Ah, weekends—a sacred word, loaded with possibilities. I woke up, slapped off the infernal contraption we call an alarm clock, and stretched luxuriously. Realization dawned: I didn't have to rush anywhere today. No obligations, no demands—aside from some training, I could do whatever my heart desired. Bliss. Sure, there was a test on Monday, but it was on hard sciences, and I had that locked down. High school-level material wasn't particularly challenging, though it had its quirks compared to my past life. College-level stuff, though? That would be the real grind.
After a quick splash of water and some oral hygiene, it was time for a run. I kept it simple: sneakers, shorts, and a T-shirt. Why bother bundling up when the cold was just invigorating coolness for me? Warm athletic gear was more of an accessory than a necessity at this point, as long as my energy reserves held. Even my wardrobe had become more about aesthetics than survival. Speaking of aesthetics, there was Raisa—lightly dressed, like me, and fully in her element. I nodded to her in acknowledgment as she smiled and jogged alongside me.
We kept it quiet, conserving breath. A few minutes later, Windy and Jubilee joined us. The real challenge here wasn't the run—it was Jubilee keeping her mouth shut. She was visibly struggling to contain her natural chattiness, her mouth opening and closing like a gasping fish.
Let's just say she wasn't on my shortlist for potential spouses. Talking for her wasn't just a hobby; it was a biological function. If she went a day without speaking, she might spontaneously combust. As adorable and vibrant as she was, dating her? No thanks. Although...maybe I should introduce her to MJ?
The run done, it was time to refuel my young, growing body. Breakfast was a gathering of the usual suspects: Raisa, Windy, Jubilee, Anna-Marie, and Kitty. Kristi preferred to sit with her close friends during meals, and I didn't blame her. These girls were important to her, and she wasn't going to brush them off just because some guy was giving her attention. That was a massive plus in my book.
The teachers were still off on their mission, so Raisa suggested we make the most of it with sparring sessions. I agreed readily. My progress was noticeable. Sure, taking down Logan or Sabretooth—or even Toad—was still out of the question, but I could hold my own against Colossus now. Well, in a scoring sense. Physically toppling her was a different matter entirely. Against Rogue or Kitty, it was more of a 50-50 split. Without their powers to level the field, I was starting to come out on top more often. With time, I might even get consistent wins. But the teachers? Decades of experience versus my few months of training? Yeah, not happening anytime soon.
Yesterday's session with Logan had been particularly enlightening. After tossing me around as usual, he sat me down and got serious.
"Kid, why do you act like this is all a game?" he asked. "You're quick to shrug off danger, like you think you can just run away from any real threat. But what happens when you can't? One shot to the back and you're down, or worse."
Logan gave me that trademark look of his—the one that screamed, It's exhausting dealing with idiots, but here we are—and kept going.
"You're smart, no doubt about it. You talk a big game about thinking for yourself, about not swallowing every lie you're fed. And yet you buy into the biggest lie of all—that the world revolves around your dick. You think power and influence care about your little ego? There are people out there with real clout, kid. People who can buy, crush, or manipulate anyone they want. Your 'male privilege'? That's worth jack shit in their world."
He paused, looking almost wistful. "I just hope I'm not wasting my time here. Don't end up dead in a ditch—or worse."
Back at the table, Kitty snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Toby, what's with the thousand-yard stare? Picturing how Raisa's going to thrash you in training?"
"Oh, absolutely." I smirked. "The masochist in me is positively quivering with anticipation at the thought of her 'loving touches.' Even wagging its tail."
"Hands off my bear cub, you pervy freak," Windy chimed in, poking me playfully with her wing. "You've already got a blue hottie. Stick with her—and maybe ask her to spank you with her tail while you're at it."
"Please," Jubilee butted in. "They haven't even held hands yet. They're dancing around it! If I were Kristi, I'd have grabbed him already and poof! straight to bed. No escape!"
"Everything with you is poof and to bed," Anna-Marie said with a scowl. "They're still getting to know each other. What's the rush? Toby, you're not just into Kristi because she looks exotic, right? You genuinely like her?"
Her voice grew colder as she went on. "Girls like her...they've been through a lot. Way more than most of us. Guys like you have it easy. You get close, it doesn't work out, and you just move on. But for a girl? It's different. It hurts."
Jubilee waved it off. "Oh, come on. At least she'd have had a guy."
Anna-Marie's face darkened. She pushed her plate away and stood, her voice tight. "Yeah. At least." With that, she picked up her tray and walked off, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.
Jubilee, blinking cluelessly, got a solid smack on the back of her head from Kitty.
