O's
Waking up is weird. Unfamiliar bed. Unfamiliar ceiling. Unfamiliar smells… Is that popcorn? Who has popcorn for breakfast?! Groaning to himself as he pulls himself up, Peter looks at the heavy green bedspread that he’s lying on. Slowly pulling the covers off himself, he stretches, walking over to his bag as he picks out his clothes, the worn faded jeans, yellow shirt and blue and black checkered flannel slip onto his body naturally. Sliding his glasses on, he walks around the room, deciding to go and have breakfast, even if it’s alone.
Opening the door to the room, he freezes as he suddenly comes face to face with a rhinoceros. Why is there a-? Wait, where did all of these animals come from? In fact, how is there a freakin’ dinosaur?! Is that a Utahraptor? Its size is-
Wait! He needs to stop getting distracted. Looking up at the ceiling, Peter reaches for the doorframe, spinning as he flips himself onto the ceiling, walking upside down towards the kitchen. It’s a little strange that these guys are heading in the same direction. Maybe it’s time for them to get food as well?
“Oh, no. Did my mutation extend to a human?!” a petite girl, short black hair tussled in a nest of bed hair, a pair of birds nestled in it, questions, “No, no, no, no! What am I going to do?! I’ve got to cover this up! I can’t let Scott or the Professor find out about this. Um, hi, mister, could you come down from the ceiling?”
Blinking in confusion, Peter tilts his head, “Um… I think there's been a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I don’t know what I would have done if I suddenly gained the ability to control and communicate with humans! Oh, although I guess I can already do that last part.”
“Yeah… why would you think that anyways?”
“Well, you’re walking on the ceiling. Kinda thought you probably have some kind of animal-based mutation… Gecko was my first thought.”
“Huh… so it isn’t unusual?”
“Nah, Kurt's always walking on the walls when he’s not teleporting… There’s also the others with lizard powers and whatnot, but you seem more human than some of them, which is…” the girl continues, trailing off as she startles, “ Sorry, where are my manners! You’re new, right? I’m Sophia Sanduval, although I prefer to go by Chat. Most of us in the mansion tend to go by our monikers rather than our actual names.”
“Oh, okay. Nice to meet you, Chat. I’m Peter Parker. I’m here on a trial for the day.”
“Okay, no moniker, that’s cool,” the girl mumbles, frowning before smiling at Peter again, “I’m sure you’ll be fine! I mean, we’re already getting along great, and we’ve just met!”
“Ah, yeah. Are you the one making popcorn for breakfast or…”
“Popcorn? Wait… KITTY!”
Watching as the girl begins stomping out of the common room and down the hallway. Peter silently groans, looking at the vast open space before flipping to the floor and following after Chat. Seeing the girl dart into a door on the left of the hall, Peter quickly spins into the tiled room, catching a startled yelp from a vaguely familiar brunette.
“Kitty! You know you’re not meant to be eating popcorn!”
“But it’s so good!” the brunette, apparently Kitty, whines as Chat turns off the popcorn machine in the corner of the room.
“I’m sure it is when you coat it in salted caramel ! You remember that you’re meant to be cutting down on the sugar?!”
“But-”
“No!”
“I-”
“NO!”
“Meanie- uh… who’s that?” Kitty says, eyes locking with Peter’s for a second before looking away.
“Oh, he’s Peter. He’s testing out the school today.”
“Hell of a day to do that with Friday’s being test days and everything…”
“I think I recognise you,” Peter mentions, stepping into the kitchen, trying to ignore how the room takes up about the same space as Ben and May’s house.
“Oh? I don’t think so,” the brunette girl says, shrinking a little as she subtly tries to shift her weight away.
“You and some blonde girl were talking to Scott… Although I think it might actually have just you being told off.”
“NO!” Kitty shouts, eyes widening as she covers her mouth, slowly peeling her fingers away, “Illyana and I weren’t being told off… We were being… educated.”
“Uh-huh,” Chat says, staring blankly at the girl as she seems to shrink away from the look.
“Urgh… Tactical retreat!”
He raises an eyebrow, watching as the girl takes a deep breath and charges towards a wall. Before he can shoot a web to stop her from hitting her head, she vanishes through the wall, leaving the boy blinking. Looking around the room, he hears Chat sigh as she sets the machine back down, grumbling something about figuring out what to do with the popcorn.
