behind the flames.

"Straight to the point, Rockslide." He agreed and moved closer to the chairs to address the entire class. "I believe many of you have questions about sex. It's obvious. It's a sensitive subject, and some may wish to discuss it in private or with someone other than me."

"Fuckin’ right." Julian grumbled.

"But deep down, what you're asking is whether anyone will love you." Chamber signed seriously.

The room suddenly became quiet, as if the question had affected them deeply.

Chamber sighed, sparks flying from his throat behind his striped scarf. "I want to assure you of a yes. I'm afraid I can't do that for anyone, mutant or human."

The atmosphere in the classroom became heavier. Darker. Idie saw some of her classmates looking down with sad expressions. She felt bad when she saw that Roxy was in a far corner, hiding in her hoodie and looking at her hands.

Chamber continued anyway, aware that his speech discouraged the teenagers, but he needed to be honest.

"But you all deserve it." He signed, face conveying no emotion. "And if you keep your heart open - no matter how many times that heart is ripped out and destroyed into little pieces - you have a chance. You can't control anyone else." He looked down while still signing, hesitating a little. "And I'm speaking from experience, you can only control your own experience."

His eyes darted around the room, stopping on certain students. Some teased each other over this, like Herman pretending to gently pat Quentin on the shoulder, sitting in the back, causing the telepath to almost fall out of his chair. Idie continued to look at the teacher as he looked at the class, as if to emphasize his words.

Strangely enough, he was about to sign something when his fingers stopped, his eyes reaching Idie and then he frowned. She frowned back, trying not to look suspicious of something as he stared at her and her friends beside her. Did he realize that Julian and she were late on purpose?

"Mr. Starsmore?" Hisako Ichiki, sitting in the first row of chairs, called softly, making the teacher blink and look at the entire room at once, before signaling again.

"In the end… whether your life is defined by pain or hope is up to you." He finished solemnly and moved on to the next question.

Idie was no longer listening. Her attention was on her hands in her lap, letting the voices around become distant and confusing.

Julian slid into the chair with their arms crossed. "In the end, he didn't give any answer." They grunted and slid further until he was almost lying on the seat. "And Rockslide just wants to get laid."

Evan scolded them for their words, wagging a finger in front of their face. Waiting for the professor to continue speaking, he lowered himself a little in his chair to make himself less visible.

"What did you think... about what the teacher said?" He asked hesitantly, again bringing his hands together in that anxious gesture.

Idie swallowed a sour taste accumulated in her mouth. “I think he’s wrong.” She admitted dryly, keeping her eyes glued to the blackboard on the other side of the room. She could feel her friends' gazes on her face. “No one will want to love us, because we are mutants. I would understand.” Idie shrugs and turns to the boys. “Who would want to spend the rest of their life with someone who either freezes or burns?”

The continuity of the surrounding conversation covered them like a cloak, hiding them from the rest of the class, almost as if they weren't really there. Evan, Julian and Broo had that look once again. Big eyes and eyebrows furrowed in concern, as if she had said something completely crazy and meaningless.

Idie looked away. Julian opened his mouth, his long canines showing, about to contradict her, to say that she was crazy, perhaps; he remembers how uncomfortable she was before they arrived. Shaking his head, he crosses his arms and closes his mouth.

Evan is the one who clears his throat and leans over to look at Idie, always so kind, speaking quietly: "What he meant is that we all have the right to be loved. We just need to have hope." He smiled and glanced briefly at Broo to cheer him up as well, and turned back to Idie. “But first we have to… love ourselves.” His lips trembled.

Julian continued to look ahead, slumped in the seat. "So, if you keep hurtin’ yourself all the time and don't pursue things, if your life sucks, is it your fault?"

Evan raised his shoulders nervously. "No! That’s not what I meant. Just…" He looked at his hands, nervously moving his thumbs.

The feral snorted, looking between his melancholy friends.

"Didn't feel confidence in those words, man. Even if it's our fault or whatever, it's not always a matter of tryin’ or goin’ for it. Sometimes…" Julian rolled his eyes. "...sometimes it's not your fault. Sometimes there are other factors involved."

There was a round of laughter coming from the remaining Hellions in the room, Santo's booming voice echoing in their ears. Julian pressed a hand to his ear to shield himself from the sound. But as the teacher still hadn't caught anyone's attention, they continued the conversation.

"Sometimes it's hard to keep hope for a better future when the whole world is working hard to fuck you up in the best way possible." Julian said bitterly. For the first time, Idie found herself agreeing with him, deeply.

Evan, on the other hand, was making a sour face. "That sounds pessimistic." He exchanged a look with Broo. His little alien friend went back to playing with his yo-yo to stay out of the conversation that had taken a darker turn.

“It’s just reality.” Julian stretched in his chair. “Unfortunately, reality has been pretty bleak for us lately.

Idie looked away, feeling bad for actually agreeing with Julian while his words were so pessimistic, however, he wasn't wrong. Nothing good would come to them. No matter how much the X-Men try to strengthen their relationship with the rest of the world or try to improve the image of mutants. Bad things would always happen, the world had outlived their existence a long time ago. It would be better if they just accepted that they didn't deserve that hope.

Hope. Idie looked out the window and thought about her friend, the person who pulled her from the wreckage of her village and promised things would change. Hope wanted the world to change, to be better. In the end, everything got worse, they all saw it.

Idie turned back to the class, hoping they could leave soon. She got a little startled when she made eye contact with Mr. Starsmore. The flames on his chest almost hid his face, but she wasn't wrong, he was looking intently in her direction before turning his head.

No, no, it wasn't her. Idie waited a bit and pretended to go through her bag before peeking out. Ah, she noticed the teacher again looking to her side and then back to the rest of the class. “Hey, boys.” She leaned in, and the three promptly approached to hear. “Did you notice that the teacher is looking at us?”

Broo pushed his glasses up. “I certainly did. It has been five minutes since Mr. Starsmore interacted directly with the class.” He and Evan also peeked quickly. “Do you think he heard our conversation and got upset?”

“Why would he be looking at us?” Idie questioned. “We’re not the only ones talking. And why didn’t you say anything before, Broo?”

“Sorry, I thought you were paying attention.”

Idie leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "He said we're allowed to give our opinion here, right? You can't get angry if we say something mean."

Evan shrugged and looked at Chamber again. A shiver ran down his spine as he made eye contact. “He’s so weird.” He said suddenly, shuddering at his own words. “I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just that he scares me.”

“He’s an X-Men, of course he’s weird.” Julian concluded wisely. His friends nodded, uncomfortable with Mr. Starsmore's not-so-discreet stares.

The class was no longer interesting for any of them. Julian got bored easily, Broo preferred playing with his yo-yo, and both Evan and Idie were too lost in their own worries and waves of discouragement to care. When the bell finally rang, the five ninth graders dove into the crowd to get out.

Back in the main building, the hallways seemed busier, with students stopping in front of their lockers, and groups forming in the middle of the passage. So as not to disturb anyone, Evan, Idie and Julian leaned against the wall while Broo got his physics book from his own locker, which was just the right height.

Idie found Kubark's locker at the end of the hall, his armor symbol painted on the door in sharpie pen, and, of course, a dent in the metal caused by his fist. "Kubark is screwed." She commented with a sigh.

“For missing class?” Julian bent down to help Broo carry his book, it was quite heavy, the alien thanked them with a smile. “Who cares?”

“He said he wouldn’t go anyway.” Evan explained and led the way down the hall. “Said it’s ‘a class for mutants’.” He imitated Kubark's voice as best as he could.

Idie laughed and shook her head. “I referred to the detentions. Does his father ever, I don’t know, scold him for that?”

“I’ve seen his dad on TV, he’s scary.” Julian said. “But, we are three thousand light years away from Chandilar, of course Kubark will take the opportunity to get into trouble without being grounded by his dad.”

“Sounds like him.” Idie rolled her eyes. When they passed through the main lobby, there were a few employees carrying new computers for the library. “By the way, I heard that you and Quire were taken to the headmistress’ office. What happened?"

Julian growled softly, startling Idie. “The son of a bitch went to bother my brother. And he talked shit about us, so I went to ‘solve it.”

Faced with her friend's aggressive words, Idie still didn't feel the need to reprimand him for his swear words. No, now she shared his anger.

“What did he say about you?” He asked suddenly, so loudly that Evan and Broo jumped at the change in his mood. Julian looked at her in surprise, Idie clenched her fists in the air. “UGH! I’m so tired of him. If I catch him-”

Julian raised their hand to calm her down, or just encourage her not to freeze things up. The air around them changed, one side getting warmer and the other getting colder. "Pryde already dealt with it. I wasn't grounded, at least. Quire was."

Idie was not satisfied with this outcome. Whenever Quire did something to the other students, or caused chaos in the hallways and destroyed classrooms, he was sent to detention. She never went there, she just heard from Kubark that the room temporarily shuts down any mutation that isn't physical. The prince isn't affected much, as he isn't a mutant, but all the students hate having to go there.

Quentin must go crazy without his telepathy, right? Or that's what teachers hope. Frankly, Idie thinks this punishment is meaningless and far less than Quentin deserves for being a bully. Teachers need to find a better way to deal with him.

Without Logan at school, history classes were cancelled. Still in a bad mood, Idie remains quiet during lunch, Broo helped his friends finish their physics homework before the next class, advising them not to leave anything until the last minute. After finishing eating, the four of them walked across the front courtyard to the Laboratory Block. The sound of drills and hammers was loud on their ears as the staff finished the renovation of the observatory.

Right at the entrance of the building, they found the new chemistry teacher getting ready for a class.

Idie was the first to greet him, waving and smiling. “Greetings, Mr. Darwin!”

The X-Man turned to them, surprised, then smiled back, blank eyes darting between their faces. Mr. Muñoz, or Darwin, always seemed to be in a good humor, friendly smiling and treating the students with patient. He is a tall and slim black man with albinism, always dressed in his purple and gold X-Men uniform.

“Oh, hello, Miss Okonkwo. What a pleasure." He waved, his empty eyes taking a look at each one of them, and continued walking after receiving greetings from the boys, who couldn't help but be polite after Idie started the interaction.

The kids took a different path, looking for their classroom. Evan looked over his shoulder, seeing the new teacher disappear at the end of the hallway, humming an old song. “How does Mr. Darwin know your name, Idie?”

“I met him last night.” Idie answered. “He was in the kitchen with Petra and Sway, helping with dishes. He's quite nice."

Julian frowned. “Too smiling.”

“That would be a sign of good character, wouldn’t it?” Broo questioned in good humor. Julian shrugged, lips pressed together.

Before they could enter the classroom, which smelled like alcohol and bleach, according to the ever surly Julian Creed, Evan frantically poked Idie.

"Hey, wait. I want to see what these pamphlets are." He said, and ran further down the hall to a bulletin board on the wall. Julian entered the room to place the super heavy physics book on the front table, where Broo liked to sit. He nodded when Broo thanked him with a salute.

Idie also sat at the front and stopped Julian before he could go to the back. “Hey, have you two noticed that Evan is a little… I don’t know, sad? Distracted?”

"Yes." Broo said immediately, his smile falling.

"No." Julian mumbled without interest.

"Can't you smell him?" Idie asked in disbelief at his quick response.

Creed was impatient, not wanting to talk about it. He let his head fall back, and his arms went limp. "I can. He's worried about… “He shrugged, indifferently. “Something to do with his parents. I didn’t ask, I don’t want to put my nose in his business."

"His parents and uncle in Europe right now, aren't they?" Idie asked with concern and pity. “Poor Evan. We must do something to cheer him up.” She suggested excitedly, smiling widely. Broo agreed frantically. “This Friday, I'm going to church, we can look for something that might cheer him up."

"I'm not allowed to leave school this weekend." Julian shrugged. He looked back, wanting to go sit in the back roll quickly, before someone took his favorite seat.

"I can join you this weekend, friend Idie!" Broo raised his hand in the air as high as he could, his high-pitched voice echoing his willingness for the task.

"Thank you very much, Broo." Idie patted his head.

"I've never been to a church before. I think it will be interesting." Broo rubbed a claw against his chin thoughtfully. Idie's eyebrows shot up, and she had to clear her throat briefly, placing a hand on Broo's shoulder, speaking gently.

"Actually, Broo... you don't have to go to church with me. It'll take a long time, and I'm sure..."

Broo shook his head, oblivious to the girl's true feelings, trying to reassure her. "It won't be a problem. I've been reading a lot about the different Terran religions and beliefs, it would be a good opportunity to learn more closely."

"I know..." Idie hesitated. Then Julian butted in, speaking dryly but still in a way that was gentle.

"Broo, maybe Idie would like to go to church alone." He suggested. Broo's eyes widened as he understood the situation.

"It's not that!" Idie was a little embarrassed, not wanting to be rude.

“Oh, I understand.” Broo adjusted his glasses. “I'm sorry for intruding. Maybe we can look for something to improve friend Evan's mood when you're done with your service?”

Idie smiled sweetly, taking a quick look at Julian before patting Broo's head again. "It’s fine, Broo, thank you."

"You're welcome, friend."

With the discussion over, Julian was turning to go sit against the window, when Evan entered the room, a little disappointed.

"They're pamphlets for music classes." He explained and stood at the table behind Idie and Broo.

"Don't you want to join?" The fire girl asked curiously.

"I'm not good at music. Playing, at least. Mama says I’m a good dancer, though.” He chuckled. “And there are advanced math classes." Evan handed Broo another pamphlet, cheering him up.

“And why don’t you join it?” Idie raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t really like math.”

Fair enough, Idie thought, leaning over to read the pamphlet with Broo. She also wasn't that interested in math, no more than necessary. There were also tutoring classes now with Sway, and she was interested in that, it could be useful later. She opened her diary and wrote it down, being distracted when some students ran past their classroom, making too much noise, in a hurry.

The whole class stood up and went to the door to see what the commotion was about.

"What's going on over there?" Cissie asked, without leaving her seat. Hope Abbott's astral form passed through the hallway wall, speaking quickly before disappearing again.

“There’s a fight going on in the main building!” She sounded too excited. Or she was worried?

This fueled the students' curiosity and their hunger for conflict. Idie remained seated as chairs and tables were dragged to make way.

"Why does there always have to be fights every day?" She mumbled into her palms.

Evan threw his backpack over his shoulder, wanting to go and see. He knew they would need someone to call the teachers if things got more violent. “Not every day. Just twice a week.” He joked and looked at Julian. “Aren’t you coming?”

"I don't want to." Creed replied dryly. “It’s none of my business.” And he turned his back to go push Anole's backpack from his favorite seat.

Hope returned, pushing posters off the wall to scream in her disorganized voice, lighting up the room. "Creed! Your brother is beating up some kids!"

No one registered when Julian jumped over tables and pushed their way out of the room, going to see what their little brother had gotten himself into. Their friends also ran after, shocked that a fight was taking place, and Hunter was involved. It was certainly a misunderstanding, wasn't it? They hoped it would be.

The hallway that connected the main building to building number four was full of students. Typical movie scene, a crowd surrounding the fight without doing anything, even cheering for whoever it was. Julian pushed anyone in front of him impatiently, and their friends were behind them to avoid falling behind. To their surprise, Hunter was actually there, beating up some red-haired boy in his class, a feral screaming at him without getting involved.

"Hey! Hey! What the fuck?!" Julian looked at the fight in shock before running over to grab their little brother by the arms and pull him away from the red-haired boy, who they quickly recognized. Hunter kept hitting his face, throwing punches anywhere he could reach. "Hunter, what are you doing?"

