Enter Nightcrawler
Bayville, New York, 2000
Present Day
“B-A-Y-V-I-L-L-E! GO BAYVILLE!”
Spending a Friday night at a prep rally football game was not the definition of fun in Rogue's opinion. Somehow, she'd been dragged along by both Scott and Jean, the two claiming they should show their support for the school and the football team of Bayville High.
Team spirit!
...bunch a' nonsense.
And yet, here she was, sitting on a set of uncomfortable bleachers with a horde of rowdy students, all cheering like it was the NFL kick-off. How’d she ever let her friends talk her into this? She knew for a fact that Scott was not a fan of their High School football team in particular.
'And Ah wonder why that is', she thought blandly, casting a glance at the school’s star quarterback, Duncan Matthews - better known as Jean Grey's boytoy jock.
The epic love triangle of the century and the only telepath of the trio couldn't even see what was right in front of her. Jean may be a psychic in the works, but the girl could be flat out blind in the ways of romance.
'Not that Ah'm rootin' for ole' Boy Scout or anything' Rogue thought with a small grin, sighing against her palm as the cheerleaders took to the field for their routine. From the corner of her eye, she caught Scott waving shyly at Jean who was taking pictures on the field.
God love her friends, but sometimes she wanted to just smack them upside the head and tell them exactly what they were ignoring.
Scott and Jean would make a fantastic couple, no doubt there, if only Jean would realize how Scott felt about her and drop the jock nippin' at her heels. If there was one thing set in the stars, it was that Duncan Matthews was not what you'd call boyfriend material.
Speaking of…what were those hoodlums up to now?
Rogue noticed Duncan and his goons heading towards the back of the bleachers while the cheer squad took to the field, that no-good grin on his face spelling trouble for any who got in his way. There had been plenty of incidents at the school involving the cocky jock to paint him in a bad light, but none of the adults ever did a damn thing due to Duncan being their star athlete. It wasn't much of a secret that Duncan was the resident school bully shielded by his popularity and Daddy's money.
Thankfully, the asshole seemed to know better than to ever mess with Rogue.
“Now what are those no-good philistines up t’?” she grumbled. “Game ain’t even ove’ yet…though it may as well be.”
“What’d you say, Rogue?” Scott asked, turning towards her.
“Nothin’, jus’ talkin’ t’ mah’self,” she said with a wave. “Ah’m gonna go grab a snack. Ah’ll be right back, sugah.”
Scott gave her a quick smile before turning his attention back to the field, none the wiser. It wasn’t like she wanted to fib to him, but she knew how much Scott hated Duncan and the last thing she wanted was a fight to go down between them tonight.
Hopping up off of the bleachers, Rogue scurried down the steps to head the jocks off and see who they were after this time. She had no doubt Duncan had his sights set on someone specific.
Ducking beneath the bleachers, she quickly saw who had fallen into Duncan’s crosshairs.
‘Of course…’ she sighed internally, watching the Quarterback corner a frightened Todd Tolansky, aka Toad. The weaselly little shrimp was always up to no good, and judging by the handful of wallets and cash spread out beneath his feet, she was willing to bet he’d been snatchin’ people’s cash from under the bleachers.
Typical…
She felt her ire rise when Duncan lashed out and grabbed Todd by the collar, hoisting up the smaller boy with ease.
Hurrying over, Rogue stopped just behind the group of boys and crossed her arms, “Y’ just can’t stay outta’ trouble, can ya’, Toad?”
“H-Hey, Ro’—ahh—lil’ h-help?” Toad stammered, struggling against the arm holding him up by the collar. He hadn’t even seen Duncan and his boys until they’d caught him, roughly shoving him against the wooden legs of the bleachers seconds before Rogue showed up.
"Drop 'im," Rogue demanded, glaring at Duncan. She may not always like Toad, but she hated bullies even more.
"Who's gonna make me? You?" Duncan scoffed. "Get outta' here, goth freak. Before we make you."
“How about no,“ Scott suddenly said from behind them, stepping out from the shadows. “Now why don’t you guys just take a step back. The wallets and the cash are all still there, so how about you drop him and no one has to get hurt.”
“Y-yeah! Yeah, yeah, what he said!” Toad exclaimed, reaching into his pocket to pull out a wad of crumpled bills. “Look, man! H-Here’s the money!”
“Why the Hell do you two losers care about this trash?” Duncan sneered, glaring at them both.
Rogue grit her teeth and took a step forward, “Ah don’t care for people that bully others for pleasure.”
“Me neither,” Scott agreed. “And I’m not crazy about your 3-against-1 play. So how about it, Duncan? You wanna settle this peacefully, or not?”
Rather than back off, the football captain turned his attention back to the cowering mutant locked in his grip with a smirk.
“You know what I think, Summers?” he mocked. “I think me and my boys are gonna squash this little creep, so you and your bitch can just bail.”
“Y’ kiss ya’ Momma with that mouth a’ yours?” Rogue said with a vicious smirk. “Or just blow Daddy with those cock suckin’ lips, Babyboy?”
Duncan’s smirk vanished in an instant and was quickly replaced by fury. The other two players shared an uneasy look with one another, each taking a step back.
“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Duncan demanded, dropping Toad to the muddy ground.