“How did she-”
“Oh, right. You’re new. Kitty can phase through objects by controlling her density.”
“That’s… awesome.”
“It also means that she can get into trouble and avoid the consequences pretty easily.”
“Right… So, what can I do for breakfast?”
Humming, Chat looks around the room before shrugging, “Want some popcorn?”
“...it’s a little early for me.”
“Right? Well, you’re also free to almost everything else unless it’s labelled otherwise.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Yep! Now I’ve gotta go and feed the animals. I’m the only one they all listen to after all. I’ll see you in class, Peter!”
“Ah, right! See you in class, Chat.”
They smile at each other as Chat leaves the room, whistling as the herd of animals stomp down the hallway. The noise of the front door clicking open and the animals moving out of the building fills the space before it returns to silence. Humming to himself, Peter looks around the space, trying to decide on what he wants.
Moving through the kitchen, Peter begins preparing food, mixing together a batter of eggs, oat flour, buckwheat flour, yoghurt and milk as he tries to recall the recipe. Aunt May’s Wheatcakes. Some sense of… usual in a brand new, chaotic school day. It’s already descended into chaos. This should keep him at least a little grounded.
Humming to himself as he flips the first of the wheatcakes, marvelling at his newfound cooking prowess, he debates internally if this is another side effect of spider powers. Or maybe parallel processing? More likely than not, it’s a mix of the two.
“What are you cooking?”
“My aunt’s wheatcake recipe. Want some?” Peter asks, glancing at Kitty as she hovers over his shoulder.
“You don’t seem surprised I’m here,” the girl replies, frowning as she looks at him, eyes silently tracing the lines of his face.
“I got the general feeling that there was kinda someone lurking around, and I kinda thought that could be you, because apparently you can kinda phase in and out of materials. Also, I saw you poke your head through the wall to try and steal the popcorn back from Chat.”
“Urgh… you saw that, huh… I’ll take a wheatcake. What even is a wheatcake?”
“Hmm… I don’t really know how to describe aside from calling it a heartier pancake.”
“Hmmm~ So I can have it with syrup?”
“...and butter, but yes. Just… don’t get me into trouble with your sugar addiction,” Peter jokes as he slides her a plate with the freshly cooked wheatcake on it.
“No promises~” the girl sings back, leaning up onto the counter, sticking her tongue out as she tries to reach for the syrup in the cupboard. Her hand wraps around the bottle as she hops back down.
“Why do I feel like I’m gonna be in so much trouble?” Peter mumbles rhetorically as he listens to the girl happily humming, slicing a small amount of butter onto the wheatcake. His eyes narrow as she pours syrup onto the wheatcake, stopping with a lot less syrup than he was expecting. Focusing back on cooking the last two wheatcakes, Peter feels sweat dripping down his face, and Kitty’s eyes bore into his face. “You can eat, you know?”
“Hmm… I thought you’d prefer to eat with someone.”
“I… sure.”
“Good. Now, could I get another one?”
“...You were just trying to get extra food.”
“No! I want it for my new best friend, Illy.”
“Oh… my bad. Here.”
“Thanks! Now come on! Illy should be waiting for us in the dining room.”
Following the girl after turning off the stove and placing the frying pan in the dishwasher, Kitty begins piling breakfast condiments onto a serving tray, nudging it towards the boy. Batting her eyelashes innocently, he bites his tongue, picking up the tray as Peter walks up the walls of the hallway. The ornate woodwork mixed with plain plaster seems like it would be a disaster to fix if something went wrong.
Entering the dining room, Peter is struck by how pristine and warm the dark, wooded room is. Despite the three large, opulent windows residing at the end of the rich mahogany table, it feels like the room is still in shadow. The walls are almost leaning over in an overbearing weight. Sitting halfway up the table is a blonde girl, her hair and demeanour seemingly drinking in the expansive darkness, brightening the space around her.
“Illy! I brought the new kid! He recognized me from yesterday which sucks, but he did also make us breakfast. Here!” Kitty says, placing the plain wheatcake in front of her friend, the multitude of toppings she’d insisted Peter carry.