The boy beneath him grunted and tried to shield his face with his arms. "Get him off me!"

Julian pulled Hunter up, dragging him backwards while he struggled, still not satisfied. O’Leary held his bleeding nose and crawled across the hallway floor, cursing Hunter, his words drowned out by the crowd’s screams. Jacob Williams and Jamie Rogers hold him by the arms, both with claw marks on their faces. Hunter is also hurt, some of his locs were ruined, and his beanie was somewhere on the floor, but he did not stop kicking Julian.

“What are you doing?” Idie shouted after Julian, raising a hand in the air, skin covered in ice. Behind her, Broo was shaking, watching O’Leary yell at Jacob to let him go. When he turned around, there was smoke coming from his hands.

"Hunter, stop! That's enough!" Julian yells at his brother, holding him in place.

“I will kill you, Creed!” O’Leary threatens, flames rising in his head.

"FUCK YOU!" Hunter yells back at him. Julian pushed him back, keeping him between themself and Idie, their hands heating up.

“Shut your mouth and stay there!” He pointed to O’Leary and turned to his brother, holding him by the shoulders, looking worried about him. “What you’re doing?”

“THEY ARE THE ONES WHO STARTED THIS SHIT!” Hunter shouted, with the loudest and clearest voice Idie and the boys had ever heard. “THEY DESTROYED MY HOMEWORK!”

Julian squeezed his shoulders. “And why didn’t you call me?”

Hunter keeps his teeth bared, glaring at his brother angrily. Idie looks worriedly at the bruises on her face. The commotion stops and Idie is pulled by Evan against the wall, to make way for the headmistress, Husk, Summers and Toad.

“Stop! Enough of this!” Pryde orders, pushing past some older students in front to get to the center of the small circle that had formed.

Rachel crawls through the young mutants' minds, keeping them in place. Hunter was still breathing heavily, showing his teeth at O'Leary. Evan and Broo hid behind the Creeds and Idie. Rachel took a look at the students present, not stopping some of them from fleeing the scene, others, most of whom appeared to be in seventh grade, stayed to watch the chaos unfold.

Kitty's eyes stopped where Idie and her friends were. She frowned and placed her hands on her hips. “Don’t lie now, who started this fight this time?”

O’Leary pushed Husk away when the teacher tried to hold his face, rubbing away the blood running from his nose. "Creed hit first. He punched me in the face and I fought back." He pointed to the youngest in the group, which surprised the teachers.

“Hunter?” Rachel said, almost ironically. The boy continued showing his teeth. “Did you hit Mr. O'Leary?”

Heads turned to Hunter. He didn't respond right away, just stared at Rachel defiantly, eyes burning with anger, one of his cheeks had a nasty cut that he couldn't ignore for long.

Slowly, he confirmed. "They came to bother me and stole my belongings. They threw it in the air and destroyed my homework!” He pointed to the object he had been building, lying abandoned on the floor. Julian growled angrily. There were some whispers to his right, and he looked at two 11th grade boys, remembering their faces.

Rachel sighed heavily, a little disappointed, she didn't expect Hunter to do something like that. "What about you, Julian?" She asked the eldest and also looked at the other three students behind them.

“I wasn’t even here!” Julian replied rudely. “I'm here now to take Hunter out of the fight."

Kitty put her hand on her head, taking a deep breath. "Why is it every time something happens, it's one of you?" She pointed in their direction, also disappointed.

“We didn’t even do anything.” Idie protested with a frown. Kitty didn't believe it, still looking at them reprimanding.

Behind her, someone cleared their throat, catching her attention. Idie glanced at one of Hunter's classmates, an Asian boy with glasses, who shyly stepped forward, glancing sideways at O'Leary, Rogers, and Williams, hesitating for a moment for fear of becoming their target as well.

“Ma’am, Hunter didn’t start the fight, it was O’Leary, I’m sure.”

“And how do you know this, Miss Eng?”

Hunter slowly raised his head, surprised that his colleague had chosen to defend him. Most of the class didn't like O'Leary, so they preferred to avoid getting his attention and interacting with him.

Leonara Eng was nervous, looking between her classmates and the teachers several times.

“They always do that. Chris, James and Jacob bully everyone, so I wouldn't be surprised if they started this fight by provoking Hunter.” Beside her, another blue-haired girl nudged her, saying something in sign languages, also making a face, she pointed at O'Leary. Leonara agreed and explained: “Alice said that Hunter never did anything to anyone. But she has seen Chris bothering him several times before.”

Behind them, another boy with wings muttered something, as if to affirm her words.

"That’s right." Julian growled, pushing his brother closer to Idie and Broo. He glanced at Leonara, a little grateful, but she still looked away. “I already caught these three threatenin’ to beat him.”

Kitty's face grew darker. She turned a little towards Rachel in silence, the telepath nodded. “And what did you do, Julian?” The headmistress asked, turning her head back to the older feral.

Julian shrugged, knowing she doesn't trust him. "Nothin’! I just told them to leave him alone!”

“Fuck off! He’s lying!” Chris protested in a nasal voice. “He threatened to use his powers on us! And even joked that he can heal from everything but se can’t!”

The principal ignored her and turned to question O’Leary’s other two classmates and check their injuries. Idie grimaced at the situation. She smiled gratefully at Leonara and Alice and Julian got a little warmer, Idie moved away from him and pulled Hunter with her, already feeling her skin getting sweaty. Idie took a look at the little boy, who had a dark mark on his face.

She sighed, pulling a tissue from her purse. "Are you alright?"

Hunter lowered his head, his face as grim as Julian's usually is. But he let her rub the handkerchief over his face to wipe away the blood. Broo nudged him, handing him his beanie, the smile face button was also back in place, and Evan went to look for his backpack, crouching down next to the teachers.

Kitty sent the remaining students away and spoke in her normal voice, "Everyone in my office. Rachel, help me sort this out?"

"I need to keep an eye on Quire in his detention." The telepath said dryly and turned away, passing Mortimer and Evan, both of whom were picking up the pieces of Hunter's project on the floor.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Then, Paige, come with me."

"I have--" The blonde stuttered, but Kitty gave her no choice and pushed the students towards her office.

“You too, Julian.”

Julian mumbled 'whatever', smoke coming out of his nose, and held his brother's hand, the two followed Husk and Kitty away. He looked over his shoulder when Idie whispered that they would wait for them. She couldn't tell if he was telling her to go away, or thanking her. The other children around made room for him, feeling the hot air around their shoulders.

Leonara tried to go after Kitty to ask something, but was sternly dismissed. She was a little embarrassed when she caught Idie smiling at her, then ran away.

Idie picked up Hunter's backpack from the floor. His shark was there too, its cloth tail singed. It hurt her heart to see Hunter's favorite toy almost destroyed. “Look what they did.” She took the toy carefully.

“That’s not good.” Evan stood with Hunter's project in his hands. He thanked Mortimer for his help and let him go, showing the damage to his friends. “Hunter's homework is destroyed too.”

"He's been working on it for days." Idie lamented. Pushing past a few students, she made her way back to the lab block.

“It’s not that bad.” Broo assured, standing on his toes, he took a look at the damage. “I believe we can fix it, I can get some extra parts from Dr. McCoy's lab. I'm sure he won't mind.”

Idie smiled and threw Julian's backpack over her shoulder. “That would be really sweet of you.”

Broo opened a smile so big it could tear his face apart. “There’s no– Agh!” He jumped back, raising his hands to protect his face as something fell in front of him.

Idie and Evan clutched their friends' belongings to their chests, also being caught off guard. They didn't relax when they realized it was Kubark, who had a big, excited smile.

"I heard little Creed got into a fight!" He said, voice echoing above the other conversations and sounds of metal doors closing. “I came as fast as I could!”

Evan raised an eyebrow. "To help?" He asked in disbelief, hoping that Kubark would at least act appropriately.

The prince shook his head and raised a fist. "To watch!"

Idie frowned, holding herself back from freezing Kubark in place. Instead, she walked around him and kept walking, letting him follow if he wanted. She kept her head high as she headed to the labs. She didn't want to go to class right now, but they could wait inside the building while the headmistress talked to their friends. If all went well, Hunter and Julian would join them sooner than they expected.

"Hey! Hey! Where are you going? Shouldn’t we go after the Creeds?” Kubark asked above their heads as he noticed that the three of them were leaving the building and not heading towards Pryde's office.

Evan shook his head. “No, Kubark, let's wait for them outside. I don’t think Julian and Hunter would like it if we were all over them right after leaving Miss Pryde’s office.”

“They must be feeling terrible.” Broo said. Kubark didn't understand why they looked upset.

"Why? I heard the youngling was winning the fight! Even if he is sent to detention, shouldn’t he be happy?”

Evan sighed. “No, I don’t think he’s happy. Not everyone feels… proud after a fight.” He stuttered, not knowing how to explain it to Kubark. “But that doesn’t matter now! Let’s go to physics class, we’re late.”

The prince still did not understand the reason for his colleagues' sour mood. This bothered him, so he let the matter drop and allowed Evan and Idie to lead the way as they see fit.

“We’re not going to physic classes, Evan.”

“What?!”

Julian sat in the back of Pryde's office while she berated his brother and the other kids who weren't important. It took more than an hour for the whole situation to be made clear, each of the boys swearing that their part was the truth.

This time, she didn't ask Rachel to read their minds, which made everything much more time-consuming and complicated. Julian knew their brother was telling the truth when he said he hadn't started the fight, they could smell him, and he knew Hunter was the last person in that room who would start a fight for no reason. But Kitty, no.

When she asked Hunter why he didn't tell a teacher that his classmates were bothering him, he hung his head in shame. But what does she expect? Julian was upset that Hunter hadn't told them anything sooner, or the teachers. But would adults believe or care? Hunter is a child, and he's afraid of being a nuisance. Julian doesn't entirely blame him for choosing to hide this from the teachers, knowing they already resent them for no reason.

What really pissed him off is when Pryde decided that all four boys were going to be suspended for a week, and forbidden of leaving the school on weekends. Julian burned with fury. Pryde noticed that and rushed Guthrie to take the younger boys outside the room. Before the door closed, Julian was standing up, fists tight by his side.

“You’re committin’ a mistake.” He growled in a deeper voice.

Kitty turned to him with big eyes, closing the door quickly, Julian saw the other three boys also looking at him with shock. “What?” The X-Man asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

Julian scoffed. She knew exactly what he’s talking about. “You’re punishing my baby brother for defendin’ himself?! What about those three little fucks?” He pointed at the door. “You can’t give Hunter the same punishment as them when it was them who started it.”

Kitty pushed a hand through her hair, taking it off her face. She looked older than she is, tired. “Hunter started the fight. He attacked them first.”

“Fuck off!” Julian spat, dragging them words between their fangs. “You heard them! They went after him! They grabbed him, they could have hurt him.”

“Watch your mouth, Mr. Creed.” Kitty snapped. “I told you I don’t accept swearing.”

“Like you never said a meanie word when you were my age.” The teenager mocked with a long roll of their eyes.

“Stop it.” Kitty said, her teeth bared with irritation, her sympathetic aura slowly slipping off her hold. “Hunter may not have started all of this, but he still attacked his classmates, and you know that’s forbidden.”

Julian opened his arms, his skin already hot, smoke rising from under his clothes. “When Kubark beat the shit outta me, you made us clean the Danger Room. And that didn’t teach me shit. So why Hunter gets suspended?”

Now he could smell Kitty changing. Something between irritation, shame, exasperation and just… disappointment. In what? Them? Julian knew it had to be with them all, the students, more specifically, their friends. What was bullshit in their opinion, it’s not like the teachers are doing a grand effort to help them, or having many expectations for them.

And Kitty knew that. Her cheeks became slightly pink as she crossed her arms and looked away. “I admit that was not the best way to deal with the situation, but now we are changing it.” She assured.

“Suspending Hunter won’t teach him or these idiots a lesson. It will keep them behind in class.” Julian insisted. “And might possible - definitely - show them that they can keep up with the bullying.”

“And what do you suggest we do, Julian?” Pryde suddenly exclaimed, raising her arms high in the air.

Fine, she got them. They had no idea, it was their job, but they knew whatever the staff was doing to keep them in line, wasn’t working. The headmistress sighed when they lowered their head.

“I know you’re just trying to defend your brother, but those are the rules. You fight your classmates, you’re grounded. I don’t know how your family deals with this kind of stuff–”

“Oh, shut up!”

Julian walked up to the middle of the room, smoke now leaving their lips, they pointed a finger at her face, ignoring how her eyes went to their claws.

“See? That’s the problem here! One of the many problems ‘round here! You act like we’re gonna end up like our parents, so you walk on eggshells around us, and expect everyone to do the same.” They accused, feeling fire blooming on their chest, making the room hotter. “You’re afraid we’re gonna be like our parents, so when we slip outta line, you act like the whole fuckin’ world is gonna explode right on our heads!”

Outside, they heard a small commotion. O’Leary was asking something to Husk, and the teacher shushed him, but did nothing to interfere, so Julian kept going, while Kitty stared at them with indignation.

“But guess what, miss?” They hissed, showing their fangs as much they could. “We’re not! My brother was defendin’ himself from a bunch of brats who were tormentin’ him and other kids, because they never learned shit! And now you want to ground my brother because you think he’s being aggressive, but he’s far from it. It’s just you who has a bias towards my dad!”

Kitty’s eyes widened more, her hands clutched the collar of her shirt.

“... That’s not true.”

“Coulda have fooled me.” Julian scoffed, their breath smelling like smoke.

“Hunter could have told us he was being bullied.” Kitty said. “He could have warned us, and we would have solved the situation, instead he took matters in his own hands. Now he’ll be punished, not because he fought back, but because he broke a rule.”

Julian put his hands in his pockets, trying to control the fire. Kitty was looking so intently at their face, he wondered what she saw when she looked on their eyes.

“Yeah, he took matters into his own hands.” They said, dryly, the growl clear on their voice. “Because, would you have believed him?”

They are going on circles. This infinite game of who is wrong and who is right this time, it never ends. Julian just knows they won’t win this ever, so they let go and drop their shoulder.

“Don’t try to outsmart me in this, Julian.” Pryde reprimanded in a rougher voice. “You know that was wrong”

“No, I don’t. I’ll stand by my brother on this.” Julian looks at her for a longer moment before looking away, letting the conversation die.

Kitty was also tired of this. She opened the door and switched places with Husk. They exchanged words, Guthrie concerned about their conversation. Julian peaked through the door, their brother was still quiet, but now he had a colorful band-aid on his cheek, just like the other three boys. Chris was the one with the most scratches, so his face was full of Transformers band-aids. He was not happy.

Hunter didn't look at him as he followed Pryde out. Julian didn't have time to talk to him, Husk took them outside, he didn't know where, he just followed. Classes were almost over, soon they would have combat classes. Julian stopped on the steps leading to the gardens. He didn't expect to find his classmates there. Idie was reading a magazine, making a face, Broo was holding tools in his little hands and chatting, the two of them sitting under Evan's tree. Kubark was standing, watching Evan clumsily twist and turn in the air, training his flight.

Husk touched Julian's shoulder, they immediately moved away.

“You have good friends, Mr. Creed.” She said softly, smiling. Julian gave her a burning look. “They waited for you.”

“And why are you tellin’ me this?” Julian asked in his aggressive tone, his voice coming out deeper with the fire that built up in his chest. Husk's eyebrows rose, disappointed that Julian didn't care about her words.