“Y’ heard meh. Now listen, bitch. Y’ lay a single finger on that boy an’ Ah’m gonna break that pretty face a’ yours an’ ya’ boys won’t be gettin’ their post-game suck off from those pouty lips. Unless they got ‘a thing f’ bloody teeth, then by all means, Ah’ll paint ya’ up all nice ‘n pretty,” Rogue said, crossing her arms. “Last warnin’, Matthews.”
“Oh, you are so dead, freak!” Duncan yelled, rushing towards her with his fists clenched.
Rogue side-stepped the raging boy with ease and landed a powerful blow to his shoulders, sending him sprawling into the mud. Turning to the other two lackeys, she just grinned and motioned for them to come at her.
“Who’s next?” she coaxed.
One seemed to get his barings and narrowed his eyes at the mutants, taking a sloppy swing at Rogue’s head only to be met with a palm to his chin and a kick to his ribs, sending him sprawling to the ground. The other jock looked torn between wanting to fight and wishing he’d left when he'd been given the chance.
“Fuckin’ get her already!” Duncan demanded, standing up to rush her again with dirt and mud caking half his body now.
“Enough!” Scott yelled, grabbing Duncan before he could try and attack Rogue again, tossing the football captain right into his teammates. "You're done, Matthews. Take the out and walk away."
The three brawlers fell to the ground in a pile of limbs, cursing at one another to get off! Unlike the other two, Duncan swiftly shoved his way back to his feet and threw Scott a vicious glare.
“Big mistake, Summers,” he sneered.
“Ah believe he’s a might angry, Scott,” Rogue drawled, keeping herself between the bullies and Toad.
Scott stood back silently and raised his hands defensively, keeping Duncan in his sights. The other punks were still down for the count – that or they just wanted to watch and see what happened. Either way, Duncan was now beyond pissed and out for blood.
“You stay outta’ this, goth bitch!” Duncan roared, launching himself at Scott with malice.
He’d show that goodie-goodie Summers a thing or two!
“I don’t want to fight you, Duncan!” Scott refuted, blocking the footballer’s fists. What none of them saw was the silhouette walking in behind them.
“What is going on?” Jean suddenly cried, appearing beneath the edge of the bleachers just as Scott grabbed Duncan’s collar. “Scott, no!”
Distracted by Jean’s cry, Scott didn’t react in time to stop Duncan from reaching up to shove him away, catching his glasses by mistake and ripping them clean off of his face.
‘Oh no…’ Rogue thought, dodging the powerful blast that Scott accidently let out while shoving Toad out of the way.
The entire bleacher stand shook violently before a massive explosion erupted from behind them all. People from the stands and the field started running in fear as terrified screams filled the night air along with a massive wall of flames and smoke shooting into the sky. Not only had Scott’s beam managed to knock down the snack bar beside the bleachers, but it had also somehow blasted the shed containing the school's propane tanks as well.
“Y’ just had t’ look at the propane tank…” she muttered, looking back to see Scott covering his eyes. Thankfully, Jean had already rushed to his aid and found his discarded glasses on the ground.
Taking a deep breath, Rogue could already feel the flames rising around them. She quickly grabbed Toad, and Duncan’s unconscious body, to drag them out of the danger zone.
“Jean, grab the others!” she commanded, watching the young telepath swiftly levitate the other two players. Together they escaped from beneath the burning bleachers with Scott following close behind. Off in the distance, Rogue could hear sirens approaching and people were already fighting to extinguish the flames around the shed. The wooden bleachers may have been a lost cause but at least the fire wouldn’t reach the school.
“Oh, man…I can’t believe I did this,” Scott murmured, the roaring flames reflecting off his lenses. Beside him, Rogue set Duncan down on the field while Toad collapsed onto the turf with a groan.
“Nice shootin’, Tex,” Toad wheezed. He’d clearly witnessed what caused the destruction, but at least the little twerp was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about it.
“Over here! We have a few more that were caught near the blast!” Jean cried, leading a handful of EMT’s over to them. Medical staff quickly rushed over to take the players off their hands.
“This one may a’ hit his head,” Rogue offered, watching them place Duncan onto a stretcher.
“Any of you kids see what happened here?” one of the cops questioned, eyeing them curiously.
“Sure did, officer,” Rogue said, motioning to herself and Scott. “We were sittin’ on the far edge of the bleachers when we saw these boys head under them, not sure why they did, but for a while Ah could ‘a swore Ah smelled propane? Ah asked mah friend Scott here if he could smell it too or if it was just meh, but he swore up ‘n down Ah was right and not a minute later, BOOM! The whole dang shed went up in flames! Ah knew, Ah say, Ah just knew one a’ them tanks was leakin’!”
“Yeah, what she said!” Toad nodded frantically, keeping himself lowered to the ground behind her legs.
“It’s true, officer. We smelled a leak just before the blast,” Scott added. “Maybe one of the canisters was faulty? At least no one was seriously hurt.”
The officers who were watching the firefighters spray the shed seemed to buy the story, agreeing with their tale a bit too easily in Rogue’s opinion.
“Looks like you kids were lucky tonight,” one of the cops stated, patting Scott on the shoulder as he passed. “Get home and get some rest. You’ve all had enough excitement for one evening.”
“…yeah,” Scott muttered, turning his head to watch Jean kneel next to Duncan’s prone body laid out on the stretcher. An ambulance pulled up beside the small gathering and Jean helped them secure her boyfriend in.
“Duncan,” she whispered, carefully holding his hand. “Are you alright?”