“I see,” Illyana responds, her Russian accent thick, catching Peter slightly off guard as he takes a seat opposite the two girls, “Thank you, new kid. Although I do not know how I can call you that when I have only just joined myself.”
“Uh, don’t worry about it? Do you… предпочитаете говорить по-русски? (Prefer to speak in Russian?)”
Watching the girl blink, then frown with a small smile on her face as she leans forward, “Вы говорите по-русски? (You can speak Russian?)”
“Немного (A little)”
“Hmm… well, for the sake of Kitty, I would prefer English. Besides, the Professor didn’t reprogram my brain to understand and speak English for nothing.”
“Why can you speak Russian?” Kitty asks, eyes glistening as she looks between the pair, cutting into her steaming wheatcake.
“...Because I wanted to be an Avenger. I learnt a lot of the languages of the world. The major ones that is.”
“Oh, whoa! You’re gonna be real popular with the teachers!”
“Speaking of teachers, you were wrong about your bet if he wanted to be an Avenger.”
“Huh? Oh! Uh… shoot.”
“Bet?”
“When we saw you in the parking lot. Kitty said you wanted to be like Scott, so you even coloured your glasses lenses. I said it was a result of your mutant power.”
“...And what did you win?”
“Kitty will do me a single favour,” Illyana mentions, finishing spreading a thin layer of what Peter thinks is apricot varenye over the wheatcake. The small stone fruits glisten as she takes a cautious bite of the food. “This is very good.”
“Ah, thanks. It’s my Aunt’s recipe.”
“Hmm. I will have to give you a thank-you note for your aunt, then.”
“Right…”
“Oh, man. Illyana is right. You know, you could make for a pretty good cook,” Kitty says whilst chewing on her food, “what’s your mutation anyway?”
“Oh, I haven’t been tested yet, but at the bare minimum, it’s spider-human physiology.”
“What, like Spider-Man?” Kitty remarks sarcastically, about to take another bite of food, before looking at the serious expression on Peter’s face. “No… Wait, actually?!”
“Yeah… I’m, uh, Arachkid. I don’t know if you might have heard of-”
“You are the Arachkid?” Illyana chimes in, picking up the newspaper, flipping it to a picture of himself in the costume.
“Yeah.”
“He looks like Scott. Has a personality similar to Scott. I believe that you have found-”
“Illyana!” Kitty screams, covering the other girl's mouth, a faint, creeping blush forming on her cheeks and the tips of her ears.
“Alright, kids, settle down,” the firm voice of Scott says, the door creaking open as he walks towards them, “How are you feeling, Peter?”
“Good. I was a little startled when I woke up the dinosaur-”
“Oh, Rex. Yeah, he’s a sweetheart once he gets used to you.”
“Uh, a bit of an ironic name for a utahraptor, isn’t it?”
“Eh, I don’t name the pets. Anyway, when you’re done with breakfast, get Kitty to show you to the medical bay.”
“Right,” Peter responds, seeing Kitty flash a smile towards him. Seeing the man frown as he looks at the boy, eyes widening behind his glasses, as the man reaches out to touch his face and hair.
“Hmm… you really do have the potential to look like a younger me… I can’t believe it.”
“Uh…”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a clone of me! Anyway, Hank’ll be waiting for you. Kitty, Illyana, remember we have mutation tests today.”
“Okies!”
“Alright, Scott.”
The trio wave to the ruby glasses-wearing man, returning to their breakfast in near silence. Peter looks at his wheatcake, the soft clinking of his silverware hitting the plate as he cuts up the food. Chewing slowly as he absentmindedly listens to the conversation between Kitty and Illyana, he thinks about his plan.
First, ask about his cardiovascular system. That's the most pressing issue for him. Plus, any underlying mutations that might be causing him some problems. Actually, how do they test the mutations? Is there a machine? Is it a physical-
“-Peter?”
“Huh, what? Sorry, I missed that, Illyana. What were you saying?”
“We asked if you would let us style your hair a bit.”
“What?”
“Well, you know what Scott said, right? We wanted to see how similar you look!” Kitty exclaims as she looks across the table with bright eyes.
“Uh… Sure? But wouldn’t it be better to wait until after my medical check-up?”