They descended the steps and walked towards the group, Julian a few steps behind. Evan took one last turn in the air and returned to the ground. His landing was terrible, and he came very close to almost twisting his ankle due to the way he placed his feet on the grass.

He tried to hide it with a laugh. “So, how was your detention?”

Kubark crossed his arms, unimpressed. “Not so bad. I just hated having to listen to my Warbird exchanging… flattering compliments with that green thing.”

Evan grimaced sourly, placing his blue tongue between his teeth. “Warbird was flirting with Doop?!” He pretended to vomit, which made Kubark laugh out loud. Then he noticed Paige and Julian walking up to them. “Julian! You are back!” He exclaimed and ran up to them.

The other three also stood up and followed him, surrounding Julian with their worried faces. Kubark was smiling, however, floating high.

"Did your brother win the fight?!” He asked. Julian growled at him, his flaming gaze surprising him.

“What will happen to Hunter?” Evan asked. Julian remained quiet and moved a little further away, hating how loud and worried they sounded.

Paige looked between them. “Nothing serious, Evan.” She smiled to appease them and placed a hand on Creed's shoulders. “Julian will not receive any punishment for breaking up a fight.”

"And he was just trying to protect Hunter." Idie said seriously.

"Yes, but Hunter is going to be grounded for starting a fight." Paige explained, leaving them indignant. She didn't notice Julian moving away again.

"But he didn't do anything wrong!"

“Getting into a fight with your classmates is against the rules, Evan.” Paige continued. “Kitty and I understand that he didn't start the conflict. He, Jamie, Chris and Jacob are all going to be grounded.”

"That's unfair." Idie said sullenly, her skin burning slightly.

"Bah! I thought there would be something more fun." Kubark grumbled in the back.

Evan poked him in the arm to shut him up. "We understand, thank you, Miss Guthrie."

Husk nodded and looked at Julian. “I will let you know when your brother is released from punishment. Next time, please call the teachers.”

Julian nodded with a sullen face and pushed her to go sit under the tree.

“You should go back to your classes.” Paige gave them a sympathetic look. Then, as if remembering something, she leaned towards Idie, even though their height difference wasn't that big. “And Idie, honey, I’d like to talk to you in my office after class, is that okay?”

Idie's eyes widened, her stomach sinking. Her friends looked at her.

"Um... okay." She whispered with a trembling voice.

Husk nodded and turned her back on them, returning to her tasks. The children waited a few seconds, until she was inside the school.

"What did you do, Frosty?" Kubark was the first to demand it.

"I didn't do anything!" Idie felt her cheeks heat up.

Broo stood on tiptoe. "What is the need for the teacher to want to speak to you privately in her office?"

"I don't know!” Idie stuttered, breaking away from her friends. They continued to stare at her, waiting for her to give a good excuse. "It must be something to do with... ah! I asked for extra literature classes." She said, pretending to smile, as if nothing was wrong.

"Alright." Evan slurred his words, suspicious.

Kubark leaned against his shoulder, speaking very quietly, his translator barely catching the words.

"She's clearly hiding something."

When Idie quickly ran away from the conversation, Evan pressed a finger to his lips. Kubark had already learned what that sign meant, so he closed his mouth, displeased with letting the matter drop, and floated to the tree where they had gathered. Julian was sitting on the grass, looking at the magazine Idie was reading, it was the same manual that Hunter had used before.

He looked at Hunter's project, which Broo was carefully trying to fix. He did not comment. Broo sat down next to him and went back to work, humming some opera. They didn't exchange words, but Julian heard Broo praise Hunter's work as Idie sat across from him.

"Julian--"

He shook his head, pulling the backpack out of Idie's hand and placing it next to him on the grass. "I don't wanna talk about it." He grumbled, picking up the toy shark more carefully and his brother's backpack. “Leave me alone.”

"Creed! We're here to find out more about the conflict your brother has gotten himself into!" Kubark sat in the air, right behind Idie.

"And to see if you two are alright, friend!" Broo added.

“Husk already told everythin’. I don't need to repeat it. And I'm not in a good mood." Julian crossed his arms and leaned against the tree trunk.

"There's no need to be mean to us about that." Idie said.

Julian growled. "I'm not being an asshole, I'm telling you to leave me alone because I don't wanna talk about it." He let his shoulders slump, his ears pressed against his skull. He was clearly more upset than angry.

Idie sighed and reached out her hand, but without touching him, she just waved towards the school. “Do you want to skip Inferno’s combat and defense class?” She asked softly. “We can stay here in the garden instead.”

Evan, Kubark and Broo were shocked that he would suggest that. Julian looked at her confused, almost deciphering whether she was lying or not, so, after taking a deep breath, smelling her, he agreed.

"Are you okay?" Julian asks their brother that night, quieter and softer than he's used to.

They are sitting on the older one's bed. Hunter hugs his shark, squeezed between the wall and his brother, his head on their shoulder. Idie was so nice by stitching it up after Jamie’s claws teared the cloth of the tail.

"I don't know." Hunter squeezed the toy, afraid of letting it go.

Silence hurts the ears sometimes. Julian hears Evan writing in the next room. Must be finishing his next history essay. They spent the rest of the day in the garden, finishing fixing Hunter's project and watching Evan practice flying with Kubark, trying to improve his landing. Yes, they had to go to the infirmary. Then, during free time before dinner, they went to the art classroom and used some of the materials available.

Julian reached out of bed to grab his backpack. "I made this." He showed Hunter some colorful star bead bracelets.

Turning the object in his fingers, Hunter read his name spelled out in beads, seeing that there was a large space between one ornament and the next. "It's hideous. And bigger than my wrist." He grinned. His brother snorted and tried to take it back.

Hunter didn't let him, he stuffed the bracelets into his pants pockets. He and Julian played wrestle for a while, pushing each other, pretending to fight over the bracelets. When Hunter got tired, he threw himself back onto the bed and sighed.

“I thought going to school was different.” He said sadly. Embarrassed. “I didn't want to fight, I was just upset that my classmates tormented me for things I had no control over. And I still had to apologize.” He grumbled at the end.

“It sucks.” Julian agreed. “But…”

He didn't know what to say. He already didn't have as many expectations for Wolverine's stupid school, not like Hunter, and now he had even less.

Instead of trying to comfort his brother about anything, which he knows would be a disaster, Julian opened his backpack again to hand Hunter his science project. It wasn't as nice as before, there were marks on the edges, and some parts had been replaced. A metal Frankenstein, he had said, and only Kubark didn't understand.

“Broo tried to fix your homework.” Julian pushed the object into Hunter's hands. His sad eyes shone a little with tears. His scent wasn't melancholy, just relieved.

Hunter smiled. "I'll thank him later."

Julian pushed Hunter out of his bed and into his own. Hunter picked up his project carefully, still smiling at it, placing it carefully in his closet, taking off his beanie, he looks for his pajamas.

"When these things happen, let me deal with them, okay?" Julian said from behind him, sitting at the window. He still wouldn't sleep, Hunter is used to having his brother awake while he rests. Some habits don't die easily.

"Alright.” He agrees and jumps on the bed.

At the window, Julian chuckles evilly to himself, looking at something in the garden. "Hey, the old man really didn't die." He says with feigned surprise. Hunter gets up and runs to them.

Crossing the garden with heavy steps, looking tired, Logan mumbles to himself, holding a travel bag over one shoulder. Nothing is out of place. No blood or parts missing. He just looks messed up and angry.

"Give me that can over there." Julian pokes his brother. Hunter hands him a crushed soda can that was near his bed, and ducks down to stay hidden while Julian takes aim.

The can flies through the air in an arc. Logan's hand shoots out and grabs it before it hits his head. Julian was grinning, just wanting to play a prank. But their expression changed when Logan's eyes went up to the window, his face hidden by shadows but still making it clear that he wasn't in a good mood. And it only got worse when he saw them. Julian noticed this.

Logan crumpled the can and continued walking, giving one last irritated look before disappearing into the building.

Chapter Text

October 5, 2018.

"You need to focus." Martha's voice says it. There's a little flicker behind his eyelids.

"I am."

Evan can't see her. But can feel it somewhere in his mind. She would shake her head if she could. Her presence is strong, it feels like he has been enveloped in smoke, or placed underwater, but he is not drowning. It's just a presence around his body.

He thought she would create some image in his mind so he could visualize it. There is only a voice. Feminine, sweet, yet confident. Evan doesn't see anything else.

"No, you're makin’ a weird face, but you're not even trying." Martha says, a little more sternly. Maybe she's frowning at him. “I could knock you out right now, and wouldn't even break a sweat.”

"You don't sweat." He didn't mean it. It was just a thought that crossed his mind. And it seemed to echo around, there was no way such a thought could escape Martha when it is in her subconscious."Sorry, sorry."

Martha feels his emotions. It irritates her how everyone always has to be careful around her. “I'm not upset, Evan. I really can't.” She assures him and goes quiet. The light around changes, Evan trembles a little as she extends the reach of her power.

He staggers back. His legs shake and he almost falls. If he's really lucky, the rest of the class is too focused on their psychic training to notice. He feels another presence in his head, intently watching. He can't hide the wave of shame coursing through his brain. His performance in Ms. Summers' classes has been horrible since he arrived, everyone already knew that.

Uncle Cluster had trained him in psychic defense before he left home, and even Psylocke tried to teach him how to keep his mind closed. However, he is still terrible at it. And yes, he is embarrassed. Rachel had been a little curious to test him when he told her he trained with Psylocke, now she's just disappointed.

"Protect yourself!"

"I am!" Evan insists, trying to change his aura. Appear more confident. Martha ruins this by pushing her powers against him harder.

"You're not!"

Evan stood his ground. "I am! I swear! Come on, Martha! Hit me with everything!" He demanded with a louder ‘voice’, trying not to drown in the sea of ​​thoughts that Martha sailed towards him.

"Are you sure?" She asks, hesitantly. Evan shouts yes in his mind, with his best brave face, clenching his fists in the air. He hopes he doesn't look like an idiot out there in the real world. Martha takes a break, and attacks.

There was fire in his hands. He had never felt so strong. The armor was too heavy for him, but it fit him perfectly, as if it had been made for him.

He was lost.

There was no time for that, he needed to help. Save everyone, they had told him.

So he did. Throwing himself against Archangel with all his strength.

And the Archangel fought back.

“You will never be Apocalypse!”

"No." Evan caught his blow, sparks flying from his eyes. As brave as could be. “I am Genesis.”

There was blood on his tongue.

“Evan?” Idie's voice calls out to him. There's a sharp ringing in his head.

Another voice joins Idie's, he realizes it is Broo patting him on the shoulder. He knows he is sprawled out on the floor, his arms and legs spread wide. Slowly, he opens his eyes to find red insect eyes and Broo's elongated skull blocking his vision, shielding his eyes from the bright light of the underground room.

“He woke up?” Julian asks somewhere where Evan can't see him. “Class is over, let’s go. Should we take him to the infirmary?”

Evan opens his eyes completely. Broo moves back a little, waiting for him to get up. He doesn't. The light almost blinds him.

"What happened?

“Martha knocked you out.” Idie responds, pushing is indigo curls away from his face. “You've been lying there for five minutes.”

Julian's golden eyes and brown hair appear above Broo's head. "You fell hard to the ground and didn't move again."

Evan groans in pain and touches his forehead. There is a jacket folded beneath his head, serving as a pillow. Oh, no. He is lying on Idie's lap. His cheeks heat up and he closes his eyes. "...did anyone see it?"

"The whole class." Julian responds, indifferently. “And the 12th grade. They were watchin’ by the window.”

"Tell Miss Summers I'm dead and leave me here." Evan pleads. There is a strange pain in his arms and legs. It must be the shame making him weak, tingling in his fingers.

Heels hit the ground right next to them. Miss. Summers stands with arms crossed, dressed in a leather jacket, as if she's planning to go somewhere and is in a hurry. It doesn't surprise the students, it's been a while since the entire school realized that she simply hates teaching.

"No chance, Adel. Get up, I have another class to teach." She said a little insistently, crossing her arms to look at her watch.

Against his will, Evan sits, feeling his head lolling to one side. Idie holds his shoulders to keep him straight, he's too embarrassed to look into her eyes, wondering why the hell she let him lie on her lap, and use her jacket as a pillow. Well, she was nice, so he mumbles a ‘thank you’. The rest of the class leaves the room at their own pace.

Quentin is discussing something with Ms. Summers. Which is pretty weird. They are standing in a corner of the room, arms crossed, staring at each other in silence, one smirking, the other frowning and shaking her head. Evan watches them, curious, and his friends grab their backpacks to leave, when that familiar feeling returns.

Martha's jar floats to him, and soon words pop into his head. "Oh, Evan. I'm so sorry! I told you to protect yourself!" She says, a little hysterically. He imagines she would be blushing right now if she could.

"Don’t apologize, Martha." Evan smiles at her, speaking out loud, still holding the side of his head. “I was the one who told you to hit me with everything.”

Martha stays quiet, still present in her head. Evan believes she's thinking, so Quentin comes over to them, looking tediously at him.

“She can’t hear you. You have to speak in your mind, Adel.” He says rudely, rolling his brown eyes like Evan is a huge idiot. Idie and Julian are right next to him, burning holes in the telepath's pale face. Quentin hisses at them. “Martha doesn’t have ears, it’s obvious she can’t hear.”

Martha's voice echoes in their minds. "I can still hear through you guys."

Evan mumbles an apology, then forms the words in his thoughts. Miss Summers’ patience dies, and she starts pushing them out of the room.

"Come on, all of you, get out already! Class is over. Adel, these are points taken from you, you know that, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll try harder next class." Evan promises, without confidence. Rachel stares at him silently, intensely, then closes the metal door of the classroom.

The elevator to the top floor was a little tight, Julian was still glaring at Quire as they went up, hoping he was going to say or do something against them. The telepath didn't do it this time. He remained quiet the entire time, looking straight ahead. As soon as the doors opened, he and Martha hurried out, and Quentin laughed at something as they turned the corner.

Evan didn't notice that Julian was now looking at him, worried or suspicious, he wouldn't know.

“I hate these classes.” Creed complained as they stopped at the lockers to get history books. “It feels like Summers poked my brain with needles. Or just put her hands in there and shook it.” They said, waving their hands in the air, pretending to shake something invisible, then looked at Idie. “How you don’t have a headache?”

The fire and ice girl shrugged, looking less tired after the psychic training than the boys. “Am I used to it? I trained a little with Ms. Frost before coming here.”

“Or Summers just goes easy on you.” Julian took Broo's history book in his hand, leading the way this time. “By the way, Guthrie came to ask me about you. Five times.” They told Idie, irritated that they had to interact with the literature teacher for her.

Idie swallowed, her shoulders tensing alongside her chin. "Serious? What did she want?”

“I don’t know, I just said I didn’t know where you were and walked away.”

“Then you lied, friend.” Broo chimed in, confused by Julian's response. “We were with friend Idie all week.”

Julian sighed, patting the alien's head. “Yeah, Broo. But I'm sure Idie didn't want to talk to Guthrie at the time.” He slowly turned their head towards Idie, who was staring at the end of the hall. “Right, Frosty?”

“Don’t call me that, Creed.” The girl hissed, clenching her hands at her sides. She glanced back to check if Evan was following them. He was a few steps back, looking at the ground.

Broo patted her wrist. “Friend, without wanting to pry, you don't need to answer, but why don't you want to talk to Professor Guthrie? From what I remember, she wanted to talk to you after class.” He said, his little insect face conveying concern.