"Jubes, when will you learn to think before you speak?" Raissa shook her head in exasperation.
"What? What did I even say this time?" Jubilee rubbed her head, clearly offended. "I mean, come on, some girls never get a boyfriend at all their whole lives!"
"Exactly, Jubilee, never. And Anna-Marie's ability..." Windy gestured vaguely, as if words were too much effort.
"Her ability and... oh... ohhh!" Jubilee's face lit up with realization, then crumpled with guilt. "Oh crap, I'm such an idiot!"
Sighing, I stood up and grabbed my tray. "Alright, ladies, I'll go talk to her... you know..." I waved a hand vaguely.
"Thanks, Toby," Windy said with a nod before adding, "but please, don't make it worse."
I nodded back, leaving my tray at the counter as I headed off to find Rogue. She stood by the window, staring out at the dreary sky with an equally gloomy expression. I joined her, keeping quiet and watching the clouds roll by. A couple of minutes passed in silence before she finally spoke, her voice heavy but soft.
"The guy I kissed… he fell into a coma. Because of me. My powers... They woke up at that exact moment. And I... I really liked him, you know? And he liked me too. We even had plans…" Her voice hitched, and she paused to steady herself. "We planned to be together. I was so happy back then… until that kiss. After that, he was in the hospital, and I wasn't even allowed to see him. The police, his family, my family... all of my friends… even my best friend wouldn't talk to me. They all looked at me like I was a monster. So I ran away. Like a coward. I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't even wait for him to wake up..."
She trailed off, lost in her memories, clearly trapped in a cycle of self-recrimination.
"Anna," I started carefully, realizing she wasn't going to continue, "when those mercenaries kidnapped me, I was grateful to the Goddess."
Her skeptical, almost baffled glance told me I had her attention. "Not because I enjoy that kind of thing," I clarified, "or because I was dying for an adventure. But because it happened when my fiancee and family weren't around. I don't know what I would've done if they'd gotten hurt."
"So, you're saying it could've been worse?" she guessed, raising an eyebrow.
"Bingo," I nodded. Then, with a sheepish grin, I added, "Imagine if your powers had kicked in when you'd, uh… gone further."
Her eyes widened, and her face turned crimson. For a second, she looked like she might combust, then narrowed her eyes at me with barely restrained irritation.
"Toby, Windy's right. You are a filthy pervert," she accused, jabbing a gloved finger in my direction. "How could you even think of something like that?"
"Hey, hey! I take offense to that slander!" I tilted my nose up indignantly. "I shower twice a day—nothing filthy here."
"So you're not denying the 'pervert' part?" she retorted, her anger giving way to a sly smile with a hint of lingering sadness.
"I'm a perfectly normal fifteen-year-old boy. We're all perverts. Anyone who says otherwise is the biggest of perverts—they're just in hiding." I flashed her my widest grin.
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, laughing softly. Her expression turned more serious as she laid a gloved hand on my shoulder. "Thanks, Toby. I wouldn't say I feel better, but… it's a little less bleak now."
"Pfft. Anytime. My rates are reasonable—only a 40% markup for friends."
"A markup for friends?" She raised an eyebrow in mock indignation.
"Hey, I've been reading up on business strategies," I replied with a theatrical waggle of my eyebrows. "I don't want to mooch off my future wives, you know. And let's face it, this whole underground thing can't last forever."
She laughed, leaned in to give me a quick kiss on the cheek, and tossed a parting comment over her shoulder as she walked away: "I'm off for a shower. Thanks again, future entrepreneur."
Not bad, right? I'm no champion of emotional support—usually, my go-to is something like, "Why are you upset? Idiot… Want a hot chocolate?" But I think I did okay this time.
An hour later, we were in the training hall, going at it hard. McCoy had made me a gadget I could use to recharge instead of draining Scott, so I was less of a leech now. It still took about three minutes to top off, but at least I could manage it myself. The girls had started calling me "smartphone" because I constantly needed charging.
We ran through strength training and sparring, which I particularly enjoyed—probably because I was getting thrown around by attractive women. Three hours later, freshly showered (and narrowly escaping Jubilee's attempts to lure me into the girls' showers—don't ask how close I came to saying yes before Raissa dragged her off), we headed for lunch. Afterward, everyone went their separate ways.
Rogue looked thoughtful for the rest of the day, though not particularly upset. She seemed lost in her own mind, and honestly, I wasn't sure how to help her further. Her trauma was deeply rooted in her awakening, and that's more of a therapist's job than mine. Maybe I should mention it to Xavier when he gets back? Then again… is it really my place? I guess I'll just wait and see.
