"That was very nice of you, Luke. Scottie really liked your gift."
"It was nothing. I saw how she was admiring Logan's chopper-bike last time, so I just brought a different one for her," I reply with a modest smile. "Are you jealous that I didn't bring anything for you, Jean?" I tease the redhead sitting beside me.
"No, no, I don't need any gifts," Jean quickly clarifies. "I just wanted to thank you on her behalf. Although she just thanked you casually, trust me, she really loved your gift," Jean remarks with a small smile.
"You two are really close, huh?" I observe with a raised eyebrow.
"Scottie is my best friend; we are almost like sisters. I was afraid that after the last battle, she would stay all moody for a while. But after your previous visit and this gift today, I think she is going to be in a good mood for a long time," Jean comments with a sweet smile.
"Well, I am glad she accepted the gift. I was afraid she would reject it, considering we both don't know each other that well yet, and she looks a bit serious all the time," I remark with a wry smile.
"She is a little uptight, but she can be fun to be around, too," Jean giggles. "And you made a bike out of scrap metal instantly last time, why would she reject it? We were even discussing how you could fill up the school's garage with bikes if you wanted," Jean adds with an amused smile.
"I don't think I would be able to make that many," I respond modestly.
"I-I wanted to ask you something… The last time with her spectacles in the professor's office and this time with this gift, are you maybe… interested in her?" Jean inquires nonchalantly while fixing her hair.
She tries to play it off as a casual question, but I could easily see how nervous she was. In fact, if I am not mistaken, her invitation to show me the school's library today must be a ruse for just this one question.
"Scottie is not bad, but personally, I like redheads more," I reply, moving closer to her face.
"I-Is that so?" Jean bashfully looks away. "A-anyways, can you have a look at this?" She hurriedly places her finger on her temple, and a book from a nearby bookcase floats over, wobbling towards her.
The book almost falls, but she manages to catch it. As she opens it up in front of me on the table, I notice that it looks more like a sketchbook.
"Is this a superhero costume sketch?" I ask, tracing the page in front of me. "Did you draw this?"
It looked just like her old costume from the comics when she was first introduced.
"Yes, I drew it myself. Do you like it?" she asks in anticipation.
"Well, it is very well drawn, especially the details like the X on the belt. Yeah, it looks good," I praise her sincerely.
"Really? You are not saying that just to not make me feel bad, are you?" she asks with a happy smile.
"No, this is genuinely good. Is this your future hero costume?" I inquire curiously.
"Yes, I have even decided my hero name… 'Marvel Girl,'" she whispers with a smile as she caresses the sketch.
"Normally, the public would coin a name for you, but Marvel Girl is not bad at all," I respond with a wry smile, thinking of how that was her first hero name in the comics too. "I can introduce you to a friend of mine who is very good at making costumes and stuff. She would be able to make one of this design easily." I am obviously talking about Sybil, who has started using NZT when she wants to go out and shop or just wants to converse in English.
"Thanks but Helen has made us a machine which can help with that. Look, these are my designs for Scottie and Ororo's costumes, they were also wearing that when you met them," Jean excitedly shows me more designs.
"You really have a talent, Jean," I comment with a smile. "So if they have their costumes already, why don't you have one yet?" I ask curiously.
"That, umm, it's because of my powers," Jean responds awkwardly. "My 'Telekinetic' power is very weak, so the Professor doesn't allow me to go out in the field with Scottie and Ororo." She places her fingers on her temple, and the sketchbook wobbles in the air back to the bookcase.
So Jean Grey, the future powerhouse, is struggling with lifting a book right now! I would have laughed aloud if I hadn't anticipated that something like this might be the case.
"Small and lightweight objects like this book are my limits," Jean sighs. "But the professor has told me that with practice, my powers would definitely grow," she says hopefully.
"Professor Xavier… you really trust him, huh?" I ask carefully, knowing that her weakened powers might be a result of the Professor's meddling.
"The Professor, Scottie, Helen, and Ororo, they are my family, so obviously I trust them," she responds with a smile.
"What about your real family? If you don't mind me asking," I inquire softly, hoping that she doesn't feel hurt by my question.
"I-I don't remember much about them," Jean says awkwardly as her smile recedes. "My real parents sent me to the Professor when my powers awakened... I was very young then, so my memories of that time are hazy," she says, massaging her forehead a bit.
I grab her hand and smooth out the wrinkles on her forehead. "It's fine. If your real parents don't want you, then it's their loss. You have a way cooler family now," I say with a smile, not wanting her to unlock any traumatic memory that the professor had barricaded in her mind.
"Yes, you are right," Jean replies with a smile of her own.
"So does that make Professor Xavier your adopted dad?" I ask in amusement as I release her hand.
"Hmm, the Professor is more like my grandfather," Jean says, taking a thinking pose. "Scottie would be my elder sister as she was here before me, Helen would be my cool aunt who gives me anything I want, Logan would be my other scary aunt, and Ororo would be my always worried mother. And Marie is our latest addition, so she would be my little sister," Jean says with a chuckle.
"Then I can be your Daddy," I joke with a smirk.
"You are so bad!" Jean exclaims with a blushing face as she slaps my arm.
"If you would join our school, then I might think about it," she adds, looking away.
"Sorry, Jean, my schedule is very hectic. I can hardly attend my own college. I wanted to visit Marie and you all, but it took me three whole days to arrange that," I explain with a wry smile.
"I-It's fine, Luke. I understand you own a multinational company and are also completing your doctorate at ESU. It was selfish of me to ask you to join the School," Jean responds with a sigh.
"Hey, how about this? You can keep a room empty for me. This way, I will have a room to crash in if I want to stay here overnight," I suggest, not wanting her to be sad.
"Really?" Jean asks with a bright smile. "This is great! We can have movie nights and play board games. It will be so much fun!" Jean exclaims happily.