“That was about three days ago, right?” Julian grumbled. They stopped walking as Toad and Gentle passed by carrying bags of fertilizer. Time to feed Krakoa.

Julian let out a small growl when Evan collided against his back.

“Pay attention, Adel.” The feral alerted him and continued walking.

“Sorry, sorry.” Evan lowered his head and followed them closer.

Idie let out a heavy breath through clenched teeth. “Yeah, she wanted to. But I've been avoiding her. Yesterday I spent half an hour in the bathroom when she came looking for me.”

“Oh, that’s why you were late for foreign language class.” Broo deduced and Idie confirmed it. “Why are you avoiding her?”

“For personal reasons.” She replied, starting to get tired of the questions. She closed her eyes tightly, not seeing that Julian shut Broo up with a look. Not so rude, or kind. “I just don’t want to talk to her about some things, but she and the headmistress insist on talking to me.”

“Why don’t you speak then? It’s better to clarify right away that you ain’t comfortable, rather than sneaking around the corridors to avoid them.” Julian advised her, always so direct. He was, of course, still furious with Pryde after Hunter was punished.

Since his suspension, they have been going to see Hunter before and after classes to keep him company. The little boy didn't express anything about his punishment, anger, or sadness, and tried to reassure them that they didn't need to check in on him so often.

Right now, Kubark must be rambling in Hunter's ear, since he doesn't need to go to psychic defense classes. It would be an affront to have Rachel messing with the prince's mind, according to Warbird.

“Just be direct.”

Idie shook her head. “Like you do, Julian Creed?”

The feral nodded and looked over his shoulder. Evan was now further away, looking at the ground. “You don’t need to talk like me, just talk. Hey, Adel, slow down for us, will you?”

His call woke Evan up from whatever was on his mind. He was clasping his hands together again, running to catch up when he realized he was left behind. Idie and Broo were also surprised by his lack of attention and stopped walking, pushing themselves towards the lockers so as not to disturb the hallway.

“Are you feeling alright, friend?” Broo questioned, moving his head to see if Evan was hurt. “Should we accompany you to the infirmary?”

Evan stopped, apprehensive, red eyes still fixed on the ground, his lips were pursed in a sour frown, like someone with a sour taste on their tongue. There was something bothering him, stuck in his mind. Idie and Broo didn't understand what it was. And Evan doesn't want to dump his problems on them or let them know what he discovered, he doesn't want to imagine how they would act.

Julian was well aware of what he was thinking. Evan didn't want to bring it up with him either. He was still upset about the lies.

“No need, I’ll get better soon.” He told his friends, still sounding very sad. He tightened his backpack straps and marched down the hallway, making them follow him. “Can we go get somethin’ to eat before history class? I don’t want to be late now that Mr. Logan is back.”

Julian grimaced. “I don’t think he’ll teach us until next week. He looked pretty beaten up when he came back.”

Broo let out a small sound of excitement. It had been two, almost three days, since Logan had returned. No one, besides the teachers, had seen him yet. He stayed hidden in the hut in the forest where he slept, and no one was allowed to go there. There was already gossip among the students about his disappearance, and speculation about what he had been doing.

“I'm sure the headmaster was very busy sorting out superhero stuff while he was away.” Broo said, smiling, jumping up and down as he walked in front of his friends. “Perhaps he can share some stories with us after class? I would love to hear it.”

Idie shrugged as Broo turned to her. Whatever Logan had been doing, it was none of their business. And neither she nor Julian care. Evan agreed with Broo, also always curious to hear about superhero stuff.

At Evan's request, they stopped at the canteen to get food. Doop handed them each a tuna sandwich, and took a minute to talk to them, maybe scold them or something, they couldn't understand what he was saying, never. They just nodded and went on to history class.

As soon as they turned the corner, the four teenagers ended up colliding with the rest of the class, who were huddled in the corner between the two hallways, spying something.

“Hey, get outta the way. What are you looking at?” Julian pushed Match to the side, squeezing between him and Hope to get into the classroom. Broo grabbed his skirt to follow him and cross the group, Idie close behind, holding his paw.

Roxy looked over her shoulder, but didn't move when Julian tried to push her. “It’s Wolverine, he’s back.” She nodded forward to show Logan standing in front of the classroom door, talking in hushed tones to Lullaby and Husk.

Evan stretched his neck above his classmates' heads. “What are they talking about, Julian?”

Julian shot him a look. “I’m not your personal translator.” They turned to the teachers anyway, ears flapping slightly. “Wolverine isn’t going to teach us today. Husk will take over.”

"Why? She is a literature teacher.” Lewis complained from the back of the group.

The conversation between the teachers came to an end. Husk waved the children to approach, Logan and Lullaby left together, in the same direction as them.

Cissie nudged her brother and whispered, even though Logan could hear her. "I told you he would come back. He's in one piece, without a single scratch."

"Obviously! He's Wolverine!" Tarantula said, raising three arms into the air.

When Logan got closer, the students began their questions, surrounding him without caring about his obvious bad mood.

"Mr. Logan! You're not dead!" Hope said in her sweet voice.

“Where have you been?!” Glob got too close, and Logan tilted his head away, grunting.

"Hey, professor, what about X-Men training?!" Match asked immediately.

Logan waved his hand in the air to dismiss them, trying to hide the deep, hoarse growl that was growing in his chest. They were too close, talking louder than necessary.

"Later, cubs. Don't you have class to go to?! Ugh." He pushed Glob aside, closing his eyes tightly to take a deep breath. When he opened them, he almost bumped into Evan, who was putting his neck back in place.

The boy smiled weakly, opening his mouth to greet the headmaster, to welcome him, but he stopped. Logan was looking at him with dark, tired blue eyes, thinking deeply about something that didn't seem good. Evan knew it had something to do with him, by the way Logan kept looking at his face, not his eyes.

Professor Lullaby floated above their heads, barely close to the ceiling, speaking in a normal voice. “Children, please enter the classroom. Let’s give the headmaster space.” She commanded and pushed the rest of the class towards the door, where Paige was waiting for them.

She called Logan's name, that's when the immortal blinked and looked away, Evan didn't know if that was worse. What did Logan see in him that made him frown and clench his jaw?

“Go to class, kid. You don’t wanna be late.” He said and rubbed the back of his neck. Looking back, he also made eye contact with Julian and Idie, however, he didn't linger long and passed by Evan, walking down the hallway with his shoulders raised.

Evan must have taken longer than necessary to move. When she realized it, Ms. Guthrie had a hand on his back, guiding him through the doorway, pushing him to take his place next to Julian in a table by the window. He didn't register what she said, the instructions for the class flew over his head.

The only thing he had been aware of since sitting down was Julian whispering something to Idie, his colleague in the back seat commenting something that made Julian growl loudly and be reprimanded. And his blue hands resting on the table.

“Hey, good job on Summers’ class, Kid Apocalypse.” That's what he understood. His hands gripped the edge of the notebook tightly. Sparks flashed from his fingertips.

Logan fell on his chair with a deep grunt, the metal creaking under his weight, but it was a relief to have his back pressed against the almost soft surface, after spending fourteen hours on a plane, and then having to drive back to Westchester. Granted, that was three days ago, and he had all that time to rest in his hut, but he still felt the pain.

Must be old age, he muses to himself, his mood still sour after the trip. And what a trip. He had thought it would be another mission when he had received Yukio's message. Then Amiko had been captured, because of her stupid boyfriend (Logan would get his hands on him one day), they had had to face the Yakuza and the Hand together, which had made him stay away for longer than he had planned.

Logan leaned further back in his chair, a hand over his eyes. How much chaos had this brought? And he knew it was not over yet, it never would be, he may have killed as many of the Hand as he could, but they would come back. He feared that they would not be alone in the future.

Hordes of ninja assassins fighting an army of Yakuza gangsters, tearing down a Buddhist temple. A man in a high-tech Samurai suit, swinging glowing swords. He didn't care what Harada's bastard son did, he could play Silver Samurai all he wanted, Logan was here for his daughter and to kill the Hand.

He kept moving forward, claws slashing at anyone who dared jump in his path, ninja or Yakuza alike. The air was thick with the smell of blood. There was so much blood, much of it his own. He could barely feel the pain of the wounds, swords and bullets piercing his skin, as he ran towards his greatest enemy.

Sabretooth charged, dark claws slicing the air where his head had been a second ago, and he kept coming after him, blood dripping from his toothy grin dripping red. Logan was distracted for a moment, Amiko's surprised cry making him tear his eyes away from Creed. She was fine. She wouldn't be taken down so easily, no matter how many surrounded her.

Another clawed hand sliced ​​through the air, and he jerked back, his own Adamantium claws ripping blood and guts from Creed. The savage man laughed at the pain.

"Keep your head in the game, runt!" Creed warned him, reveling in the chaos around him and their dancing.

Logan didn't have time for this, he just had to get to Amiko, get Yukio, kill the Hand, and flee. Creed could go back to the hole he'd been rotting in for two years. No one had heard from him in all this time, now he'd come back at the most inopportune time to get in Logan's way like the pest that could never leave him alone. It was all part of his plan, wasn't it?

He swung a claw at Creed, impaling a blade deep into his forearm. Creed growled, and it looked like he wasn't planning on pulling away, until Logan swung his other arm, claws coming too close to his neck. Creed jumped back, not caring about the claw on his arm. Flesh and bone were torn as he ran away from Logan. He kept smiling, too wide and too toothy. Logan knew that smile.

Another claw came and Creed moved to the side, too fast. Logan only managed to get the tip of the blade across his chest, cutting through his orange and brown uniform. And the string of the necklace hanging from his neck.

That’s when he sees Creed’s lips changing, falling, his brows slowly furrowing as he shifts his amber eyes to the old bones that once were part of his necklace littering the ground. Logan wants to tease him. ‘Who’s getting distracted now?’ He follows his enemy’s gaze and frowns. Where did he see that?

He remembers and growls. Victor takes a few more seconds, precious seconds, staring at the beads and fangs on the ground of the cave, then turns to him, his face twisted into a savage mask.

“… Runt.” He draws out the words in his deep voice.

Logan runs at him, claws dragging on the ground. “Do you know the difference between me and you, Creed? The reason I’ll always beat you?!” He steps on the wall for momentum and leaps.

Creed extends his claws, knees bent and back tense.

“HAH! THIS SHOULD BE GOOD!” He laughs mockingly, but there’s no more amusement in his voice. Logan slams into him, claws digging into his chest, hot blood spilling onto his face.

“I have somethin’ worth fightin’ for!”

He sees Sabretooth’s eyes grow more dangerous.

He closes his eyes, the mission still very much in his mind. And all the phantom pain from his injuries still crawling in his bones.

You did it, he tells himself, you found Amiko and brought her back, she's safe. She's upset, with her boyfriend, and with the end of the mission almost being a failure. But one day she'll get over one of those. Logan still has worry weighing on his shoulders, making it hard to breathe. What happened to Creed, the Hand, and Mystique after they left. He knows this isn't the last time he's seen them.

Not when he has Creed's children with him at school, he knows. Worse, the first people he saw when he got back to school were the cubs. His stomach sinks just thinking that they could smell their father still on him. Thank God, no. If they had, Logan wouldn't have had these three days of peace.

It's only a matter of time, though. It's like a bad omen hanging in the air.

He can deal with it another time. As long as he kept quiet, and no one poked their nose into his affairs, the skies would remain clear.

“Back to school.” Logan said to his office, pulling a bottle from the shelf. His body protested as he stood, pushing his chair back. “Another day of work, Mr. Headmaster.” A humorless chuckle pierced the silence.

His ears were sharp. He was already aware of the bamfs sneaking above his head, searching for the bottle he’d picked up. Logan ignored them and stood in front of the window, watching the kids outside helping Warren and Toad in the gardens. A sight that might very well improve his mood if it weren’t already so poor.

No more blood for now. He’d promised Bobby he wouldn’t bring his risky work onto the school grounds. As long as he was within these walls, he was the principal. Not Wolverine.

Easier said, the disgusted voice in his conscience spat, and he took a deep sip before opening the window, sticking his head out as the wave of moving dirt passed by.

“Hey, Krakoa, mind helping me with a lesson?” He called, not wanting to speak too loudly and draw attention. A large eye poked out from beneath the grass, red as a cherry, followed by a smile. The sentient island glided over to his window, tilting its head. "I'll take that as a yes."

Krakoa waited anxiously as Logan entered his office, yelled at the bamfs for their whiskey, and appeared beside him in the garden, holding a pen and notebook. The island grew more curious and approached the headmaster.

"So... you said you have some memories of the ol’ mudface, hm?" Logan smiled. Krakoa made a noise as loud as thunder.

His eyes open, and he finds himself staring at his own face. It's a strange feeling, there's water in his ears, a heavy presence on his shoulders. He's already gotten used to it, so he relaxes and lets the memory sink in.

It's not really him, he knows that. The person in front of him is young, quiet, with fewer scars than he has now. He just doesn't remember how he got them. He still looks the same, recognizes himself, but at the same time he doesn't. He admires the feathered wings on the young man's back, who must still be afraid as they are pressed tightly against his back, to stay out of sight. They are beautiful. He doesn't know where the thought comes from. If it's his, or if it comes from memory.

"What is your name?" His younger self asks. Behind him, the old, bald man he already knows was their teacher approaches in his wheelchair. The memory focuses on his younger face, his wings, his blond hair. Blue eyes, not cloudy, which contains confidence and gentleness.

"Bobby. Bobby Drake." The voice comes from him. It's not his. Iceman sounds younger, too. Childish, immature, naive. Easy to break. He offers a hand, friendly.

“Pleasure to meet you, Bobby Drake.” His wings flutter slightly and he smiles, genuine. He accepts the gesture, holding firm on his fingers. “I’m Warren Worthington III.”

A warm, lively laugh leaves his lips. “Your name is so pompous.” His head turns back so he can look at the teens behind him. He doesn't recognize them right away. A young red-head girl with a kind face, a thin boy who keeps his eyes hidden behind red sunglasses. “Hey Scotty, Jeanie! Come meet the new guy!"

"Don't laugh, Robert. It's not polite." The boy with glasses says, almost scolding. The memory does not bring a bad feeling. There is camaraderie and trust. It makes his chest feel warm.

He turns back to his younger self, who is chuckling, thinking the comment is funny, shrugging his shoulders. "It's okay. I think my name is really pompous."

He feels his smile widen. There is a very strong feeling in this memory.

They gather in the small rented cabin, waiting for the professor to dictate the mission. He is sitting between him and the girl. His heart is light, your legs dangling in the air. His younger self is older than the previous memory. More confident in showing his wings. They are feathered and majestic. And he looks happy, which makes him wonder when it happened. What happened to his - their - his - wings.

"I'm sorry for bringing you all on this mission, this was supposed to be your vacation." The professor says, looking between the teenagers.

The boy with glasses is Scott, he hasn't met him yet in real life, he's just seen some memories where he was present. The X-Men told him they are friends, he believes that. The girl has a sweet face, makes him feel comfortable. They said that the statue in front of the school is hers, and that she is no longer among them. He doesn't remember her, he knows they were friends before, very close according to McCoy, so he prayed for her.

The oldest among them is the tall, muscular young man with glasses, who is furthest away, tinkering with cylinders. He had already seen a memory with him, and almost didn't believe it when McCoy said it was him, younger. Oh, okay, he pondered when he would get the blue fur. Maybe in another session he can find out.