“Jean?” Duncan looked up at her in a daze, blinking slowly. “I didn’t know you were here?”
“Of course,” she smiled gently. “Now why don’t we get you to the hospital?”
“Pfft! I’m fine,” he slurred, tapping his bruised forehead. “Skull like concrete!”
‘Gag meh’ Rogue thought watching the couple. Next to her, Scott still stood silent and brooding, watching the slowly dying flames while blinding, emergency lights flashes against his red lenses.
“You alright, sugah?” she asked, knocking her shoulder against his.
“Just wounded pride, I guess,” he sighed, shrugging halfheartedly. “Not exactly how I thought this night would go.”
Rogue glanced at the ambulance Jean was climbing into, knowing her unintentional abandonment had settled heavily on Scott, if not more so than the accident he’d just unintentionally caused. “Can’t say Ah blame y’…”
She really needed to see if she could convince Jean to take off the rose-colored glasses and drop Matthews already.
That boy was trouble on two legs.
Rogue suddenly felt someone tap her arm and looked down to see Toad standing next to her, shyly nudging the grass with his shoe.
"Thanks, Ro'...really," he mumbled.
Rolling her eyes, she patted the younger mutant on the head with a small smirk, “Always gettin’ into trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he groaned.
"Get outta' here before the cops start pokin' around askin’ questions," she muttered, pushing him towards the parking lot. "An' quit stealin'!"
“You’d have better luck asking Logan to dress in drag,” Scott smirked.
“Don’t remind meh,” she muttered, pinching her nose ridge to try and fight off the incoming headache. “Come on, let’s get outta’ here before—anddd never mind…the vultures have arrived.”
A small crowd had gathered in the parking lot surrounding the Channel 5 News crew that just showed up to the party, cameras and microphones and camera flashes filling the night air. Why was it that people seemed to flock towards chaos and mayhem like a pride of lions hearing the dinner bell?
"You think the Professor will be mad about this?" Scott asked quietly, leading them both around and away from the officials taking statements.
"Ah wouldn't fret too much, sugah. Y’ know nothin’ draws a crowd like hullabaloo,” Rogue shrugged. “It was an accident. Ah’ll take the blame if there is any.”
“But you didn’t do anything wrong,” he argued.
“An’ neither did you,” she declared firmly, raising an eyebrow challengingly. “Don’t make meh tell ya’ twice, Scott Summers.”
The tension in Scott’s shoulders slumped a bit, the obvious guilt he’d been carrying vanishing as he offered a small smile. He leaned against her and breathed, “Thanks, Rogue.”
“Ah know, Ah love meh too,” she snickered.
Meanwhile, at the Bayville Train Station...
Charles Xavier sat on the platform with Storm awaiting their newest student, the prior finishing up a phone call on his cell, his previous laid-back demeanor shifting almost instantly to dread and weariness with each passing moment.
“An explosion?” he gaped incredulously. “No, no. I’m sure we’ll read all the details in the morning paper. Thank you for handling it, dear. I’ll call you once we’re finished here and have Kurt and—orange juice?”
“Explosion?” Storm startled beside his chair, looking down in mild horror. “What explosion?”
“Long story,” Charles sighed, covering the phone’s speaker for a moment. “We need to stop on the way home and grab another carton of orange juice—no, dear, I was telling Storm I would explain everything to her later. Yes, I know it was an accident, I never doubted that. Of course.”
“What’s happened?” Storm pressed.
Charles covered the phone again, “I’m afraid the school pep rally did not go as planned—yes, I will. Alright, darling, we’ll see you at home—no, I won’t forget the orange juice.”
Hanging up, the Professor's lip twitched as he let out a weary sigh. His children were going to cause him to have an aneurism one of these days…
“Charles, what’s happened?” Storm urged him. “What on Earth happened at the school?”
“Apparently Rogue and Scott intercepted Mr. Matthews and two other football players from assaulting another student. However, it seems Scott’s glasses were knocked away and he thought it best to have a staring contest with the snack-bar’s propane tanks…” he stated straight-faced. “I’m assured it was quite the fireworks display.”
“Matthews? As in Duncan Matthews? The boy Jean has been seeing?”
“The very same,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes.
The love-triangle between Jean, Scott and Duncan had been going on for years now, and Charles could honestly say that he probably received more dramatic entertainment from those three than his daily soap operas.
Young love…the horror.
“Let’s not worry about it now, we have a guest arriving soon. In fact, I believe he should be here any moment,” he said brightly, hearing the latest train slowly pulling into the station.
“Would you like to do the honors?” Storm asked cheekily, holding out a white cardboard sign covered in multi-colored glitter pen with the words; WELCOME KURT WAGNER! The children had decided it was necessary to make a sign so Kurt could easily find them at the station, and not at all for the sake of trying to get their Professor’s chair covered in caustic art supplies, or the excuse to have a glitter war afterwards.
Glitter…the Devil’s herpes.
“No thank you, my dear,” he coughed, folding his hands with a smile. “I believe it would be best viewed from a taller height, wouldn’t you agree?”
“You just don’t want to get covered in glitter.”
“It’s like you see right through me.”
The train slowly rolled up to the platform, wheels grinding nosily against the rails as the massive locomotive came to a stop. The doors opened and people hurried out to get on with their busy lives, hustling about to fetch bags and cargo, hardly sparing a glance at the two mutants waiting patiently on the platform.
