Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Mansion almost feels empty when it's this late at night. Sure there's lights on in some of the bedrooms; You hear that old western film playing in Logan's room (You’re pretty sure it’s called Shane, if your memory’s correct.) Scott and Jean's bedroom has no lights on but you can see some of the moonlight managing to sneak out in the crack under the door. Ororo’s and Hank’s rooms are completely quiet, as usual.

But even with the mansion being so full, especially with the recent influx of students, theres still this lingering ache in your chest. You blink when you realize you’re lingering in front of his empty office. The sight of it so desolate makes you wince. Picking up your pace, you go back to making your way to the basement.

A creak in the wood flooring on the stairs makes you freeze. Tilting your head you look back towards the bedroom hallway waiting for a light to turn on. Your shoulders relax when nothing happens. With more cautious steps, you skip down the stairs landing on the rug with a muffled thud.

The elevators engraved doors slide open with a quiet swish and you slink inside. White tile covers the insides of the elevator, making the space feel colder than it always was.

The labs a sterile maze with long hallways that twist and turn to confuse intruders. You however practically live down here and have no problem navigating through the halls. The elevator dings softly and you slip between the doors, barely giving them a moment to open.

Your pajama pant hems curl over the heel of your feet and slippers. Rounding another corner, the door opens with a quiet hiss and you step into the main lab. Technology beeps and pings all around you. The chair creaks as you settle down into it, cracking your knuckles as you begin to type.

Usually this is Hank's job, the late night tracking work. (The only reason he's not down here is because you managed to change the pinging frequency for mission alerts to go from his communicator to yours.)

The computer screen to your left lights up, pulling up security footage from a fancier part of New York. The footage is grainy, you just manage to make out the street names as a kid's tugged by the back of his jacket and thrown into a car. He looks young, couldnt be but a year or two older than Jubilee. His jacket looks expensive, yet his parents haven’t filled a missing person report?

Reversing the footage, you scrub through it as you try to identify the kidnappers. There's a lettering on one of their hats you recognize with no problem. The Friends of Humanity.

You should’ve expected it. They've been picking up the pace with their kidnappings, mutants young and old reported missing for months. It's only gotten worse since Charles murder.

It’s suffocating the way your chest tightens. The lingering ache in your throat grows and you drop the mouse. Your hands are shaking. Badly. The space between your brows furrow as you reflexively clench and unclench your hands. You tuck them under your long sleeve, resting your palms against your stomach as you try to focus. Usually he'd help you in these moments. When your emotions felt to big for only you to handle, Charles would help.

The thought only makes the heartache worse. Your teeth dig into your bottom lip as you tug on your sleeves to wipe away the brimming tears.

You freeze when you hear footsteps in the lab.

"You're supposed to be asleep."

The glance you cast over your shoulder is quick as you see Bishop resting his shoulder against the doorway. His dark brown eyes soften when he sees yours. The turn is just as quick as you pull up the footage of the kidnapping before he can start his sympathetic spiel.

The faint sound of his jaw clenching fills the silence as he steps closer, still dressed in his pajamas. "Another kidnapping?" The timber of his voice is strained, a sense of duty overpowering the concern. Bishop's eyes stray from the screens to look back at you.

The nod you give him is curt and you sign two words. “Suit up.”

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“….Are you sure she’s okay?” 

Jean’s voice breaks through the silence of the bedroom. Her pale blue eyes stare at Scott, her arms wrapped around her body. The loose white fabric of her sleep shirt rustle as she rests her forearms on her obvious baby bump. She can’t see Scott’s eyes, not with his visor on, but she can feel the conflicting emotions boiling in his brain.

He inhales stiffly, shoulders hunching up. “Honestly I don’t know. She hasn’t….really mentioned anything to anyone.” 

“Maybe we should ask her?”

”And risk scaring her off?” Scott huffs, straightening up to look back over at Jean. “C’mon, we grew up together, you know how skittish she is.” He tugs his gloves on easily. Scott’s voice comes out tense and he runs a hand through his auburn hair. “The best we can do is wait for her to come to us.” 

Jean nods quietly, shifting when Scott kisses her cheek. His hand rests on her stomach for a second before he smiles at her. “I’ll be back soon. Make sure you get some rest.”

He pulls away regretfully, yellow boots thudding against the wood flooring bedroom as he leaves. 

Chapter Text

“With another day passed, the debate on human and mutant co-existence continues. The President has this to say-”

There’s a faint click as the radio switches channels to Mozart. Your pen tapping stops as you sit up from where you're hunched over, glaring at the blue furred man that you work with. The pen clatters as you drop it on the desk to cross your arms.