“I don’t think we all need to go.” McCoy says, voice still thick from puberty, but not as deep as it is these days, outside the memory. “I can track him and administer the serum. Maybe it's because the doctor is an ambitious biologist that I kinda admire, but I feel like it's something that I must deal with."

He has no idea what is going on. The memory comes with the vague explanation that they were on vacation, until they were interrupted by an enemy, or rather, someone in danger. A lizard man or something, he didn't understand. What mattered was that he felt fun in the memory.

“Wait, Henry.” his younger self stepped forward. “I think I should go too.” His face turns slightly red. “I mean... Mrs. Connors put her faith in me.”

"I wonder why, Blondie." The redhead laughs and runs her hand through his now longer golden locks.

"I should go too--"

“No chance.” The voice comes from him, interrupting the one who should be their leader. “Scotty, you need to relax more than any of us. You should know this already.” He finds himself - or Iceman - saying, a little amused.

"Bobby." The professor warns in a stern voice. It makes him feel bad for a second.

Young McCoy agrees. "And as unbelievable as this is, Scotty, we are more than capable of getting things done without your guidance."

"You're right, Henry." His younger self says, joining in. He starts to say, in a falsely anxious voice. “You know, don't tell him, but this morning I went to the bathroom–”

"Not without Scotty!" McCoy feigns surprise. He feels Iceman laughing, bending forward and cackling, blocking his vision from Scott’s stone face. The memory filled with adolescent innocence.

"I did! Do you believe it?"

"Boys!" The redhead alerts them. He can't see as Iceman remains bent forward, shoulders shaking.

"That's enough. No more games, my boys." The professor’s voice becomes distant until it disappears.

Music reaches his ears, drowning out voices and the sounds of silverware. This memory has a mix of happiness, nostalgia and apprehension. A little anger and fear. Fear of the future, fear of the present, fear of the past.

He is dancing, pale hands that are not his forming ice statues to replace the ones that have already melted. Swans, hearts, friends' faces. The guests are delighted and clap, he bows, and then finds himself looking at his own face once again.

They are adults now. His younger version, the 'me' that the X-Men knew, is taller, with long, beautiful blonde hair, dressed in a suit. Finally, he sees himself in this person. That's what he's supposed to be, isn't it? However, this ‘me’ still has his feathers.

So this was Warren.

"They are happy together." Iceman says. The voice is low, but still carries a spark of innocence.

And his past self turns to look him in the eyes. Warren still has blue eyes. And he's frowning a lot. There are people having fun, and he's there alone. He feels the need to make him happy. This feeling is not his, it is very strong in this memory. How could he make this person happy if he was already gone, he took his place?

Warren’s mouth opens, and the voice he recognizes as his own sounds serious. Blue eyes return to the couple on the dance floor. "Yes. Lovely." And hisr lips tighten.

A pale hand gives Warren a friendly slap on the arm, he tilts his head to get a better look, still smiling. "Come on. Aren't you happy our boy Scotty finally got married?"

Warren nods, very quickly, turning to him finally. He looks guilty for not looking happy enough. "Yes, of course. I'm happy for him. And for Jeanie."

Blue eyes return to the bride, lingering on her for a long time. He feels a horrible feeling in his stomach. There are so many people there, but he's only focusing on Warren. The memory focuses on him. It makes him uncomfortable, but he can't, this memory isn't his, he can't dictate what it means.

"I just hope this lasts... I have a bad feeling, Bobby." Warren sighs tiredly. Beautiful wings fall and rub the floor.

The bad feeling increases. It's not the same. It's different. Having Warren so down makes him feel terrible. The memory screams ‘I can’t accept this!’. Iceman takes a deep breath and reaches out to grab the wrist of... Warren - himself - a version of himself who is now gone - a friend. A special person.

“Forget it. It’s our day off!” The voice sounds happy, but that's not how he really feels. “Let's dance and drink!” He rushes to the food table, bringing Warren with him awkwardly.

He looks back to see if it's working. Warren sighs too, then smiles, his face lighting up in the room lights, and he struggles to keep up. The memory is filled with a feeling of pure happiness and love.

Everything falls apart.

A feeling of anguish takes over him. As if the sky had fallen on his head, taking away any hope he had. There is fear, there is confusion, there is anger, there is hate.

He is running desperately. His hands - no! His entire body is covered in ice. His heart is beating so fast. There's red everywhere.

His head spins in all directions, agitated and desperate. It's hot. He continues running until he turns the hallway, coming face to face with a wall of fire spreading. It looks wrong. There’s a part of the memory missing. Or Iceman simply can’t remember everything. Three other X-Men try to get through the fire. An indigenous man taller and stronger than him, a Japanese man with fire in his hands, and a blonde man who was messing with the panels.

He doesn't recognize them, he hasn't yet seen memories where they were present.

"Where is he?!" He asks loudly, voice coming out as a growl.

"Sabretooth and Márquez escaped!" The indigenous man shouts over his shoulder, then jumps through the fire as if his skin is indestructible, only his hair being lightly set on fire.

"How?!"

The Japanese man who was trying to put out the fire glared at him. “We don’t know!! Máruqez was supposed to be back in Washington, but she infiltrated the mansion and opened Creed's cell.” His hands absorb some of the fire so they can pass through. “We don’t know how she got past security!”

“They shouldn’t have let her in the war room during Creed’s sessions! Shouldn’t even have accepted him in the mansion!” The blond man rips a screen off the dashboard, pressing buttons, waiting for something to happen. He growls in anger. "Screw this! The fire system isn't working. Yoshida, do something!”

Ice appears from his hands before Yoshida can act, helping him put out what's left of the fire in front of him. There is still more. They go down together to the lower corridors. The memory becomes distorted, wrong. There are fewer details. Just red all around. He was in hell, he believed. It was so hard to breathe.

The indigenous man appears in the middle of the fire, coughing from the smoke, but still intact. He carries another man in his arms, keeping him safe from the fire. "Sabretooth's cell is open! Where's Wolverine?!"

"Forge! What happened?!" The blonde man runs towards them, looking at the barely conscious man.

"Inferno… she got me… Lullaby put me to sleep.” Forge coughs violently, holding his chest. He can barely breathe. “They ran away, they were trying...”

"Where's Warren?!"

Yoshida appears in his field of vision. "I found him and Kwannon! John, help here!"

Forge is handed over to the blonde man, and John joins Yoshida. Pushing away debris as if it weighed nothing, his hands not even burning upon contact with the hot metal, he makes way for the other two. The memory flickers as he moves, ice emerging from his hands, erasing how much fire he can manage.

The surroundings become clearer. Soon the fire system activates and water falls on their heads. He finds himself running into two young women hiding in a large, almost intact room. The blonde-haired teenager is crying desperately, sobbing as she hugs the dark-haired woman.

There is too much blood on her face.

"Tabitha! Are you hurt?" Yoshida runs to console her.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! I-I... I thought..." The girl continues saying.

That's not what memory focuses on. His eyes dart to the second body lying on the ground. It's Warren. His heart sinks, he doesn't know if it's him or the memory makes him feel this way. There's so much blood. Red so dark it looks black. Oozing from the deep wound on Warren’s back, from the claw marks on his arms.

The way he's face down, it's easy to see the wound. He thinks he's going to vomit when he sees one of the feathered wings lying on the ground a few steps away.

"Warren!" Iceman runs to his friend. Pale hands shake and check the pulse. John joins him in staunching the wound, eyes as wide and scared as Tabitha's. He turns his head to Yoshida, who already has the unconscious woman in his arms. "Go get Henry! Now!"

Yoshida doesn’t wait and runs with Tabitha shaking behind him. His heart is like a roar in his ears. His vision is failing. Becoming blurry with the tears that escape his eyes as the ice slowly disappears from his skin, and he presses his hands against the wounds. John's hands touch his. Iceman doesn't lift his head.

"His wings…” The voice coming from him is weak and shaky. His eyes run over the exposed flesh, he swallows deeply as he sees the bone through the opening. “Scott?!” He calls out. Looking back to where they came from, waiting for someone to appear. “Where’s Scott?!”

“Upstairs with Nathan.” John responds. There's something in his face. Worry, maybe. Why does he have to look at him like that?

His eyes return to the wound, and he helps John cover it with his shirt, he didn't even notice when the strong mutant took it off, along with his X-Men jacket. Water is still falling on their heads.

“He’s not well.” John shook his head, swallowing hard. “Henry is trying to take care of him. There's something--"

Footsteps approach, loud voices calling out to them. John holds Warren's arms, trying to find a way to carry him. He looks at the wing lying in the corner and then at the one remained. It's twisted at the wrong angle. Some of the feathers burned.

"Warren is bleeding too much. His wings..." John says more quietly, trailing off, not talking to Drake anymore.

Red takes over his entire vision. He can only see one thing. His hands shake and hatred takes over everything.

"I will kill them."

Chapter Text

"That's enough! Enough!" McCoy's deep voice cut through the fog in Angel’s mind, pulling him back to reality as if he were pulling him out of a frozen lake.

Anjo's empty white eyes opened as if from a nightmare, he sat upright on the couch in Bobby's office, his chest rising and falling in uncontrolled breathing. Beast's furry hand was on his shoulder, an attempt to calm him down.

He didn't immediately register what was happening around him. The memories he received were fresh in his mind. The vision of blood and fire was trapped beneath his eyelids, almost permanently etched there. It hadn't happened to him, he could feel his heart racing and his hands shaking with fear. Well, actually, it had happened to him, hadn't it? He just didn't remember. Maybe the body did.

His hand went up over her shoulder to touch the base of his wings. The temperature of the room made the metal cold. The image of feathered wings covered in blood made him shudder.

"Let's stop here." He heard McCoy say after a long, long sigh.

Through the curtain of golden hair that covered his face, Angel saw Iceman sit down on the folding chair in front of him. And Summers was next to him, he could only see his ripped jeans.

“Warren, are you okay?” McCoy leaned closer, trying to see his face, his hand still on his shoulder. Angel nodded, still shaking. “There, it wasn't just memories.” He patted his back. Too strong.

Angel agreed once again. Brushing his hair out of his face and tying it into a bun, he wiped the sweat from his face and sighed. "I know... just memories..." He said, with a bit of bitterness, fear.

"I'm sorry, Warren," Iceman said. Angel looked up to find his white face looking so, so guilty. "I think I lost… lost focus, there."

Oh, no. That's not right. It wasn't his intention to make him worry.

He looked at Summers. The woman was frowning, her lips pursed in an expression he had become accustomed to. This time she wasn't looking at him, and her tattoos, which he discovered she had by accident, were visible on her face.

His best smile appeared on his face. "Everything is fine." He said, sounding gentle as always. Bobby's white eyes grew a little. “I’m just a little shaken.” He continued, holding his head. The images were still there, like a nightmare he couldn't forget. Not a true thing, even though he knew it was. “So… that’s how it happened…”

The air in the already cold room became even worse.

Bobby pressed his fingers into the seat of the chair, freezing her. His icy face turned deeply bitter. "It was. I'm sorry, we shouldn't have shown that memory so soon."

Angel shakes his head. “At some point I would have to see. And to be honest, I was wondering when. Don't blame yourself, Robert.” He smiled a little, always so serene. A little different from what Bobby and Hank remember. “From what I saw in my memory, and what I felt, I believe you’re blaming yourself.” Angel confesses. Bobby frowns, lips pulling together in a deep, guilty frown. “I don’t know what happened, but I know it wasn’t your fault.”

He stands, his metal wings folding against his back, shining in the light streaming in through the window. And he keeps smiling. Such a light and true kind of smile. Bobby doesn't remember ever seeing Warren like this. Looking so carefree, as if all the things they faced in the last thirty years were nothing.

“Thank you for saving me.” Angel grabs his shoulder, fingers freezing, he hisses and pulls his hand away, chuckling at the sensation.

Hank looks between them. He knows Bobby well enough to know he's almost at his breaking point. Warren's behavior is also making him uncomfortable, especially after facing such a painful memory. He won't blame Bobby for getting distracted and letting the memory flow, no, no. He is the only one among them who now carries a memory of what happened that day, one time or another, Warren would have to face this.

He just didn't want it to be now. They are already dealing with enough things.

“We’d better take a break.” McCoy claps his hands together, his furry face conveying all the emotions he wants so badly to hide. “We are done here, we will continue with the sessions another day, we have other tasks to finish, don't we?”

Rachel agrees. She keeps her arms crossed against her chest, still with a frown, and steps back, away from them, without looking at Warren, who agrees, his smile growing.

"That's right. We can continue another day. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my tasks." He waves to everyone and walks to the door, taking the dirt-stained apron from the hanger. “Let me know when you want to continue.” He says before leaving, still smiling.

The three teachers remain silent until the door closes. Warren's footsteps disappear, and they can finally let the tension fall from their shoulders. They forget that Warren is lighter than he looks, and can become as silent as Logan when he wants to.

He hadn't intended to spy, of course not, that would have been disrespectful, and the last thing he wanted was to disrespect his hosts right now. However, he can't help it this time.

It didn't even take five minutes for him to leave before the X-Men started arguing. Angel sat on the roof of the Ice Castle, wings still folded against his back, legs crossed as he sat quietly over one of the windows in Bobby's office. He was not alone. Three bamfs joined him, nibbling on pieces of cake he had. They were nice enough to keep quiet, to not let the X-Men know of their presence.

"This isn't working." It was the first thing he heard from McCoy. He sounded tired and defeated.

"We can't stop.” Iceman immediately spoke up. Almost protesting. “He needs to remember things and the only way we can do that--"

"It's not working, Bobby." Summers stated, more acidic and rigid than McCoy.

"How do you know?!"

"Bobby. What do you think we're doing?" Hank asked, still gentle, but there was a hint of exasperation in his voice.

There was a very brief silence in the room. Maybe it was Bobby forming words in his mind that couldn't be used to express his frustration. McCoy spoke anyway, not giving him enough time to respond.

"We're not healing Warren, we're not fixing him, we're not helping him. We're shoving memories into his head, hoping it will release something stuck deep inside. But what if it doesn't work?!"

"What do you mean?! ‘If it doesn’t work’?” Iceman's voice almost became dangerous, mocking. “It has to work, if not, then why are we doing all this?”

“We are all trying everything to make Warren remember the past, we all promise to help in the sessions.”

Ms. Summers interrupted McCoy, sounding angrier than the scientist. "What if he really isn't the Warren he used to be? Those memories don't mean anything, then. It’s nothing but images."

On the roof, Angel shivered, lacing his fingers tightly in her lap. The bamfs continued to hang on their shoulders, singing softly in hysterical voices. Angel's empty eyes continued to scan the line of trees that painted the horizon, thinking deeply.

Images. He searched his mind for the memories he had received from the X-Men. Yes, he knew they were real, had been, a long time ago, and that he had experienced the same thing as them, but…

No, there was nothing. There were faces, and places, and feelings and meaning behind each one. But for him, it was like having a movie in his head. He tried, too hard, to connect with these memories. But there was nothing. Just images. Some of them so bad he wonders if it was a blessing he forgot them. Oh, what a selfish thing to think.

It took a few seconds of silence before Drake spoke, his voice becoming lower and more defensive. "These are the memories we share with him."

"It's not the same." Rachel said through her teeth, and Drake fell silent once again.

For a moment, he even thought the conversation was over, until McCoy spoke.

"Bobby, the Life Seed may have saved Warren's life, but do you know how it works?" He questioned, patiently, calmly. “In Warren's case, it cleanses all the impurities inflicted on him with the Death Seed, and to do that it has to get rid of everything bad in the body. According to Fantomex, Warren was infected and died, the Seed brought him back to life."