The rest of the day was spent with Kristi. We both knew where this was going—she didn't seem to mind taking things slow, and I was all for it. We talked about everything and anything, getting to know each other better. With Penny, things had grown naturally from friendship, but with Kristiana, every interaction was like peeling back another layer. She was kind, gentle, and sweet—a genuinely good person who just wanted a bit of warmth in her life. Honestly, in my old world, I'd have called her the ideal girlfriend: caring, considerate, and adorably shy when she tried to flirt. Pure kawaii, really.
Of course, the day wouldn't have been complete without a run-in with the local menace: a gang of pint-sized hooligans aged seven to ten, led by a redhead with enough spunk to remind me of Gigi. They swarmed us, declared us "the happy couple," and scampered off before we could respond.
Kristi and I laughed it off, though mine was more nervous than hers. I wasn't embarrassed exactly—okay, maybe a little—but I liked her, damn it. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm acting like a bashful schoolboy. Then again… I am a schoolboy, aren't I?
"Toby, can I ask you a personal question?" Uh-oh. Looks like she got ahead of me.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Do you… actually like me? I mean, I see how well we get along, and I've started courting you recently…" Uh, hold up. She started? Really? Girl, I've been hauling compost across flowerbeds, digging up dirt like I'm planting a damn forest just to get your attention! But sure, you started it, let's roll with that. Ahem.
"I just want to clarify. Toby, I like you. I've never really had a relationship before, so I want to ask directly—do you actually like me? I mean, look at me. I have horns, a tail, sharp teeth, and yellow eyes… Do you really find me attractive?" She even shut her eyes, bracing for the answer.
"I do." Damn it, why am I blushing? Although, to be fair, I've never been particularly smooth with love confessions. Even back in my old life, I'd get all awkward and tongue-tied. "I like you a lot, Kristi. At first, I was captivated by how stunning you are—you're uniquely beautiful." I smiled, finding it easier to keep going. "And as I got to know you, your personality completely won me over. Plus, your little tail is absolutely adorable."
"Thank you." She blushed faintly, batting her eyelashes. Critical hits, multiple, direct to the heart. Noted by the little crew running diagnostics in my brain. "But… what about your fiancee? You told me she knows about your awakened powers, but you're her man. How do you think she'll react to a mutant like me?"
Oof. Now that is a tricky question. Let's take a moment to appreciate that we're not even debating whether it's okay to date two girls—nope, the concern here is whether one of them might have an issue with the other being a mutant. This world, man. Even after 15 years, it still throws curveballs.
"Well… I can't say for sure." I scratched the back of my head. "But you and Penny will probably get along. Your personalities… they're similar. Not identical, but close enough. You're both kindhearted and don't wish harm on anyone. You're loyal to your friends and easy to be around. Honestly, I think you'll hit it off more than you'd clash. At least, that's my guess."
"Thank the Goddess." She exhaled in relief, though some tension lingered. Watching her blush was… cute. Her cheeks took on this faint violet hue, which was oddly mesmerizing. "I'll try my best to befriend her if things between us… well, if they work out."
After that? We had a lot of sweet little conversations. They're too personal to share—and honestly, probably not that interesting to anyone else. We had dinner, just the two of us at a small table. Took a walk around the school, chatting and laughing. Kristi walked me back to my room, wished me goodnight, and kissed me on the cheek before heading off. It was soft, sweet, and totally her. She's just… gentle. That's the word that always comes to mind with her. Gentle and warm.
I fell asleep feeling like a fat cat that just devoured a whole tub of cream. And then I woke up feeling… not so great. Turns out, it's hard to stay content when someone's got you in an arm lock and spraying your face with something nasty. Let's just say I went back to sleep in a pretty foul mood.
I'm sitting on a chair. Just a plain, cheap plastic chair—like the kind you'd find at a sketchy street cafe. I'm wearing a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops. Across from me sits… something. It's shaped like a person—normal proportions, a bit bigger than me, looks like an adult. But it's drawn, like a pencil sketch come to life. The contours are dark and sharp, the shading messy and chaotic, like a rushed doodle. The "room" around us is pure black. There's no light, but I can see him—or it—perfectly. Nothing else exists except us, two chairs, and endless darkness.
I sit there, calm as a cucumber. I know I'm dreaming. Nothing bad's going to happen; it's just a curious… whatever it is. It's watching me. Amused, even. And annoyed at the same time. Like the way you'd feel if a kid spilled a bag of flour all over your kitchen. A mess you'll have to clean up, sure, but they're so ridiculous it's kind of funny.
Then it's over, just like that. I start waking up, the strange sensation fading as reality pulls me back.