Hank waves a clawed finger at you as he flips through notes. “You shouldn’t be listening to the news so early in the morning. Sets a sour mood for the whole day.” He answers your silent question, blue eyes watching you through the lenses of his glasses.

”You cant even put on something a bit more up-beat?” You sign quickly.

”Absolutely not. The music you listen to would be more of a distraction in the lab than a help.” 

An eye roll is all you offer as a comeback, rolling your chair back to your desk to go over your notes again. You flick your headphones over your head, the cushions cupping your ears gently as the classical music became more muffled.

Hank lingers near you for a second too long before he turns when the door opens. You catch the edge of a bright yellow trench coat following him in your peripherals.

You haven’t written anything in the past ten minutes. You know it and Hank knows it. Still, you pick up the pen and roll it with your fingers quietly, the constant rhythm keeping your nerves steady. 

Everything’s changed since Charles death. There’s a shift in the entire world and you can sense it. Perhaps it’s just the grief and your anxiety making a potent mix for you. Maybe you should finally talk to Jean about it. Or take Logan up on his offer to go bar-hopping. The second option sounds more appealing.

You roll your chair back to grab one of the old files, taking out old blueprints you’d nabbed years back.  The blue papers rustle as you flip through them, comparing the information Bishop gave you about the Sentinal hand with previous versions.

It's a wonder how the FoH managed to get their grubby fingers on the technology.

“Can she hear us?” 

You turn your head again, rolling around in your chair as you cross one leg over the other. You tug one headphone off your head, signaling that you indeed could hear him. 

You wave at him, managing a small smile. Jubilee smiles back as she waves at you but the boy sits still. “Ultra-Sonic.”You fingerspell. The boys brows furrow and you glance at Hank for a translation. 

“Yes, she can. That is my friend Ultra-Sonic.” He introduces, “One of our brightest and strongest X-men.” The introduction makes you wince, knowing you haven’t been on the field in years. Your painted nails scratch the nape of your neck in embarrassment. They all look away from you when the door opens, the faint sound of heels and boots clicking making you stiffen. 

You don’t look, already knowing who’s there. The gloved hand that rests on the backrest of your chair confirms what you already knew. 

Scott chooses to continue where Hank left off. “Our woman in the chair. She’s the one who was able to tell us where you were, along with who you are, Roberto.” 

It feels awkward. Everyone’s wearing their suits, dressed to make a somewhat positive impression on the kid. And here you are, sitting in fluorescent purple striped baggy pants and a Sonic the Hedgehog t-shirt Jubilee gave you for your birthday. Yeah, you’re a fantastic X-Man.

Roberto eyes you with obvious judgement. "Right... Anyways I need to get going. Where's my jacket? Please tell me you didn't lose it, it’s super expensive." His eyes wander around the room as he shifts on the bed restlessly.

"We can't let you go just yet." Cyclops moves so he can keep Roberto's attention. 

"Hm? Oh right how much do I owe you? For the save?" 

Your attention drifts away from the conversation to the blueprints. Moving quietly you neatly stack and slide them into a file while everyone's distracted. Once that's done you look back at the kid. 

His hands are up in the air as he groans in exasperation, "So now you're kidnapping me?" 

The chair creaks as you stand up, walking closer as you sign. “We just want to help, it’ll only be for a day and I’ll personally drive you back to your house tomorrow once we’re sure it’s safe.” Jubilee translates for you this time, the 17-year old popping her gum when you’re finished. You hear her mumble a faint “Lucky.” when she realizes what you offered. You never drive her anywhere.

Roberto’s stare seems blank, distrusting. You don’t blame him but you just want to be able to get the information so you can run off to your room and escape the stares from Scott and Ororo that are currently searing into your skin.

”Is there anything fun to do here besides listening to classical music?” He mumbles finally. Jubilee smiles victoriously and you give a thumbs up. 

She begins talking to him again, excited to have someone in the school close to her age, and you carefully step back to your desk, grabbing your notes and creeping out of the room before anyone notices.  

”[Name].”

Fuck. You squeeze your eyes shut as if you’re trying to will him away for a moment. You keep walking down the hall in the hope that Scott didn’t notice your hesitation.

He did.

”[Name]!” His voice is stronger this time, the suppression aspect of your headphones making his voice stick out against everything else. The warmth of his hand seeps through his glove as he rests it on your shoulder. He walks to stand infront of you when you finally stop. Your eyes roam over his face, taking in the high cheekbones and rigid but soft features of his face before finally resting on the ruby lense of his visor. 

His lips purse together before he speaks. “Thank you for finding Roberto.” 

“It’s my job.” You answer simply. “It’s not necessary to thank me.”

”I know but-“ He presses his lips into a thin line. Even without seeing his eyes, the slight slouch of his shoulders makes your heart twist. "You've been putting in a lot more work recently. You may think I don't notice it but I do. So thank you [Name] for everything."