Angel frowned, letting his head fall. There was fire around him, and he was comfortable, it was better than being cold. That's how it all started for him. There was light and then there was him. Anything before that isn't real to him.

"And if he has no memories of anything from the last thirty years, that means... that maybe our friend isn't with us anymore."

He couldn't see what was happening inside the room, but he felt the air grow colder, ice sprouting on the roof of the window.

"Every moment we shared with him is unique, and each of us felt something different when it occurred. When we show it to him, it's a different feeling than he felt. A different feeling than he has toward that memory."

So, that's what he felt. Those feelings that accompanied memories. That pain and adoration.

Drake said something and fell into his chair with the sound of ice hitting metal. His voice was too low for Angel to understand.

Rachel replied, "I looked inside his mind. He's just trying to remember because he thinks he owes us this."

"We are not being too hard on him?" Hank asked. “Are we?”

Drake scoffs, loud and clear. "He thinks he's a goddamn angel. We need to help him, we can't leave him like this.” There were loud footsteps moving around the room. Angel frowned at his mocking and frustrated tone. “It's not fair, letting him believe he's something he's not, living in this ridiculous fantasy that he's an angel or whatever the hell he believes.”

“I think it's not fair for us to force him to be something he can't be.”

“What do you mean by that, Rachel?”

More steps, heavy this time. More ice grew on the wood of the window sill. Angel had to move so it wouldn't touch his bare feet. Inside the room, Drake had stood up and was staring at Rachel closely. The redhead kept her chin lifted to look into his eyes.

“Don't you realize? Warren is no longer Warren.” She said dryly, her voice aggressive but restrained. “He feels guilty for not remembering, I can see it in his head. The sessions are not working.” She placed a hand on Bobby's chest to push him away. “Warren is someone different now. He’s happy, I think he is, living among us, helping in the gardens, helping the children.”

“And we’re supposed to just accept it?” Bobby questioned in disbelief. “Let him live like this for the rest of his life, thinking he’s an angel? Without remembering us? From his family?”

“And what can we do, Bobby?! We are hurting him. You don't see how bad he feels hearing everyone refer to him by a name he doesn't recognize, with all these photos and memorabilia from the past. He knows we expect something from him, and unfortunately, he doesn't even know if he's capable of giving it to us.”

Warren jumped when the argument became more aggressive. The bamfs let out warning hisses and jumped off his shoulders, climbing the window and the side of the building to reach the ground. He thought the creatures had alerted the teachers to their presence. No, they were too focused on their conversation.

There was the sound of an ice hand slamming against the table. “We can try! We can at least let him get acquainted with us.”

“But that won’t change anything!” Rachel insisted, also raising her voice. McCoy was saying something, being drowned out by his two colleagues.

“Do you want to give up then? Do you want me to give up?”

“No, but you have–”

More ice grew on the walls. Drake's voice became more distorted. “No chance! I've lost him before! SO MANY TIMES!! I CANNOT LOSE MY FRIEND AGAIN!”

Angel shriveled, voices rumbling in his ears, making him shudder. It was time for him to leave, he had heard enough. Worse, he had already understood something important about his colleagues.

Inside the office, McCoy placed himself between Bobby and Rachel, the conversation already infuriating him beyond reason.

“Enough of this, both of you!” He ordered, pushing each one back, his fangs clearly exposed.

Drake blinked in surprise as the feral turned to him, his entire face scrunched up grimly.

“Bobby, I love Warren as much as you do, he's part of my family too. And it hurts me deeply not being able to help him, the possibility of not having the old Warren back.” Hank said, upset, but calm. “I don’t know how we’re going to deal with this. What matters is what’s best for Warren, what makes him safe, what makes him comfortable.”

“So we’re going to give up on memories?” Bobby asked for the last time.

“No, but let’s take a break.” Hank explained, wrapping an arm around his freezing shoulders. “He got used to X-Force, to just being an Angel. We'll give you time to get used to us. Maybe like this…” Hank closes his eyes briefly. “Maybe this will make you more comfortable with just being Warren again.”

Bobby couldn't control his frustration. The Ice Castle was already cold enough from the storm that had he grown inside the building. Now, the layer of ice that covered the floor, stairs, and doors was spreading into the classrooms. He had already received a mild complaint from Coral and Sway after their classrooms had become unusable.

He was actually trying to undo the damage, walking around the building, absorbing or melting ice and snow. A very boring and time-consuming job, but it was a great way to keep him distracted. Something to keep his mind occupied and not let him think about why he was so angry.

Unfortunately, the reason for his terrible mood came walking up to him with that same sweet smile and empty eyes, shivering from head to toe.

"Iceman." Warren called. Bobby stopped at the top of the frozen stairs. And Warren stood below, wearing only his pants and a light shirt. "I’m sorry for interrupting, I know you have classes to teach, I'll be brief. I just wanted to apologize for upsetting you."

Bobby frowned. “Upset me? Warren, you—” He took a deep breath to calm his mind. Walking down a few steps, he spoke as sincerely as he could. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Warren couldn’t believe it. He knew he had, somehow. He had done something he didn’t really understand, and he was upsetting Drake, and everyone else, with his mere presence. They were avoiding him, he knew. Telling him to stay in the garden with Toynbee, or just join the classes if it was Cannonball’s. What else could be the reason?

“I did. I’m sorry I can’t remember anything, and for causing you and your friends so much distress. I know you’re upset.” He said gently. “I can see it clearly, in your face and in your soul.”

Warren tilts his head, looking intently at the man of ice. The light around him was changing again. The first time they met, Drake had a bright glow, he was happy to see him, though Angel didn’t know why at the time. As time passed, the light died. It would sometimes glow, but mostly, when they crossed paths, it would die again.

Right now, it was almost gone.

The ice spreads. Angel hears the small rustle of crystals growing and breaking. His skin freezes and he hugs himself to stop the shaking of his body. Bobby stares at him, now letting his true feelings show.

“So, now you can see my soul too?” Drake asks with deep sarcasm, going down another step. He is so tired of this situation. It irritates him even more when the winged mutant confirms with a nod and that bright smile, now a little hesitant.

“Of course, I’m an angel.”

His patience runs out. Bobby throws his arms up in the air, his voice rising. “Oh, for the love of god, Warren! Can you stop with this angel talk?! I know you don’t remember a damn thing from your past, but getting to the point of believing you’re a real angel is crazy!”

Warren’s eyes widen at his outburst. Not in anger, not yet. Bobby hates how hard it is to upset him, because it says a lot about him. The old Warren wouldn't let him talk like that, he used to butt heads with Scott all the time. Now, he just accepts his harsh words. He'd give anything for Warren to stand up to him again.

“But… I'm—” Warren stutters, uncertain.

“No, you're not.” Bobby interrupts him. He walks down the stairs and stands face to face with his friend, never lowering his voice. “You're a mutant, just like the rest of us, you're just confused. I don't know where this 'angel' thing came from, all I know is that you have to stop confusing yourself and confusing the rest of our friends.”

It’s enough. Finally, he sees Warren frown in anger. Looking more like his old self. Finally, Bobby breaks through that barrier and Warren loses it.

Pushing him away, he forgets the cold, keeping a hand on Drake’s chest to keep him away. “I’m not confused, Drake. Not about who I am. I know damn well who I am, it seems like you’re the one who doesn’t. You and the X-Men.” He says through white teeth.

Bobby rolls his eyes and grabs his hand, freezing it. “Please. This is ridiculous. Do you really think you’re an angel. That you can perform miracles and shit?” He pushes Warren’s hand away and lets out a dry laugh. “For God’s sake, you actually tried to bring a dog back to life.”

Red blooms in Warren’s face. “And I would have succeeded, if you hadn’t interfered.”

“You would have been arrested or something!” Bobby screams. “For the last time, you’re not an angel!”

Warren’s wings unfold fully with a sharp sound, metal extending behind his frame, making him larger, metal blades bristling and moving like the fur of an agitated cat.

“Then what am I? Tell me, because I have no idea!” Warren leans in close, making Bobby recoil in shock. “I don’t know anything about myself, I have no memories, I don’t even have a name. You call me by that name, but I have no connection to it, or to this place.” He continues to move closer, pushing Bobby back toward the stairs. “I don’t know anything. But I’m trying, I’m really trying, to remember this so-called life you say I lived.”

Bobby’s back hits the railing of the stairs. He goes silent as Warren stands in front of him, his wings still moving as he pours his frustration out on him.

“You think you’re the only one affected by my situation, Iceman? Try to put yourself in my place. But I don’t think you can.” Warren scoffs, shaking his head. “Ever since I got here, you’ve either avoided me or treated me like I’m still Warren Worthington, or like I’m some silly child!”

His voice echoes off the empty walls of the building. Ice crystals clink overhead, and he realizes the temperature has fallen again. Slowly backing away, he sees Drake’s ice form change into something smaller, less dangerous, the white coating on his body becoming smoother.

He looks down the hall. The painting he’s seen so many times, of Warren and his friends, stares back. Bobby stays quiet, unable to find anything to say. Nothing left to say.

The metal wings slowly close, Angel stares at him in silence. That light he saw is still dim, almost gone.

“I’m sorry if I can’t remember anything.” He turns his back on Drake, shaking again, and walks back toward the Ice Castle exit, his voice more serious than he’s heard it in months. “Maybe it was for the best. Maybe it was a blessing.” He ponders and slams the double doors of the entrance.

His chest hurts in a way he doesn’t remember feeling before. He doesn’t know if it’s anger, confusion, or disappointment. The only thing he’s certain about is: He knows who he is. It’s them, these people, the X-Men who don’t know. They think they do, but Angel knows they’re wrong. The only way to prove it is to show that he really is an angel.

“I know who I am.”

He spreads his wings and takes off, going as high as he can, beyond the towers surrounding the school.

Few moments before.

Paige clapped slowly as Julian finished presenting their essay, smiling to give him confidence. Not that he minded. Half the class was pretending to write their essays, the other half was too focused to care about him speaking in front of the class.

Broo had also joined in and clapped his paws, and that was when Julian felt his cheeks heat up.

“Julian, as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm for discussing the subject, let’s try to keep the language appropriate,” Paige said gently, still sitting at Logan’s desk.

Julian handed her the sheets of paper, grumbling. “I didn’t write anythin’ wrong.” True, their writing was as formal as the work reports their mother used to write.

“Yes, the problem is the way you presented the oral paper,” Paige said, her smile crooked. Creed waited for her to finish correcting their essay about Blue Marvel’s career end.

“Maybe I went a little overboard.”

“But I admire how hard you tried.” Paige handed him the papers, squinting to make sure she really saw the boy’s ears actually flapping as they walked back to their table. With Julian seated, she turned to the rest of the class. “Who else finished their essay?” She asked, and Broo lifted his paw in the air a millisecond later. “Go ahead, sweetie.”

Broo jumped from his seat, and Idie helped him pull a stack of papers so thick it looked like a book off the desk. Paige’s eyes widened at the sight. The little alien cleared his throat and began in a polite voice.

“The title of my essay is "‘Oh, to Fly Among the Stars!’, a complete history of the Nova Corps, and a brilliant explanation of why I should join their ranks, by Broo the Broodling.” He smiled and flipped over a sheet. “Page 1 of 64.”

Paige leaned across the desk, extending her hand to him. “Broo, you know you can summarize for the class, and I’ll read your written essay, right?”

“No, no.” Broo shook his head, smiling. “I’d like to share my essay with my classmates.”

No one was really paying attention to her presentation besides the teacher. Idie sat at the very front of the row of chairs, only occasionally paying attention to show her support for Broo. She didn’t want to have to present her essay in front of everyone, so she hoped Broo’s presentation would take long enough to waste the rest of the class time.

She gathered her papers in her hands and turned to her left. Julian was using his claws to draw an angry little face on the wood back of his chair. Across their shared desk, Evan was typing on the tablet provided by the teacher, either very focused or worried.

“Evan, are you done with your essay?” She asked, leaning into the space between their rows of chairs.

Evan barely looked up from his tablet to answer her. “Hm? Not yet.” He mumbled and continued writing. He glanced at Julian when his claws slid out and made a loud noise. The feral ignored him.

Idie approached them, sliding her chair closer. With the conversations going on among the students, Husk wasn’t paying attention to them, just listening to Broo talk passionately about the Nova.

“What are you writing about? I don’t know much about the super community, so I wrote about the founding of Utopia.” Idie showed her handwritten essay.

“I wrote about the original X-Factor.” Evan showed the tablet screen, switching between his essay and the X-Men file tabs. Idie narrowed her eyes. She could have sworn she saw a redhead woman that reminded her a lot of Hope.

“Isn’t it more practical to write on paper?”

“I prefer to do this on the tablet, it’s easier if I use the grammar checker.” Evan replied, concentration increasing. “I’ll be finished soon, just a minute.”

Evan raised his hand to tell the teacher he was done, and at that moment, class came to an end. Broo put down his essay and sighed, handing Paige the papers. The teacher stood and waved her hands in the air before the class could flee the classroom, and the school grounds.

“I’ll take your essays and give them to Professor Logan. Maybe he’ll let you present them in front of the class in the next Tuesday, if he doesn’t have plans already.”

Evan didn’t get up from his chair, still typing on his tablet. Julian was putting their belongings in their backpack and talking over the cacophony of teenage voices. The feral’s eyes fell on him, and Evan continued to stare at the tablet, his back arched to hide the content. Evan didn’t know if the intensity of Julian’s gaze was because of what he was doing, but he hoped his friend wouldn’t give him away.

No, Julian turned his back on him and continued talking to Idie and Broo. Evan felt bad, but was grateful that Julian ignored him this time.

Paige continued to pick up essays and try to get the students to leave in an orderly fashion. “Don’t forget to leave your tablets here, unless you’re going to use them to finish your essays, then you need to return them later.” The students crowded around her. Julian, Idie, and Broo walked past her desk and she tried to get their attention. “Idie, I would like to—”

Suddenly, Idie remembered she had to do something important and picked up her pace, leading Broo and Julian out of the classroom with her, talking loudly about their plans for after school. Paige sighed and dismissed the rest of the kids, gathering their essays to go and give it to Logan in his office.

The last few students were leaving when she noticed Evan still sitting in his chair. He was focused, keeping his head down as if he was doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

“Evan, class is over.” She walked around Logan’s desk, papers in her arms. Hope and Roxy were the last to exit the room, leaving them alone.

Evan raised his red eyes to the teacher, quickly watching his classmates leave, watching him over their shoulders before they disappeared out of the room, muttering something. Great, more students were suspicious of him.

Feeling guilty of something he hadn’t even done, he tightened his fingers around the tablet and began closing the research tabs. “I know, ma’am. I’m just finishing up here,” he said, wincing as Paige stopped beside his desk.

“You can take the— Oh.” She stopped, wide eyes freezing on his blue hands.

Evan cringed even more and stopped trying to hide what he was doing. He just let the tension fall on his shoulders and Paige react the way he expected. The tablet trembled in his hands, and he set it down on the desk, allowing Paige to see that he was reading through every file the X-Men and X-Factor had on Apocalypse.

Involuntarily, Husk glanced between his student and the picture of the man they all feared, all the similarities between them. The only glaring difference was that while Apocalypse had those cold, lifeless eyes, Evan's, the same shades of red, held innocence and fear.

She touched his shoulder and sat down in Julian's chair next to him. "Honey, are you okay?"

Evan kept his head down, clenching his hands into fists on the table. "To be honest, Professor... I am not." He admitted weakly.