“My, there are more people tonight than I expected,” Storm murmured, holding the welcome sign a bit further away from her than necessary. She didn't care to be covered in glitter either, thank you very much.
“Agreed,” Charles replied, but his eyes were glancing around them curiously. Even with the crowd of people blocking his view, he could have sworn he sensed a familiar mind nearby, one he knew well and did not take kindly to.
‘Why on Earth would she be here?’ he wondered, keeping his eyes trained for any sign of the familiar, blue-skinned mutant. ‘What could you possibly want here, Mystique?’
It was no use, of course, given that Mystique rarely traversed the public domain without the guise of another face, but he knew he could feel her close by.
“Professor?” a young voice suddenly spoke up from behind. “Professor Xavier?”
“Ah, Kurt,” Charles smiled kindly, turning to see a fully cloaked figure holding two large duffle bags in hand standing next to them. “There you are, my boy. Welcome to Bayville.”
“Danke,” the young man replied softly.
“Hello, Kurt. My name is Ororo Monroe, but you may call me Storm,” the white-haired goddess introduced herself, still holding the glittery abomination. “As you can see, we’ve been expecting you.”
“Come, come,” Charles waved them both towards the exit. “Let’s get going and get you out of this madness.”
It was fairly obvious that Kurt was nervous and that this was all a bit overwhelming for the boy. As far as Charles knew, Kurt had never been outside of Germany, much less across an ocean in an entirely new country surrounded by strangers. He could understand the boy’s nerves were a tad fried after such a long and rigorous journey.
By the time they reached the car and Charles was settled in the back with his newest student, he could see that Kurt was almost vibrating with anxiety.
“You needn’t worry, my boy,” Charles eased. “You are perfectly safe with us. In our home, mutants are free to be themselves without fear of persecution. We want you to feel welcome here, there is no need for you to hide yourself.”
At the calm and encouraging words, Kurt slowly reached up to pull his hood down and greeted the Professor with a toothy grin.
“Very good,” Charles praised, leaning back with contemplative look. “Now, I have a serious question for you.”
“Ja, Professor?”
“Do you like orange juice?”
X-Mansion
The following morning was a typical one. The three students of the manor were bustling about to get ready for school, and as always, Scott took the lead and did his best to get them out the door on time, though sometimes...a certain redhead made that incredibly difficult.
“Come on, Jean, let’s go! We’re gonna be late!” Scott groaned outside the bathroom door, checking his watch for the hundredth time. They were definitely going to be late if they didn’t hurry up and get moving. It was already half past seven and they hadn’t even had breakfast yet!
“Almost done!” Jean answered cheekily from inside.
“You said that five minutes ago,” he claimed, looking behind him down the hall. “Have you seen Rogue yet?”
“She’s probably already downstairs.”
“Which means she’s probably already waiting for us!”
“Just a few more seconds!”
“We’re gonna be late!” he said while pounding against the locked door once again. “I mean it, Jean, we gotta go! Do you want me to blow this door down or--!”
The door swung open interrupting Scott’s rant, Jean’s bright grin greeting him as she swept by him.
“So, are we going or what?” she teased, jogging towards the staircase.
Rolling his eyes, Scott took off after her and shouldered his bag. Maybe they could grab a protein bar or something from the kitchen before heading out.
“Come on, Rogue’s probably waiting for us in the garage,” he said, checking his watch once again. He caught up with Jean just as the redhead was passing by the hall to Xavier’s study.
“We’re heading out, Professor!” Jean said loudly. “See you after school!”
“Wait just a moment,” Charles called out from the open doors, waving them closer. “Before you leave, there is someone I’d like you to meet first.”
It was only then that both teens remembered that they were supposed to have been getting a new student last night.
“Is he here?” Jean asked, rushing towards the door with Scott hot on her heels. “Is it Kurt?”
“Did he make it last night?” Scott asked over her, coming to a halt outside the study doors.
Charles chuckled lightly at their enthusiasm. It wasn’t often they received new members in the mansion, so he couldn’t blame them. It would be wonderful to have a new fresh face around the house.
“Yes, it is. I’d like to introduce you to Kurt Wagner,” he motioned towards the youngster next to him. Kurt had opted to re-cover himself with his cloak, still a bit uncomfortable with showing himself to others
“Hi, Kurt,” Jean introduced herself first with a wave. “I’m Jean, and this is Scott.”
“It’s nice to have a new face around here,” Scott said good-naturedly, holding out his hand to shake. However, when Kurt nervously stepped away, the other two teens shared a curious look.
Scott pulled his hand back with a small frown, wondering if he’d accidently overstepped and scared the younger boy somehow. Before he could apologize, a new voice spoke up from the doorway.
"You must be the Kurt Wagner Ah've been hearin' so much about," Rogue drawled as she sauntered in. "Gossip trains been flyin' 'round this house since last night."
“There you are,” Scott breathed out, thankful for the save.
"Rogue, you're just in time, dear," Charles smiled, gesturing to their new guest. "Kurt, I'd like you to meet Rogue. She will be one of your instructors and she is one of our highest-ranking students. Rogue, Kurt Wagner. He'll be staying with us for the foreseeable future."
Scott stepped aside as Rogue came up to them, careful not to scare Kurt. The boy was clearly nervous about being seen by others.
