"Ok… let me set this straight…" I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to keep my composure. My patience was already stretched thin, but I needed to stay calm, to not let my frustration take over.
Because standing before me were my absolute… uncanny… spectacularly stupid dumbass friends.
"All of y'all thought it was a great idea to not attend classes… sleep through the few you do attend… not turn in any assignments in favor of partying all night…" I counted off each offense on my fingers, my voice growing tighter with every word.
"Hey, man. You only live once, gotta make the most of it."
My best friend—someone I'd known since childhood, whose house was just a short walk from mine—grinned as he chugged from a beer can he pulled out of nowhere.
"Yeah, you also only go to college once, unless you're planning to retake all your subjects," I shot back, my fingers pressing against my temples. My frustration burned at the edges of my patience, threatening to spill over.
The group burst into laughter, some brushing it off, others muttering half-hearted excuses. It was always the same with them. I liked them, sure—hell, I loved them like family—but sometimes, I felt like I was the only one taking this seriously.
I exhaled sharply, gripping my phone like a lifeline. "You guys do know we're on scholarships, right? One bad semester, and we're done. Gone. Back home with nothing but regrets and disappointment waiting for us."
"Relax, Marinco," a girl with dyed streaks in her hair waved me off, barely glancing up from her phone. "You worry too much."
"Someone has to."
They didn't get it. They didn't understand what it took to get here. The sacrifices. The pressure. The fear of failing.
And deep down, I knew why.
They had safety nets. Families who could catch them if they fell. Connections. Backup plans.
But me?
I had nothing to go back to.
A heavy sigh left my lips. Maybe I was being too harsh. Maybe I should lighten up. Maybe—
Bzzzt.
My phone vibrated. A reminder.
Class starts in fifteen minutes.
"Shit," I muttered, shoving my phone back in my pocket and grabbing my bag. "I gotta go."
"Lame," my best friend teased, smirking lazily, but with no real malice.
I ignored them as I stepped out of the apartment. The cool morning air filled my lungs, grounding me. Slipping in my earphones, I hit play on an X-Men audio drama, letting the narration drown out my thoughts.
It helped me focus. Helped me escape, even if just for a little while.
As I walked toward campus, I let myself drift, imagining what it would be like.
To be part of something bigger. To be a hero. To fight for something that truly mattered.
A wistful smile tugged at my lips.
Maybe, in another life.
And then… darkness.
Pain.
Sharp. Sudden. A sensation so intense it drowned out everything else.
A flash of movement. Shadows shifting in the alley. A dull, wet sound—
Something hot trickled down my forehead. My vision blurred. My ears rang.
I tried to move. To think. But my limbs felt heavy. My mind sluggish.
And then—
Nothing.
I wake up gasping.
But it's not my breath I recognize. Not my lungs expanding.
Something is… different.
The first thing I notice is the weight of my body—it feels stronger. Balanced. More powerful. Like an unfamiliar tension coiled beneath my skin, waiting to be released.
My hands grip at the ground beneath me, fingers curling over unfamiliar textures. My senses feel sharper. My heartbeat—steady, controlled.
Slowly, I push myself up, my mind scrambling for answers.
And then I see my reflection.
Brown Wavy Hair.
Blue suit with a white M design on the torso.
A tremor runs through me, my breath hitching in my throat.
My fingers brush over the edges of the visor, feeling its solid weight. My pulse pounds, a mix of disbelief and excitement surging through my veins.
A laugh bubbles up, raw and unsteady, escaping my lips before I can stop it. My mind spins, a thousand thoughts colliding at once, but one fact remains.
I inhale sharply, my grip tightening as realization sinks in.
Holy shit.
I just woke up in the Marvel Universe.
I stand there for a few moments, trying to process what just happened, my breath coming in shallow gasps. My heart pounds in my chest, adrenaline surging through my veins. This isn't a dream. This isn't a joke.I'm... I'm Mimic.
I know the character. Calvin Rankin. A mutant who can absorb and replicate the powers of others—just like that. He's been both hero and villain, a part of the X-Men's extended family, walking the line between both worlds.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
FINALLY! I GET TO BE A HERO, YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!
IMMA BOUT TO MAKE A NAME FOR MYSELF HERE!