Husk kept his hand on his back, comforting him or just letting him vent. She didn't know what was coming. Logan had warned them to never let Evan get close to anything that could reveal his true origins, and to get him away from anything immediately. Fortunately, it wasn't the headmaster who caught him researching things he shouldn't, she believed he would react the wrong way and scare Evan even more.

But it wasn’t his fault. She couldn’t scold him for something like that, for being curious.

Paige waited a little longer until Evan decided to speak.

He was scared. That he would get in trouble for breaking the invisible rules Logan had created for him. Or that the bubble of tension that follows him would burst and everyone would turn against him, that the fear his peers already feel would get worse.

The truth is, he doesn’t care—or tries not to care—about what other people think of him. How they make fun of him behind his back. Evan knows who he is, and where he came from, he just doesn’t want others to fear him, as if he were the great villain he wasn’t, as if he were a monster.

Uncle Cluster said that everyone is born with a role to play. They are all meant to be something. Evan knows what he is. Still, he’s afraid of being wrong about it.

“Everyone seems to think I look a lot like this man, Apocalypse.” He says, scrolling through the screen to see more pictures. Some of them are of ancient murals taken in a cave. He reads ‘Tunnels of Krakoa’ under one of them. “I’ve been reading about him lately. He’s a villain, and he fought the X-Men. He seems like a horrible man when you read about him. I’m a little confused, I admit.” Evan puts down the tablet and turns to Husk, meeting her apprehensive gaze. “When I look at these pictures, I can see a similarity between us. A lot of similarities.”

He looks down at his hands. This Apocalypse guy’s face is old and cold, with emotionless eyes. They make him seem less like a real person. The marks on his cheeks catch his attention, and he absently runs his fingers over his own face.

Husk moves closer to him to draw his attention away from the pictures. “Maybe… you should talk to the headmaster about this, Evan.”

Of course not. What would he say? Wolverine would probably get defensive and ignore him. Maybe even call Uncle Cluster to take Evan away, because why would he still keep him there now that he already knows the truth? Evan wanted more than anything to see his parents and uncles again, but he didn't want to be separated from his friends without any explanation, just because he was too curious and broke a rule.

"It's okay, Ms. Guthrie." He assured Husk, speaking with determination. "I don't care what people say. This isn't me. I would never, ever become a villain. Not in a million years."

Husk took his hand from her back, not knowing what to say. She smiled, still weakly, at his words. Innocent, but true. There was a knock on the door that startled them both. Mortimer was waiting to clean up any mess in the room.

Evan stood up and handed her the tablet. "I know who I am. My mom and dad raised me to be a good person." He smiled weakly and picked up his backpack. "Nothing will change that."

Idie and Julian sat against the statue of Jean Grey, waiting for Broo to finish putting all his books in his locker. The hallways were messier than on weekdays, and he didn't want to drag them back into the school, so he told them to wait for him outside. And Evan too.

Julian was nervous, no one could tell. Idie noticed he was bouncing his leg and using his claws to scratch the back of his hand. Unintentionally, he made Idie nervous, too.

"He's hiding something, isn't he?" She asked, already knowing.

Julian was looking past the main gate, ears perked for when Evan would join them. If he wasn't there in five minutes, they'd just assume Husk took him to Wolverine after catching him hunting something he shouldn't have.

They shouldn't have left him alone. But it was either leaving Idie with Husk, or Evan.

"Yeah.” They answered dryly. "But I don't want to get involved."

Idie kept her bag between her arms and leaned against Julian’s shoulder. “Evan’s worried. And you know why.”

Julian gave her a gentle push. “Yeah, he asked me not to tell you anythin’. He’s still trying to deal with it.”

Idie huffed and backed off, raising her hands in the air, indicating that she would let the subject drop. Truthfully, she was a little upset and worried that Evan and Julian were hiding something from the rest of them, but she had to remember herself that she was too, and that they didn’t know each other well enough.

“Okay. I’m going to Salem Center with Broo. And Kubark.” She looked up. The prince was floating near one of the towers, yelling something at Warvird. Julian huffed beside her. Idie stood with her bag over one shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

“No. What you’re going to bring me?” Julian stood up too.

“I don’t know. Ms. Lullaby gave me money to buy something.” Idie smiled widely. “I saw a stand selling candy at the fair. Do you like sweets?”

“I do, obvious. And why does Lullaby give you money?”

“Because she’s nice. I won’t ask, I don’t want to be rude, so I thank her.” Idie shrugged and came closer, too excited for Julian’s liking, she was sure. “Anyway, does Hunter like sweets? Can Evan eat sweets?”

“Hunter does too, a lot. And Evan? He seems to like it.” Julian tried to remember if he had ever seen him eat anything sweet besides ice cream. They didn’t have that many options at school.

Idie didn’t want to waste any time. She saw Broo running up to them without his backpack. “Great! Let’s go, Broo.” She grabbed her friend’s paw and waved goodbye to Creed.

“What about your mass, friend?” Broo picked up his pace to keep up with her.

“I can go on Sunday. Julian, don’t get into any more trouble!” Idie shouted over her shoulder, running across the garden. Two shadows flew over their heads. “Kubark, let’s go!”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Frosty!” The prince followed her, still flying. Ava’Dara complained about something in their language.

Julian didn’t wait any longer. As soon as they disappeared between the trees, he turned to go after Evan, already expecting something to have happened. To his relief, and the patience of the teachers, Evan appeared at the entrance, holding his backpack and a lunch box.

“Aren’t you going to the city with the rest?” Julian greeted him and sniffed the food without hiding it.

“I’m not in the mood to go.” Evan said with his shoulders slumped, looking at his sneakers.

“Is it because of the… thing with Apocalypse and shit? Or what that idiot said in class?”

Evan didn’t even remember exactly what the boy sitting behind him had said, but he had a feeling Julian would solve this in his own way. It was a nice gesture, in a way.

“No.” He shook his head. His friend’s shoulders slumped as well, tucking his hands into his skirt. Evan sighed. “I’m not mad at you, Julian. I’m just trying to process this. And no, I don’t care what anyone says about me.”

“I think you do.”

Evan pouted. He didn’t look threatening at all, it made Julian want to laugh.

“Don’t you wanna talk to Logan about it?”

Evan rolled his eyes. Since when would Julian suggest something like that? He must be really worried about him, then.

“And how would I do that? I think if I mention it, he’ll try to avoid me. I have a bad feeling about all of this. And I know the teachers are hiding something, I just don’t know how to deal with it.”

“Logan can’t hide things from you. Especially somethin’ this important.” Julian said bitterly.

They sat down on the grass, leaning against the statue. The school was quieter without the students. Evan glanced sideways at Julian, his friend closed their eyes and their ears twitched with sounds he could never catch.

“How do you do it?” Evan asks. “How do you deal with all these rumors?”

“I think I’m used to it.” Julian shrugs, his eyes still closed. “People not liking my family, the things they say.”

“Doesn’t it bother you? Being blamed for something you’re not responsible for?”

Julian frowns and his ears fall back. “I deal with it my own way. No matter what these people say, I know my family, I’m not ashamed of it, so I ignore it.”

He holds the fang necklace over his chest and squeezes. Evan hadn’t paid much attention to it until now, there were five fangs hanging from it, separated by beads. He smiles at the thought of a little Julian making the necklace with his father, like they said he had done.

Creed turns their head to him. “You know, people will attack you using your insecurities, things that make you feel bad, but if you have confidence and don’t let it affect you, they won’t be able to hurt you.” He said, their face softening. “They want to hurt you, don’t let them.”

“It’s not that easy, Julian.” Evan sighed and hugged his knees.

“Well, I don’t know any other way. Other than facing it head on.”

“I’m not a violent person.”

“I know.” Julian said in a calm tone. They bumped Evan’s shoulder with his in a friendly way. “It’s not a bad thing.”

Above the school, rising beyond the towers, and beyond the highest clouds, Angel continued to advance, flapping his metal wings to stay in the air. He had a plan in mind. A plan that would be madness to everyone else, especially those who were doubting him, but that was why he was doing it, rising higher and higher, ignoring his lungs running out of air and his vision getting dimmer.

He couldn't breathe, his wings were failing and becoming heavier. He couldn't stop though, he had to get to his own, that's what he told himself, desperate to prove to Drake and the others that he knows the truth.

Angel keeps trying, trying his hardest, until everything goes black, and he lets out one last breath before his body becomes lighter.

Back in the safety of the school, Evan said goodbye to Julian and headed to the gardens with a lunch box in hand. There was no one taking care of the plants like Ms. Coral said there would be. Mortimer must be with Krakoa, but Angel had also disappeared.

He places the lunch box on the table in one of the greenhouses. "Angel, you didn't go get your lunch today. Miss Coral asked me to bring it to you, along with these seeds." He shouted at the glass walls, taking a small envelope with seeds from his pocket. “I would also like to ask you a question, if you have time.”

Outside, he heard bamfs hissing and talking in those sharp voices that no one could understand. Evan went out to see what the commotion was this time, they were agitated, and as soon as they saw him, they ran to him and started pulling at the hem of his pants.

"What's wrong, bamfs? Where's Angel?" He asked, picking up one of them, one that was trying to climb his trunk. The rest of the bamfs pointed upwards. Evan tilted his head back and his eyes widened as he saw a figure fall from the sky at high speed. He looked around in panic and found himself alone. He's going to have to do it, right?

Throwing the bamf back onto the grass - and ignoring its protest - Evan ran towards the falling person.

"Oh no! Don't worry!" He shouted into the air and stopped just below, realizing that those were Angel's metal wings. His panic increased, and he struggled to use his powers in time.

Starting to fly wasn't the challenge, it was never the hardest part. Evan just needed to pick up a boost, and he was already in the air. The difficult part was maintaining speed. He moved too fast towards Angel, and he was already afraid he would pass right by him when they collided. Evan let out a surprised grunt and wrapped his arms around the older mutant. The wings made him heavier and harder to hold.

"Gotcha!" Evan diverted his route back to the gardens. Moving too fast, with extra weight, it felt like he was sinking.

Kubark had already taught him to slow down before landing. So Evan tried a simple turn. Which was very difficult and he and Angel hit the ground and rolled onto the grass.

Incredible, if the lack of air didn't cause damage, the landing did.

Evan crawled over to Angel, checking him out. Bamfs surrounded them and jumped at the winged mutant, hysterically screaming something. To Evan's surprise, they were trying to wake Angel with non-aggressive pats on his face.

Angel moved his head and opened his eyes, taking a good, deep breath, before sitting up, a little dizzy. He brushed his hair out of his face and noticed the boy next to him. “Evan?” The bamfs cheered and jumped into his arms, leaving him confused. “Oh, hello…”

Evan smiled. Letting out a hiss of pain, he pulled one knee to his chest. Blood welled up from a nasty scratch on his dark blue skin. The bamfs surrounded him to look, curious. Their yellow eyes widened as the wound began to close.

Evan was also surprised. He didn't remember being able to do that. Since when can he do this?

"What happened?" Angel asked, still breathing with difficult.

Evan has left his injury - which is no longer a wound - aside for now. “You fell from the sky, you could have hurt yourself.”

Angel nodded, looking between them, the bamfs, and the clouds above. “I must have… passed out.” He smiled at the boy. “Thanks for helping me, Evan. I don’t know how to thank you, actually.”

“You could start by teaching me how to fly better. I think I need some extra lessons.” Evan laughed and sat down more comfortably. “I’m sorry about the terrible landing.”

Angel promised him it wasn't a problem. The two remained silent as they regained their strength, the bamfs settling around them and in their laps, talking in a way that no one else could understand.

"Are you all right? You’re not hurt, are you?" Evan asks when he sees that Angel is calmer.

His face is hidden behind his hair, with a terrible expression in place of that bright smile. "No, I am perfectly fine."

"What's wrong, Angel? You look sad."

Angel leans against his arms behind his back, looking up at the clouds.

“I… I was trying to fly to heaven.” He says with a bit of shame. “I believed that if I were a real angel, I might be able to do it. But I couldn't. It seems like Iceman was right. I’m not an angel, or an X-man. I'm nothing." He says bitterly and turns his gaze to the bamf in his lap.

Evan looks away too, not knowing what to say to comfort him.

“It’s confusing.” Angel continues, looking between his hands, searching for something only he can see. “I don't remember anything. But I'm surrounded by friends. And, yet I feel lonely and confused.“ Angel sighs and lets his hands fall into his lap, he looks back at Evan, who has a distressed and guilty expression. "I'm sorry, Evan. I shouldn't be--" He hurries to say, but Evan interrupts him with choked words.

“It’s my fault. Forgive me.” The boy says, almost desperately. The bamfs raise their heads and hiss, while Anjo just blinks. “Don’t you remember? I should have helped you, but I hurt you. That’s why you lost your memory. I should have helped you more.”

Angel shakes his head. "I don't remember what happened to me months ago. My incident. But I'm sure it wasn't your fault." He says it with confidence. Evan tries to protest, but he holds up a hand between them. "The weight of the consequences of this accident should not fall on the shoulders of someone so young. It was a war, and you ended up in the middle of it."

Evan's shoulders slump. He reluctantly accepts his words, despite still feeling like it's his fault, he can't argue with Angel.

"Funny. That... is one of the things I'm more sure of than anything. Despite my lack of memory. I know it's not your fault." Angel smiles and pats his shoulder.

"I still can't believe it." Evan says bitterly.

Angel shakes his head to the side and sits closer, indicating he's listening.

"The other kids call me names behind my back, Angel. They call me a horrible name, and I don't know why. Kid Apocalypse." Evan says the name in disgust, not noticing that Angel frowns, the name sounding familiar. “It doesn't make sense. I'm just a boy from Kansas wanting to do good.”

Evan moves closer, holding one of Angel's arms between his hands. "I came to ask a favor." He says, a little desperately. "None of my friends talk to me about it. But you... I remember one time you said you can see special things."

Angel understands what he means. "Yes. I can. I don't know how. If I'm a mutant, maybe that's part of my ability." He ponders, looking down at his hands once again. Evan approaches, but doesn't see anything in his hands beyond the ordinary.

"How does this work?"

Angel thinks for a while. The bamf on his lap is comfortable and the rest of his little blue friends are paying attention to the conversation. They won't do any harm, so there's no need to expel them. Angel looks down at his lap and, without needing to make any effort, he sees that all bamfs have a dark aura, despite their playful personality. That's probably why everyone treats them like pests.

“When I look at myself... I see something different.” Angel says, moving his hands in the air. “And not just me. Everyone here has their... auras? I thought I could see their spirits. Or their souls, but it seems it’s not that.”

He looks at the school, looking for students, most have left, but he sees the purple-skinned twins walking near the lake. When he focuses more, he sees the same light he finds in Drake.

"However, I'm sure there is something more." He says finally, sighing.

"What do you see?" Evan asks, even more curious, more desperate.

"When I look at my hands, I see something that I can find in all of our colleagues. I can also see something else there that I can't find in anyone else. Just in..."

“In who?"

"In Professor Chamber. The Creed brothers. In that chatty little boy with pink hair. And in you."

Angel's empty eyes don't meet Evan's red ones. He keeps searching for that light he sees in everyone, even though they are largely the same, there are still students who are different. Like the red-haired boy and his bodyguard, and the smiling little creature, they don't fit in with anyone else. Sure, Creed and Chamber still stand out from the rest of the mutants, but they still fit in among them perfectly.

"Miss Summers is also unique. I've never seen anything like it before." He says, remembering that when he used this 'skill' of his on Rachel, he was amazed at the light that came from her. It almost blinded him, and he was a little scared.