“Heya’, cupcake,” Rogue spoke easily, holding her hand out like she was coaxing a wild animal instead of straight like a handshake, waiting patiently until the new mutant slowly lifted his own and placed three, furry blue fingers in her palm.
"No need to be nervous, sugah," she murmured softly, gently running her thumb against Kurt's furry hand. "You won't find any judgmental eyes in this house. Now lose the hood, darlin', an' let meh see the real Kurt."
Eased by the southern Belle’s words, Kurt slowly removed his hood with a small smile, “Hallo.”
"Well, aren't you just the cutest lil' elf Ah ever did see!" Rogue gushed, making Kurt blush.
Charles grinned behind his hand, "I was just telling Kurt how I set up this institute to help gifted youngsters. Youngsters whose gifts are not always an asset...right, Scott?"
Scott hunched his shoulders under Xavier's stare, "I guess you heard about last night?"
"Difficult not to," Charles smirked, reaching over to grab the newspaper to hold it up. The headline was in bold capital letters, Explosion At High School; Students Escape Freak Accident Unscathed!
"It was also on every news channel, sugah," Rogue shrugged at Scott while continuing to play with Kurt’s fur.
"It was an accident," Scott stressed.
"I know it was, and Rogue already told me what happened," Charles began, cutting off Scott’s rising fears. "Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt and it has already been explained away as an accident. That said, you must be more careful. Had anyone discovered the true nature of what occurred last night--"
"Come on, Professor," Scott cut in, annoyed with the whole situation. "I'm packing a nuke behind my eyes! What do you want from me?"
"Control, Scott. That's what you're here to learn," Charles assuaged easily. "That's why you're all here."
"T' clarify this lil' tiff for ya', Kurt," Rogue said to their newest addition while she motioned towards Scott. "Scott's mutation is to emit destructive beams from his eyes. A slight bit a' head trauma as a boy makes it impossible for him to turn his mutation off, ya' see? Kinda like meh. Mah skin, if Ah were to touch yours, Ah'd absorb not only ya' life energy but ya' mutation and ya’ memories too. Understand?"
"Very cool," Kurt offered shyly.
"How about you, Kurt?" Jean asked. "Wanna show us what you can do?"
"Yeah, Fuzzy Man," Rogue smirked. "What brought ya' to us?"
In a puff of smoke, Kurt suddenly disappeared and reappeared across the room with a giant grin on his face.
"Awesome!" Jean and Scott gasped, watching Kurt teleport back between them.
"A teleporter," Rogue stated, sharing a smile with Xavier. "That's a new one on meh."
“I have a feeling young Kurt will fit in just fine here,” Charles smiled back. “Which reminds me. Kurt, I have something for you.”
Reaching into his pocket, he swiftly pulled out a small box and opened it to reveal a watch.
“I had this made for you,” he explained, handing it over to the blue mutant. “Just put it on and push the button on the side.”
Following the Professor’s direction, Kurt slid the small black device over his wrist and pushed the button. In a moment, a shimmer passed over his entire body and suddenly standing before them was not a blue mutant but an average looking teenager.
“I—I don’t believe it!” Kurt cried, catching his reflection in the mirror across the room. “I’m normal!”
“Mah doll, y’ were always normal,” Rogue corrected gently.
“Rogue is correct, my boy,” Charles stated. “Normal is what you truly are, inside. This is merely a disguise, one you can wear outside so that you’ll not be subjugated to the bigotry of those who do not understand your gifts.”
“That watch is no different than mah gloves or Scott’s glasses, sugah,” Rogue said, wiggling her fingers to show off her black gloves. “It ain’t a godsend, just a succor to make life a little easier for us.”
“Well said, darling. Now, you three get going. You don’t want to be late for school,” Charles urged them, waving them towards the door. “Storm and I will get Kurt settled in.”
Bayville High School
Sitting outside the Principal’s office before 1st period had even ended was not how Toad hoped his day would go. Maybe catch a few flies, take a nap during Algebra, steal some lunch - you know, the usual – but here he was sitting in the stiff, uncomfortable chairs feeling like he was waiting to be hanged.
‘What’d I even do this time?’ he wondered, crossing his arms as his knee fidgeted.
“Mr. Tolansky,” Principal Darkhölme spoke loudly from the doorway, motioning for the young mutant to follow her.
Gulping, Toad quickly hopped off the chair and trudged into the large office, listening to the door shut and lock like a gavel hitting a bench.
"If this is about that chemistry quiz, I did not steal the final answers!" Toad stammered nervously, hopping up onto the chair opposite the massive desk. He knew better than to try and escape from the woman now sitting across from him. He also knew better than to ever disobey her when she demanded anything from him.
In a mesmerizing display of skin shifting, Toad watched anxiously as Principal Darkhölme transformed into her true self. Blue skin replaced pale, brown hair fading into red and dark eyes shifting to an ugly yellow, until all that remained was a fearsome mutant glaring down at him.
Mystique...
The one and only shape-shifter known throughout the mutant circles and the last person on Earth Toad ever wanted to piss off.
"Forget about your sorted academics, Toad," Mystique snapped. "For now, I'd like to talk about your new friends. Rogue and Scott Summers?"
"What about 'em?" Toad shrugged. "They're cool. If it wasn't for Rogue, those jocks woulda' stomped my skull into the ground."
"Yes, I'm sure they played the valiant heroes," she said with a roll of her eyes. "Summers, as I'm sure you've noticed, has special powers. Rogue does as well. There are others like them and we need to know more, Toad. Much more."