Smirking, Kitty nudges Illyana, the blonde rolling her eyes before returning the smirk. A small circle expanding between the pair, outlined in a fiery yellow aura. The inside of the circle displays a series of hairsprays and bottles.
“Nope. We’re going to do it now.”
“Wait, what?”
Grinning, the girls grab their supplies, Kitty phasing through the table and grabbing him. Peter’s eyes widen, stiffening in his place, Illyana vaulting over the table as the two girls begin spraying and playing with his hair. The two argue and discuss the hair, seeming to ignore Peter as he stays still, trying not to look at either girl as they continue to fiddle with his hair.
“Hmm… done! I think it would look more like Scott if your hair is slightly longer, but… You really do look like him, huh? Are you two related?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Huh. Well, it’s a little uncanny. Anyways! Let’s go!”
“Wait, what?”
“To the medbay. Come on, Petie!” Kitty says, dragging him out of his seat, Illyana flanking him.
Looking around as he tries to catch his footing as he’s dragged through the mansion, Peter is taken down the staircase. The expansive rooms opening up around him feel straight out of a sci-fi movie, high glass windows exposing the room’s interiors as they shuffle through the halls. Turning into a room, Kitty knocks on a large metallic door, letting go of Peter’s wrists.
“Yes?”
“It’s Kitty! I brought Peter, oh, uh, the new mutant!”
“Ah, I see. Well, come in, come in,” the now distinctly posh British voice rings out. Pressing a button next to the door, it hisses open, steam unfurling from the door as they walk into the room. “Ah, Mr. Parker, I presume,” a blue-furred ape-looking man says, as he leaps down from an array of cables, a computer situated amongst the chaos, “Hank McCoy. Although you can also call me Beast.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. McCoy. How… how does this work?”
“Ah, yes. Well, it’s a simple process, really. We’ll first start by taking a general MRI to assess your physical composition, and then we’ll move on to the mutation analysis.”
“Um… is there a way you can check my cardiovascular system?”
Watching as the ape-man adjusts his glasses, subconsciously copying the motion, Hank responds, “Oh? Is there something with your cardiovascular system that we need to test?”
“Kinda. More like I want to know something. When I… mutated, I threw up a lot of blood, and when I did some tests with Spider-Man to determine my powers… well, I seem to have Hemolymph and blood. Or at least I did? It’s complicated, and I’m worried about what it could mean if I ever need a transfusion.”
“Fascinating. We can definitely run some tests on your cardiovascular system as well. In fact, I would love to study your blood, it could prove vital in understanding mutations. Now, Kitty, Illyana, I would suggest you go to your lessons.”
“Fine~!” “Very well.”
Waiting for the two girls to leave, the large man nods, pointing towards what Peter assumes is a changing room. Stepping into the space, he finds a jumpsuit folded neatly on the chair. Picking it up, Peter looks at the interior, noting the design for the vital sensors laced through it.
“This is cool,” Peter says, stepping out of the changing room in the black and blue suit.
“Yes, I designed it for functionality, although I did try to add some fashion to it. Now, step into the machine, and remain still,” the man says, pointing towards a tall vertical machine. It’s bright lights shining yellow as Peter steps onto the outlines of feet. Hearing the machine hum and whir to life, Peter relaxes, the beams of light fanning out around him as he feels a slight tingle running across his skin.
Seeing the machine finish its scan, the beams of light return to the sides of the machine. Stepping out of the machine as he sees Hank raising an eyebrow before nodding, Peter waits for the next step.
“Well, let’s test your cardiovascular system next. Sit in the chair and I’ll draw some blood.”
Nodding, Peter sits down in the chair, his left arm held out as Beast quickly begins pulling out a needle and vials. Tapping the tip of the needle as he ejects as much of the air out of the needle as possible. Pressing the needle against Peter’s arm, the needle pierces into the boy's skin, slowly drawing out a vial full of blue, viscous liquid. The man presses a cotton pad against the injury before pulling it away.
“Accelerated healing as well… Very interesting. Now, we’ll just go through the basics of physical exertion, lifting, running, jumping, etc.”
“Alright,” Peter responds, standing up as Beast begins fiddling with the vial of blood before directing him to another room. The large gym sprawls out before the pair, the younger of the two’s eyes widening as he looks at the room.
“Now, let’s finish up these tests.”