Evan moved closer to him, still holding his arm. "What do you see when you look at me?" He asks, and Angel keeps his eyes on the ground, thinking. Evan noticed this hesitation and insisted, "Tell the truth."

Slowly, Angel looked up, slowly meeting Evan's innocent face, still using his ability that he didn't yet understand. His heart dropped as red surrounded everything around him, and a different face than the boy in front of him stared back at him.

Cold eyes replaced Evan's gentle ones. He didn't know that face, couldn't remember it, but he still felt nauseous.

He blinked and Evan's face returned. Angel smiled, weakly, his voice almost cracking.

"I see only goodness in you. When you show up, you stand out from the rest. I think you're a very special boy, Evan."

Evan finally smiled, relieved. His arms stretched out and wrapped around Angel's torso, pulling him into a tight hug that almost knocked the air out of his lungs, the bamfs teleported away.

"Thank you. You are truly an angel. And most importantly, a really cool friend!"

The winged mutant hugged him back, hesitantly. "I'm not an angel, Evan. I'm just a mutant."

"It's not a bad thing. Is it?" Evan asked sadly, remembering what Idie had said a few days ago.

“I keep trying to figure it out.” Angel pulled away and smiled at him.

“And that’s the end. Thanks for listening, friends.” Broo said after spending half an hour reciting his essay. Sitting on the grass beside him under Evan's tree, his friends clapped with varying levels of excitement, making him giggle.

“You really memorized all that.” Julian commented, with genuine admiration. Hunter pinched him on the arm, keeping his attention on Broo.

"The teacher didn’t let you present in class?”

“She praised my effort, but said I should be careful with the number of pages.” Broo said, a little disappointed. His smile grew as he saw yet another figure join them. “Hello, friend Evan.”

Everyone turned to greet him. Kubark was floating upside down, Idie was finishing her philosophy reading, holding her bag against her body to keep something hidden. Evan smiled at everyone and sat down between her and Hunter.

"Hello."

“Are you feeling better?” Julian asked with that bored tone.

“Weren’t you feeling well, friend?” Broo was worried.

Evan shrugged. "Not a lot. There are some things I have to deal with, personal things, and it was bringing me down.”

Idie touched his shoulder. “Have you resolved these personal matters?”

Evan looked around among his friends, feeling touched that everyone was worried about him, really. His cheeks heated. “Not yet, and I don’t know how I’ll do it, to be honest. But… I'll find out. I just need time.”

“Anything you need, you can talk to us, friend!” Broo promised. Idie agreed and started to open her bag, which caught the attention of Kubark, who seemed to be almost asleep in midair.

"Finally!" He spun in the air to sit, waiting impatiently for Idie to open her bag.

"Thanks." Evan said and looked at her curiously. “What do you have there, Idie?”

“Brownies. Do you like it?" Idie delivered a package to the Creeds, to Kubark and Broo, ignoring when Warbird came marching in to demand to know 'what kind of poison she was giving the prince'. ”I went to Salem Center to find something to cheer Hunter up.”

“It’s working.” The younger feral said with his cheeks full of chocolate. Idie nodded at him and turned to Evan, hiding him one sweet as well.

“I also got one for you. I saw that you were sad, so I… wanted to do the same for you.” She explained, shyly, hoping he would take that well.

“Oh. Thank you, Idie.” Evan giggled and accepted the present.

"You’re welcome, Evan.” Idie smiled back.

Chapter Text

“What are you doing here so early?” There's surprise on Henry's furry face when he finds Logan in the gardens, sitting under a new tree in front of his office window. “Right now, you'd be holed up in your office, avoiding the kids." He says as he bends down, resting his hands on his knees and grunting.

One of Krakoa's red eyes blinks at him from beneath the ground, Hank nods, and the island is pleased with the attention. Logan offers a cigarette from his shirt pocket and Hank nods politely.

“I have to catch up on these history lessons from the time I was away.” Logan explains, biting down hard on his cigar, and shows off some of the papers he had with him. “Damn, I asked Doop to take care of things for me, so the kids wouldn't get left behind, and the only thing he did was pass movies."

Hank drops his shoulders and nods. It had been a nightmare (nothing as bad as they were used to) while Logan was gone. They had fewer teachers and staff members than before, and not everyone had given up on X-Man work, so it was always a matter of guessing how many staff members would be available for the day.

Cannonball was still with the New Mutants, Darwin, Petra, and Sway consisted of their own team, and lately it seems like Rachel has been busy with other things and refusing to tell them what it is. Hank had a vague suspicion that it was something to do with Scott or Utopia, but he wasn't going to bring it up or question it. She was stressed out a lot lately, for mysterious reasons.

"Yeah, we took him off the role after three days and had Lullaby take over your classes." He sighed and ran his claws over his furry shoulder, tugging at the fur. “I think it was for the best, I don't want Mr. Quire and Mr. Keller threatening a riot over having to watch "Saving Private Ryan" so many times. "

"Why not? It's a classic."

Hank gave him a stern look. "Doop s played Carl Rinsch’ 47 Ronins, Julian Creed and Match tried to set him on fire."

"Fair." Logan grumbled immediately with a sneer.

"I think Noriko was successful in getting to him after he tried to play 'The Exorcist II’." Hank rubbed his chin with a claw.

"For God's sake." Logan growled, no longer finding it funny. Taking a pen from his pocket, he quickly started writing down which classes he would have to make up for later. “I will have more work than before.” He thought bitterly, looking at Hank out of the corner of his eye. “And have you seen Bobby and Coral? I asked them to update me on the finances yesterday, and they didn’t.”

“Coral, I don’t know. I think she took fifth grade for an outdoor's class.” Hank responded. Logan sighed and continued with his work, waiting for Hank to continue, but he didn't.

Krakoa's red eyes were moving between the two men, the island felt a strangeness between them that it could not understand, nor did it want to get involved with this time. Miss. Coral told him that he shouldn't worry about adult matters, or he might get sad. Thus, it let out a loud yawn that shook the earth and shrank into a mound the size of an anthill, snoring softly beneath Hank's feet.

The furry feral smiled, finding the island cute, but his mood wasn't very good this morning, with so many problems for him to solve, he feels like he's carrying a lot on his shoulders. He had always felt this way, since he was sixteen, since he first set foot on Graymalkin Lane. No wonder he feels so old, he sighs at the thought, letting his shoulders slump.

“This morning, Bobby was helping Rachel with Warren’s psychic sessions.”

Logan looks up at the tree line ahead, clenching his cigarette between his fingers. “And how are we doing? Did he… remember anything?”

Hank almost snorts. “I believe that ‘remember’ is not the right word.” He clasps his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees casually. “We have updated him on everything that has happened in recent years, at his request. He has been trying really hard, I decided to take a break for a week, it will be good for him. But… no progress.”

The news makes Logan lower his head a little, killing the low expectations he had. He just lights the cigarette, jaw clenched so tight it could hurt, he gets lost in thought, almost forgetting about the stack of papers in his lap. Hank continues, sounding more upset than before.

“To be honest, Logan, I believe there is no way to recover Warren’s memories.” He turns his head to his old friend, giving him a stern and even resentful look. “But we were already aware of that, weren’t we?” He asks sarcastically, his fangs emerging behind his lips. Logan frowns, ready to ask what he means by that, until Hank continues. “There’s something else I need to talk to you about. It’s about Evan and the Creeds.”

"If it's about-" Logan growls, and Hank cuts him off, raising his voice.

“He already knows.”

“Evan? Knows what? How much does he know?”

“Not everything.” Hank shakes his head sternly. “But, there’s no hiding this from him much longer. Just now, Miss. Johasson and Mr. Quire came to tell me that during Rachel's class, Martha entered Evan's mind. And she found some curious things about him.”

“What did she see?” Wolverine narrows his eyes, looking back at the trees instead of Hank.

“Everything he thinks is true. His parents, Kansas, Uncle Cluster. A few lies, about X-Force, his birth, his parents’ whereabouts.” McCoy responds sharply. “However, now Evan knows that he shares physical characteristics with Apocalypse. He knows that there is something deeply wrong with him. And that we’ve been lying to him this whole time.”

"How?" Logan asks, exasperated. “There would be no way for him to know. All students have been warned not to talk about this shi–” he stops abruptly, rolling his eyes tightly. “It was Quire, wasn’t it?”

There's anger in him, Hank can feel it, but not only that. Something more like impotence. That feeling like everything is slipping out of your control and there's nothing you can do.

Hank confirms slowly. Logan brings the cigarette to his lips, breathing deeply to have something else to think about other than how much he's going to scold that nosy boy.

“Yes, Quentin has a hand in this. But you are also underestimating Evan if you believe he could keep it a secret for long.” Hank almost scolds him. Logan turns to him and the two stare at each other in silence for a minute, and soon Hank can no longer hold back his displeasure with the whole situation. “He's not a foolish child, Logan. None of them are.”

By god, what did he think was going to happen? Hank would really like to hit him on the top of the head for thinking he could keep a secret like that for so long. That Evan would never notice that the other kids were afraid of him, that they avoided him and whispered things about him, his face, his powers. And Hank is sure to say it clearly to the immortal, ignoring the way Logan looks away at his stern words.

“Rachel and Kitty were right. God, Quentin was right.” He snorts, not believing he was saying that. “Do you know what others call him? Kid Apocalypse.”

"God." Wolverine whispers. Unable to stay still much longer, he places the stack of papers on the grass and pushes his knees to stand up, taking a few steps away from Hank, facing the woods. Krakoa opens one eye, sleepily, feeling the tension increase.

“He asked Julian. Martha saw it in his mind.” Logan looks back, eyebrows furrowed, and Hank doesn't like it one bit. “Julian said he looks like Apocalypse, they don't know anything else, but it seems like Evan has started to draw his own conclusions. He has been spending a lot of time in the library, reading, researching.”

So far, Evan hasn't found anything major. There would be no way. Any file about Apocalypse is safe with the X-Men in the War Room, or in history books that were either destroyed in the museum, or are locked up in New Okkara.

And soon Xuân would arrive to take over as librarian, she would be sure to keep an eye on Evan, or Julian and anyone else who tried to hack their systems like Quentin tried to do during summer. Which didn't make him feel good about it, having to keep secrets and lie to the students.

“Besides, Hunter also came to ask me if we have any news about his father.”

Logan's eyes widen slightly, his eyebrows furrowing even more, in surprise or anger, Hank knows he wasn't expecting it. Or hope so, just don't want to have to deal with it. Face it, maybe he'd been wrong about the Creeds for so long. It wouldn't be good for his ego.

“And I said that ‘we haven’t heard from him in two years’ and that I would ‘tell them if I found something’. His senses are not as delicate as Julian's, however, I'm sure he could smell my lie.”

Logan turns away again. Krakoa sinks deeper into the ground until it disappears from sight.

Pushing off the ground, Hank also stands, placing his hands in the pockets of his yellow uniform pants. “There is no way to keep this charade any longer. At one point or another, we’ll have to sit them and talk. Not just them, there are other things that you keep under the carpet. And I helped you hide it.” He says bitterly, not holding back the growl that leaves his lips.

Logan turned to him abruptly, spreading his arms wide in the air. “And what do you want me to do, Hank?!” He asks in a sour, aggressive tone. “Sit the three of them here and just shove the truth down their throats? Do you think they will trust us after this?”

“They no longer trust us.” Hank reminds him. The blue hair on his shoulders rises, almost imperceptibly. “The Creeds don’t trust, and Evan is starting to resent our decisions. your decisions.” He points a claw at Logan.

His ears flutter at the sound of a bell and children running in the distance. Logan also stays alert, shifting his eyes towards the main gate. Krakoa lets out a growl, making the children laugh loudly. No one appears around the corner of the building, so Logan turns back to McCoy.

“Weren’t you the one who said it would be better to wait before telling the truth?” Wolverine points back, coming face to face with Hank, teeth clenched.

McCoy's nostrils flare, eyes going to the hand against his chest. He can't disagree, though.

“You said it yourself. Evan is just gettin’ used to the place, he's getting attached to the kids here. What can I do? Tell him that I’ve been lying since before I brought him here?” Logan asked with deep sarcasm. “That his beloved ‘Uncle Cluster’ raised him in a tank?! What do you think this will do to him?!”

Beast agreed vehemently. “I said that. But it was before, when I believed you knew what you were doing. Now, I'm having my doubts, headmaster.”

Logan scoffed and turned away, walking in circles across the lawn, boots thumping hard against the ground, angering Krakoa, who made a warning growl.

Hank let his chin fall against his chest. He had been through this before. With Charles. He trusted his teacher, his good judgment. They all did, for so many years that it seems like there was never a time when Hank didn't have the man by his side to guide him. And Charles still hid many things from all of them. What did it cost him? Hank still sees blood when he looks at his hands. When he looks at the children running in the almost empty hallways.

It shouldn't be like this.

He promised himself he wouldn't fall for that lie again. Look how far he has come.

“In the same place where we started.” He thinks with regret, bitterness and toxic anger making its way into his mind. He doesn’t want to face that sick feeling again.

The silence goes on for so long that it becomes threatening. Logan can't take it. He sighs, the smell of Hank's emotions filling his nostrils, and he just turns his body subtly, eyes still on the ground.

“I ain’t lookin’ to mislead you, or the staff, or the kids. But there are things you can’t know, and they can’t either.”

"Nonsense!" Hank growled, teeth bared, waving a hand in the air. “You brought us here. We trust you with this school. The least you could do is be honest with all of us. Starting with telling us where you've been for a week. And would you also be so kind as to first let us know that you're going to disappear to Japan before you go? Because all the responsibilities that should be yours fall on our shoulders!”

Another moment of silence. Logan looks up, biting into his cigar, jaw moving angrily. Hank waits, until the director finally lifts his shoulders even more.

“I found Creed. In Japan.” He says with a growl. Hank raises his eyebrows. "He was working with the Hand. He attacked Amiko and her boyfriend and kidnapped them, to get to me."

“I didn’t know Amiko had a boyfriend.” McCoy mutters, wondering if he's heard anything about it before. He hasn't seen her for a long time. Or Kirika.

"Me either. The brat is Harada's grandson, pompous brat.” Logan spits, as just thinking about his daughter's supposed boyfriend brings him hatred. “He joined Creed. I don't know what happened to them. But I swear, Hank, I'll send this kid to the deepest pit of hell if I catch him.”

Muttering a few more curses about Shin Harada II's name, Logan swallows his cigarette, Hank grimaces, but he's used to it, so he just looks at him disapprovingly. Then Logan turns around completely, with a more sarcastic expression, a wry smile on his face.

“And you know what’s funniest? I also had a chat with Creed.” He says, surprising Hank, but doesn't stop. “And guess what? He doesn't know about his boys. No idea, and if it’s up to me, it will stay that way.”

The way he speaks makes Hank shake his head once again, crossing his arms. “Then you won’t tell the boys that their father is alive.”

Wolverine confirms. “It's better for them to stay away from all this mess. Creed doesn't know about them, he can't come after them. Do you know what he would do if he found them?”

“You are making decisions for Julian and Hunter. How do you know that Victor would try something against his own children?”

“I’ve known this bastard for years.” Logan reminded him, holding one of his wrists between his fingers, squeezing. “He will use any method available to get what he wants. And you saw them, you saw what Julian can do.”

“Now you’re talking like Julian is a weapon. And of all people, Logan, you are the last person I would expect to do that.” McCoy said, disappointed.