"Look, uhhh...I-I don't wanna--" he back peddled, flinching as fingers gripped his shirt roughly. He cowered under the powerful grip and gulped. He didn't have any beef with Ro' or Summers, but he was more scared of the shape-shifter than either of them.
"You will do as you're told," Mystique growled, tightening her hold on him. “Now, you’re going to run a little errand for me.”
Toad swallowed thickly and nodded, fearing the older mutant's wrath. He’d been on the bad side of Mystique once or twice and knew there was no point in trying to argue with her. She may have been a few tools short of a full set, in his opinion, but she was way stronger and really scary when she was angry.
So, yeah…he’ll choose life, thanks.
“W-wha--w-what d’you want m-me to do?” he stammered, trying to avoid Mystique’s venomous eyes.
“You’re going to be my little spy,” she smirked, leaning closer to the boy. “And you’re going to follow orders without complaint, or you’re going to find yourself having a horrible accident. Do we understand each other?”
Toad closed his eyes and shook under the strong hands holding him still. He had a seriously nasty feeling that his life just got a whole lot harder…
Scott had barely made it to his locker after the last period before lunch and he was already done with the whole day. First he’d just missed the last bell before classes started, then he’d been forced to take a surprise science quiz that he’s pretty sure he tanked, and let’s not forget the mound of homework Mrs. Green piled onto them right before class ended.
So much for a quiet, relaxing night.
“Come on, man, let’s go!” one of his buddies egged him on, heading for the cafeteria.
“I’m comin’! Save me a seat, would you?” Scott waved them off, opening his locker up. Books upon piles of more books greeted him and he quickly shoved his Biology notebook inside, pulling out his packed lunch.
“Summers!”
Spinning around quickly, Scott faltered when he turned to find Todd Tolansky mere inches away from him.
“Jesus--!” he gaped, reeling back.
“Yo,” Toad grinned, doing a quick backflip up onto the lockers. “Waz’ up?”
Glancing around to make sure no one else had witnessed Toad’s unnatural acrobatics, Scott gazed up at the younger mutant skeptically. Just what did the little punk want now?
“Nice agility,” he said. “Good thing no one was around to see it.”
“Surprised you could with them shades a’ yours,” Toad snickered, his tongue whipping out faster than Scott could react to snatch the red lenses right off his face.
“Toad,” Scott growled, slamming his eyes shut while covering his eyes with his hand.
“What’s wrong, Summers,” Toad taunted him. “Afraid ta’ open your eyes?”
“I think we both know what’ll happen if I do, idiot,” the older teen grumbled, holding out his hand expectantly. “Hand ‘em over.”
“You know somethin’, Summers, me an’ you got a lot in common, yo,” Toad said casually, tossing the mucus covered glasses back to their rightful owner.
“Yeah,” Scott groaned, wiping the gunk off his glasses. “Now we’re both slimy…”
“Not that, man,” Toad argued. “We’re both - special. We ain’t like the others around here.”
“What’s your point?”
“Ah’d like to know too,” Rogue said suddenly from their left, rounding the corner of the hallway. Her eyes quickly zeroed in on Toad, smirking as he shrunk under her gaze. “You should know betta’ than to go talkin’ ‘bout certain things in public, sugah. Regardless of how special they may be.”
Toad skirted backwards and rubbed the back of his neck, “R-right, yeah. No sweat.”
“What’s wrong?” Scott asked.
“Nothin’. You were takin’ too long,” she shrugged, coming up to stand next to him. “Now Ah see why.”
“We was just talkin’, right, Summers? You know, ‘bout how much we all got in common,” Toad joked, stealing Scott’s brown lunch sack for himself with a grin. “Maybe we should get to know each other better, you know? Maybe, I don’t know, do lunch! What’cha think?”
Scott shared a look with Rogue before sighing, “Sure. Whatever, man.”
“Cool, yo,” Toad smirked, tossing them both a salute before vaulting down the coridoor.
“…weird,” Rogue muttered, wondering why Toad was suddenly so interested in them. It wasn’t like it was a secret they were all mutants. They’d known about each other for awhile, so why was the twerp trying to make nice now?
“Can’t believe that slimeball stole my lunch,” Scott sighed, reeling at the slime still stuck to his fingers.
“Good thing Ah packed enough t’ share,” Rogue smirked, holding up her own lunch. “But only after y’ wash ya’ hands, Boy Scout. Green ain’t a good look on ya’.”
X-Mansion
Later on, that same evening, Rogue sat in Charles’ study sipping on a glass of tea while the Professor listened to her recount of the day. If it weren’t for Toad’s odd behavior, she would have let it pass, but something about the whole thing was bothering her.
“This boy, Todd Tolansky, you say he has been using his powers more frequently?” Charles queried. He knew of Toad, but the boy had never been an issue until recently. From what he understood, Mr. Tolansky’s mutation was fairly median, if not idiosyncratic. There had never been a reason for them to approach him, as he clearly had a hold on his abilities and therefore did not require Charles' assistance, and he was still a bit young and immature to be considered a new face for their team.
“Kid’s definitely out in the open,” she surmised, sipping her drink. “Not mah first choice for a roommate, Ah’ll say that.”
“We cannot turn our backs on anyone in need, but it appears Mr. Tolansky is still of no danger to himself, merely – flashy. Do you think he is becoming a danger to us?” Charles asked seriously, folding his hands together.