Your brows furrow. This is beginning to sound less like a normal thank you and more like a good bye. The question you begin to sign out gets cut off.

"Ultra-Sonic!" Jubilee sways over excitedly, Roberto trailing behind as he pulls his jacket on.

"I'm gonna take Roberto to play basketball, we need our referee!" Her arm loops through yours as she drags you away from Scott.

Your shoes stumble as you keep up with the teen, never used to her energy despite her having been apart of the X-Men for quite a few years now. With every passing year, you fear you'll never be able to keep up with the new members.

"Sorry, I just wanted to save you from the awkwardness." She mumurs once you're far enough away from Scott. 

You adjust your hold on your notes to glance over your shoulder at Scott, watching the way his hand is still outstretched in the air before he drops it.

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It seems Cerebro cannot retrieve the information right now….Please try again at a later time.

Chapter Text

You push back your cuticles carefully as you wait on one of the benches. The basketball court is a decent size, multiple benches on both sides for spectators. Since Jubilee’s still grabbing the others it’s just you sitting out here. Basking in the midday breeze.

Your pants have been turned into shorts, courtesy of those new zip-off pants you've seen all over tv. The Sonic shirt has been traded out for a referee tee, one that Remy cropped ages ago because, "Makes us match. An' you can be my good luck charm.” 

"For you, chanteuse." Remy reaches over your shoulder, a ziploc bag in his hand with powered beignets in them.

Speak of the devil.

Your mouth waters a you grab the bag from him. He chuckles, red irises sparkling as you open the bag and begin eating. He rests his elbows on his thighs when he sits down next to you. "Didn’ see you at breakfast. Cyclops keepin’ you busy, huh?" His elbow nudges your bicep as his voice carries a teasing edge to it.

You hold a beignet with your teeth as you sign. “I’m keeping myself busy. Someone’s gotta do the hard work around here.”

”That hurts, chanteuse. You think Gambit don’ do hard work?”

The look you give is your only answer. He winces dramatically, clutching hand over his abdomen, fingertips gripping his muscled stomach. “You’re so mean to me.”

There’s a raspy chuckle as a gloved hand smacks Remy’s shoulder. “You already botherin’ Ultra-Sonic. Y’know she’s been up all night, right? Ain’t fair of you to start annoying her when she should be resting.” Anna-Marie steps onto the court, resting her gloved hands on her hips.

She’s wearing her X-Man suit, a cropped tanktop hanging over her chest. You’re always impressed with how she can handle the heat in a suit like that. Then again, her fear of touching someone overpowers her comfort levels.

“This guy botherin' you?” She winked, nudging your sneaker with her yellow boot.

“I ain’ botherin’ her.” Remy shot back, a crooked grin stretching across his face. “I just brought her breakfast, das all.” 

They continue their playful bickering, Remy eventually pulling out a gray bandana to tie on top of his hair as they began to wander further onto the actual court. You watch them talk, your fidgeting worsening as you feel your brain dissect their accents and turn of phrase. Fuck. 

Logan and Morph strut onto the court, the both say something to you but all you can manage is a half-hearted wave in response. It’s not that you don’t register their voices. You do. That’s the problem. 

Bouncing your leg, you focus your senses on the repetitive movement, managing to get your brain to shut up for the moment. 

Jubilee rounds the corner with Roberto trailing behind. He casts nervous glances at the others currently getting prepped on the actual court.

"You ready, ref?" Jubilee asks, tossing her jacket onto the benches. Roberto lingers as he eyes you while you nod.

”Shouldn’t a referee have a whistle?” He called out.

Jubilee glances back, watching you purse your lips. A pitch perfect whistle leaves your lips and he jolts in surprise. Not cause it’s a loud whistle but because it sounds exactly like those portable steel whistles.

An apologetic smile tugs across your lips as you rub your closed fist in a circle over your heart. “Sorry.” 

You clap your hands together, the sound echoing out across the court. Everyone hustles into their little teams, Jubilee, Roberto and Logan on one team with Morph, Anna-Marie and Remy on the other.

The game’s going well. Well, if you’re on Remy’s team. But Jubilee’s not so much. The frustration on her team is growing, especially with the way Logan keeps hogging the ball. Jubilee’s borderline seething as she watches him dribble before he’s knocked down by Rogue. 

The ball’s passed around between both teams before Logan lunges at Remy, who ducks out of the way. Roberto’s in his line of sight and you panic. There’s an invisible power behind your words as you yell, “Roberto move!” 

The teen darts out of the way, his legs moving at your words as he manages to escape Logan’s aggressive approach. The ball bounces against the pavement before shooting up to one of the windows of the mansion. 