“Hard to say,” Rogue shrugged. “But the boy is gifted - a pain - but gifted none the less. Ah wouldn’t mind seein’ the kid in action someday. For now, though, he’s way too green an’ unpredictable t’ have here. He’s careless. It'd be like babysittin' a kangaroo on Redbull...”
Charles hummed under his breath, “In that case, we will simply continue to watch and observe as we have been.”
“Watch and observe who, Professor?” Kurt asked from the door, greeting them both with a wave. He was dressed in his new X-Men uniform and looked perfectly at ease with himself.
“Hey, sugah,” Rogue smiled, patting the sofa cushion beside her. “Look at y’, lookin’ all snazzy in ya’ new uniform.”
“Thanks, Rogue,” Kurt blushed, taking a seat next to her. “I hope I am not interrupting you?”
“Not at all, Kurt,” Charles said. “We were just discussing another mutant at Bayville High. I can keep an eye out for new mutants using Cerebro, it’s how I found you.”
“What is a cerebro?” Kurt asked, cocking his head cutely.
“Let me show you,” Charles smirked, motioning his newest charge to follow him.
“Here we go…” Rogue smirked, swirling her tea. She knew Charles never passed up the opportunity to show a new face Cerebro, his pride and joy of the mansion.
The wall of the study opened up to reveal a massive screen and sprawling control board, alight with blinking buttons and smooth, metallic walls. On the screen, a large map of Bayville appeared.
“This is Cerebro,” Charles explained, picking up the dome helm and placing it on his head. “It is a machine that detects the manifestation of mutant powers and it can reach every corner of the globe. It is how I found you.”
“Incredible,” Kurt breathed.
“Quite,” the Professor smirked.
“Show off,” Rogue deadpanned, leaning against her palm.
Suddenly, the perimeter security alarms flared to life and Cerebro activated itself while zeroing in on the mansion’s grounds, the security cameras coming on to reveal a figure just outside the fence.
“Speak of the Devil,” Charles said, looking over at Rogue.
“Seriously?” she groaned, setting her glass down to join them over at the screen. Sure enough, Toad himself was sneaking around like a theif in the night. What was the little imp up to now?
“Shall we put our guest to the test?” Charles asked, closing his eyes to telepathically call out to Storm up in the botanical garden. If anyone could give the boy a run for his money, it was their weather goddess.
“What are you doin’, kid…” Rogue murmured to herself, watching Cerebro’s screen intently. None of this made any sense to her. Before today, Toad had barely spared them a glance, now he’s showing up at their doorstep like a creeper?
What gives?
Up on the screen, they watched Toad leap over the security fence and hop across the lawn, carefully keeping his eyes peeled for any traps.
"Ya' want meh to deal with ‘im?" Rogue asked, crossing her arms.
"No need, dear. Let Storm handle this one," Charles said, folding his fingers together to watch the spectacle unfold. "If Mr. Tolansky is as gifted as you say, she will prove his talent.”
“Or she’ll strike ‘im with a bolt ‘a lightning and solve all our problems,” she shrugged.
They watched Toad fearfully look up at the sky as Storm called forth the thunder, dark clouds quickly building over the mansion while rain began to pelt the young mutant. From what they could see from the cameras, Toad frantically attempted to outrun Storm even as the weather goddess gained on him with ease, jumping from one side to the other to escape the bolts of lightning raining down from above!
“Ororo’s puttin’ him through the paces,” Rogue remarked, impressed. "Ya' know Ah still coulda' handled 'im if all ya' wanted was to toss a few electric charges at him."
“So far, Mr. Tolansky has only shown his prowess for evading danger,” Charles chuckled. “But I still feel Storm was an appropriate choice. I have an inkling you would have aimed directly at the boy.”
“Guilty,” she shrugged with a grin. “Still a betta’ choice than Logan.”
“True,” he conceded.
“Can I help, Professor?” Kurt asked excitedly, bouncing on his heels.
“Oh, well, perhaps—” Charles began, but before he could even finish, Kurt was already gone in a poof of sulfur and smoke. “--or not?”
Rogue rolled her eyes and turned to walk out the door, “So much for a quiet night.”
Out in the hall, they could hear the sounds of roughhousing and arguing voices. Toad had apparently made it inside the manor and Kurt had intercepted him, their taunting voices echoing through the empty halls like bickering toddlers.
"And now they're playin' tag," Rogue smacked her forehead, watching the boys chase each other past the hallway with Kurt in the lead and Toad screeching ‘Get back here and fight like a man!’.
Storm gracefully floated in to meet them, banishing the thunderstorm with a wave of her hand.
"Well, it appears our suspicions were right," Charles said. "I suppose he - could - be one of us?"
"Ah think ya' pushin' it a bit on that one," Rogue drawled, folding her arms.
"Rogue is right, Charles," Storm agreed. "I don't believe Toad is quite ready to be one of the X-Men just yet. Perhaps in a few years."
“Decades,” Rogue stressed.
A sudden crash echoed from the main foyer along with the sound of shattering ceramic, startling the three of them.
"Please tell meh that wasn't the antique statue," Rogue groaned while hurrying down the hall.
The sight that greeted them was not a pleasant one. The mansion’s doors were wide open and rain had soaked the interior carpet, one window was smashed, a chandelier was now lying broken in pieces on the floor and - much to Rogue’s distress – the antique statue in the grand foyer now lay demolished in hundreds of fragments.
“What’s with all the noise?” Scott and Jean came to meet them from the elevator, both still dressed in their uniforms. They’d clearly just wrapped up a session in the Danger Room and must have heard the racket unfolding upstairs.
And of course, the cause of said chaos came bounding back down the staircase in a tumble of limbs.
“Get back here ya’ furry gecko!”
“You’re so slow!”
“Oh, now ya’ just tryin’ to tick me off—oh! Now you’re gonna—get back here—I’m gonna so get—oh!”
“Can’t catch me!”
“Is that--?” Scott gaped, watching the pair go flying by.
“What’s he doing here?” Jean asked.
“Make them stop,” Rogue pleaded, covering her eyes.
“This test is over,” Charles commanded, his voice echoing through the room. “Mr. Tolansky does have the X-Gene and he is welcome to join us if he desires.”
“The only thing I desire is blue boy’s furry head!” Toad grunted, lunging for Kurt once again. In a puff of smoke, the blue mutant teleported them both to the floor right in front of a frustrated Rogue…
"Alright, knock it off, the both a' ya'!" Rogue growled, separating both boys quickly. She grabbed Toad by the back of his collar and lifted him up off the ground.
“What are y’ doin’ here, Toad?” she demanded. “An’ what on Earth are y’ wearin’?”
“It’s my uniform!” Toad cried indignantly, struggling to free himself from her grasp.
“Well, that answers mah second question,” she deadpanned. “How ‘bout answerin’ the first one.”
“Let go a’ me! I don’t have to tell you nothin’!”
“It’s alright, Rogue,” Charles said carefully, reaching up to tap his own head. “I believe I know why Mr. Tolansky was sent to us.”
Rogue instantly caught the specific wording and felt her own hackles rise. There were few who would knowingly send a mutant their way, even fewer that Toad would willingly obey. He didn’t come there on his own accord.
Setting the struggling punk back down, Rogue kept her grip on his uniform to keep him grounded. “You were sent here by someone?”
“What’s it to ya?” Toad grumbled, crossing his arms petulantly.
“Toad,” she growled.
“A’ight!” he backpedaled, holding his hands up. “Look, I was just curious ‘bout this fancy-shmancy palace ‘a yours, yo. And maybe I wanted to see what you’s was hidin’. That ain’t no crime!”
Blinking, Rogue huffed out a breath, wondering how she ended up the voice of reason. “One; breaking and entering is a crime, mah doll. But that ain’t the part Ah’m stuck on. Two; if someone sent y’ here t’ spy on us, then for the sake of everyone involved, y’ need to tell us who it was.”
“I ain’t no snitch!” he cried.
Looking over the younger boy, Rogue could see that there was veiled terror in his eyes and tremors shook his frame. If she had to guess, she’d say it wasn’t them the young man was afraid of.
‘You would be correct, dear’ Charles projected to her. ‘I fear young Tolansky has found himself involved with certain depraved parties.’
It didn’t take a genius to figure out who had sent the kid to the wolves…
Reaching out, Rogue carefully tilted Toad’s chin up to meet her eyes, her own softening just a touch.
"Todd," she murmured. "Did Mystique force you to do this?"
"Don't call me that, yo! The name's Toad!" Toad yelled, glaring at them all and tearing himself free of Rogue’s hold. "An' I don't know nothin'!"
"Toad, come on!" Scott cried, watching the younger mutant take off for the door.
"Let 'im go, Boy Scout. He ain't ready," Rogue said, laying a hand on Scott's shoulder. "The boy's confused an' scared. There's no tellin' what Mystique's filled his head with."
“You’re sure she sent him?” he asked, backing down at Rogue’s touch. He and the others knew about Mystique and her feud with Professor Xavier, but she'd never sent anyone to try and infiltrate their home like that.
“I’m afraid so,” Charles stated stoically. “Which does not bode well for us.”
“Ya’ tellin’ meh,” Rogue sighed, following the fleeing mutant towards the front doors.
Toad rushed out to the lawn, jumping right over the steps in his haste to escape. What he failed to notice was the giant body blocking his path, or the set of legs he accidently slammed into. Looking up nervously, he gasped when three sharp blades were suddenly pointed right at him.
"Goin' somewhere?"
"W-wait, yo! I'm n-not a--!" Toad scrambled backwards, holding his hands up. “Ro’! Help!”
"Let him go, Logan," Rogue suddenly appeared in the doorway. "He was just leavin'. Don't mind the burly Wolverine, Toad, he won't hurt ya', sugah."
"Y-you sure a-a-bout t-that?" Toad stuttered, trembling, glancing behind him at Rogue for help.
"Let the boy pass, Logan. Before you give him a heart attack."
Logan stood silently for a moment before reluctantly moving aside, watching Toad cower in fear before the boy took off through the trees like the Devil was on his heels. His nose burned at the reeking stench coming off the weird looking kid.
"An' here Ah thought ya' wouldn't be back for at least anotha' week," Rogue said, walking towards him.
"Wasn't plannin' on it, but it seems like you all can't stay outta' trouble without me," he smirked. "I do watch the news, darlin'."
"Well, early or not, welcome home, sugah," she smiled, allowing him to wrap her up in a bear hug.
"Good to be home," he murmured, keeping his arm around her shoulders as they headed inside. "Tell me what I missed."