Roberto groans as he crashes into the chain link fencing. You rush over to the teen, ignoring the loud sound of windows breaking as you crouch down next to him. “Are you okay?” The words leave your lips and they don’t sound quite right. In fact they sound like a weird amalgamation of the other X-Men all yelling at each other behind you. 

“Get away from me!” His brown eyes widen before he shoves you back. He immediately runs for one of the doors, the fencing rattling as he runs away from the court. 

The look in his eye makes your jaw clench. Your fists tighten as you turn around, just in time to watch Jubilee send a spark blast at Logan. You push past Anna-Marie and Morph to place your hand on her shoulder and bring her back. 

“Hey, hey. Calm down.” You signed slowly. Roberto’s safety was important, but none of you would get anywhere with finding him if they started fighting.

Jubilee’s brows furrow and she cusses at Logan. “You jerk!” She tried to move past you and you place a tight hand on your shoulder to prevent her from moving past you. “He scared him off!!” She looked to you, her lips quivering.

”I know, I know. We’ll find him but, we need to calm down first.” Your hands return to her shoulders when you’re done signing, your hands rub gentle circles into her shoulders to try and calm her down.

”Jubilee, what are you doing?”

This is getting ridiculous.

Jubilee’s anger seems to return and she takes advantage of your surprise; Slipping out of your hold to tell Scott and Jean what happened. It’s the second time either of the married couple has surprised you today and at this point you’re beginning to think your powers are on the fritz.

Jean’s blue eyes are scrunched, brows furrowed in concern. Her gaze sweeps over you then to the swung open chain link fence door behind you all. Her eyes turn back to you, an affectionate concern visible in them. You bristle and turn away from her.

Logan dusts himself off, calloused hands brushing asphalt off of his hairy skin before he moves to stand next to you. His hooked nose twitches as he crossed his arms. A snarky scowl grows on his face.

“Logan, use that nose of yours to go find the kid. [Name] you can help him with that right? And take Jubilee with you.” Scott starts, “Actually, all of you can stand to act more like X-Men. Go with them.”

The problem with having a group of headstrong people is just that. They’re headstrong. (Including you. Not that you’d ever admit it.)

“Hey now, we didn’t do a damn thing!!” Anna-Marie protested. 

“Took the words right out of my mouth.” 

You’re quick to reach for Logan but, he’s quicker to dodge it. “Jean may dig the boy scout routine, Summers. But I don’t much go in for being bossed around.” He jabs a finger into Scott’s chest, dirtying the pristine polo with his sweaty hands.

“Cry me a river, Wolverine.” Scott’s intentionally trying to pick a fight. Why? You’re not sure. But something’s ticked him off and it’s not just Logan’s general asshole nature.

”Logan, find Roberto, please.” Jean’s pleading, her blue eyes soft and alluring. You’d get lost staring into them sometimes. Like how Logan is right now. Something in you cringes and you grip Logan’s shoulder, pulling him back from the couple.

“We’ll get it done. You don’t need to coax us into it, we know how it works, Cyclops.” The gestures are quick as you ease Logan away, ignoring how quick Scott’s face falls. The visor blocks his eyes but the visible drop of his jaw is shown to everyone. 

You do see Jean’s full expression, the raised brows, lips parted in shock and her hand comes up to cover her mouth. A part of you aches to apologize to her. But you won’t. Not today at least. 

“What Gyrich did was pretty horrible. But wanna know the worst part about the professor being gone?” Logan’s head tilts as he scowls up at Scott. “You.”

A flinch comes from you at his words but you don’t say anything. The two of you turn around and leave the court, preparing to do just what Scott asked. Logan keeps pace with you, cobalt eyes apologetic as he rubbed his closed fist over his chest in a circular motion. Sorry.

The sign makes your heart thump in your ears. “It’s okay.” You murmur in return.

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Jubilee’s already waiting in the garage by the time you come out. Her gloved hands keep fiddling with each other in an anxious repetitive motion. She looks up at you when you walk in.

“What if we’re too late?” She asked softly. “What if those creeps find Roberto?”

You sign as you walk over, “They won’t. Logan and I will find him. Have some faith in your elders.” The attempt at a joke seems to make her laugh a bit and you feel a sense of pride knowing you helped get her out of her own head.

“Wolverine’s definitely an elder. I dunno about you though.” Jubilee shrugs, her yellow leather coat shuffles. Her brown eyes soften as she looks at you.

There’s a silent ask in her eyes that you understand and you open your arms encouragingly. Jubilee falls into your hold, resting her head on your shoulders. “We’re gonna find him-right?”

You nod, hands rubbing up and down on Jubilee’s shoulders. Your throats still sore and your medicine weighs slightly heavy in your pocket. “Yeah. We’re gonna find him.”