Chapter Text
“What do you mean, it’s not happening?!” Jubilee shouted at Kitty, who was standing with her arms crossed. The group of students were standing right outside the school, Kitty and Kurt both standing in front of them.
“Look, I’m as surprised as you are, kid.” Kitty responded, “Charles is usually really stubborn about this kind of thing. Don’t know what happened, but I’m honestly glad this isn’t happening.”
”What do you mean?” Skin asked, wearing his red and gold training outfit.
“We’re tryna help!” Husk said loudly.
“I know. But this job is dangerous, and I don’t want to carry the burden of dead kids on my conscience.”
“THIS IS BULLSHIT!” Jubilee shouted, stomping away. The rest soon following after.
Kurt and Kitty both watched the kids walk back into the mansion, Kitty letting out a sigh of relief, before turning to see the look of concern that painted Kurt’s face. He raised his eyebrow and looked at Kitty, who simply said: “If you’ve got something to say then go ahead and say it.”
“You could have been a bit nicer about that.” Kurt said. “A lot nicer.”
”I know, I just…” Kitty sighed and pushed her hair back. “I don’t know. It’s hard.”
“I know, Katschen.” Kurt walked over and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, offering a silent comfort as he repeated: “I know.”
———
Jubilee flopped onto her bed, angrily gripping the pillow. She wanted to scream, scream so loud everyone in the school would hear it. She couldn’t even figure out why this was so rage inducing. She didn’t even want to be here at first. Why did this make her so viscerally angry?
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Jubilation, love. It’s me.”
Psylocke. Of course. Why was she always here?
“Not now!” Jubilee shouted.
“I’m coming in.” She opened the door, seeing Jubilee’s look of anger as she hugged her pillow. Psylocke stepped in and planted herself next to Jubilee on the bed, giving her a soft smile as she sat. The smile looked awkward, but there was something genuine in Psylocke’s eyes. Something Jubilee couldn’t quite place. Was it sympathy? Was it kindness? She didn’t care. And Psylocke could tell.
“Upset?” Psylocke asked, to no answer from Jubilee. “Look, I’m not in the best of moods right now either. But perhaps this is for the best.”
Jubilee raised an eyebrow. Psylocke knew something. “Okay, be honest,” Jubilee finally spoke, “did you convince the Professor to call off the mission?”
Psylocke laughed softly. “Good guess, but no. It wasn’t me. It was Storm.”
Jubilee’s eyebrows flew up in shock. “Storm? Why?”
“She’s quite the protector, I’ve noticed. But her reasons are her own. And it goes without saying that Charles will listen to her when she has something to say.”
“God, why is he such a jerk?”
“You’re asking the wrong person.”
“Aren’t you a telepath? Can’t you just know why he does the crazy shit he does?”
Psylocke let out another soft laugh. “I’m not allowed to.”
“What do you mean?” Jubilee asked.
“Charles, Emma, Jean and I have a deal. We don’t go into each other’s minds.”
“But, why?” Jubilee asked.
“So many questions in just one night. Can’t you just accept an answer the way it is?”
“No. It’s my fatal flaw. I’m chronically annoying.”
Psylocke smiled. “Maybe you’re just misunderstood.” Psylocke stood up and motioned towards the door. “I’ve got to go. I’m rather tired. Are you alright?”
Jubilee nodded and Psylocke turned back towards the door, grabbing the doorknob and beginning to open it but as she did, Jubilee realized she had one last question. “Hey!” She said, making Psylocke stop in her tracks. “Why have you been so nice to me? It’s weird.”
Psylocke paused, not saying anything, but Jubilee could see her grip on the doorknob tighten. Psylocke took a deep breath, and without even looking at her, she gave Jubilee an answer that made her blood run cold:
“I have someone else living in my head, and I want her to shut up.”
Psylocke closed the door, and Jubilee sat in the darkness of her room, wondering what in the hell Psylocke meant.
———
“You want us to do what?” Sean asked, his arms crossed. Looking at Storm, who was staring into the night sky, her cape flowing behind her. The room was dimly lit, the only light being a small lamp that faintly illuminated the room. Storm had her arms crossed tightly, clenching her teeth before she spoke her next words:
“I want you to take the students and move.” Storm said, not even looking back at Sean and Emma who were both standing behind her, looking at the back of her head.
“Well, well, well, Ms. Munroe,” Emma said, “is this you finally being rebellious?”
“No,” Storm said, turning to face the two teachers who stood behind her, “this is me ensuring the safety of those children.”
“Safety?” Sean asked. “Is this about that mission ye had canceled?”
“It isn’t just about that.” Storm sighed and began pacing around the room, “Charles is older. He’s becoming more and more unstable. Our people are scattered everywhere. The X-Factor is dealing with more and more missing mutants cases daily. Charles has become desperate.”
“You’re afraid he’ll recruit them.” Emma said, her smile falling.
“Those children need a safe space to learn,” Storm said, “but I fear the Xavier School is no longer a safe space.”
“What would you have us do?” Emma scoffed. “Sneak them out during the night? That won’t look good for me. I’m already on thin ice. If Charles thinks that I-”
“He won’t think anything.” Storm interrupted, “I’ll cover for the both of you. When you move them, I’ll tell Charles everything.”
“Where would we go?” Sean asked.
“We could always go to my family’s estate.” Emma suggested.
“No.” Storm said, “They’d never let you all get that far. There is one other place you can go.”
Sean’s eyes widened in realization. “The old institute in Manhattan.”
“No.” Emma said sternly. “It’s too crowded.”
“It’s safer to be in a progressive city than a conservative suburb outside Boston.” Storm said. “I’ve already talked to Logan, he’s on board with helping. I’ll talk to Kitten tonight.”
Emma’s face suddenly shifted. A smile creeped across her mouth as her eyebrow raised not with confusion, but with an idea. “Might I suggest we seek the assistance of Psylocke?”
Sean’s gaze shifted to Emma. “Psylocke? Why?”
“Haven’t you noticed how… attached she’s become to young Lee?” Emma continued, “With her connection to the girl, I’m sure she’ll be all in to protect her from Charles’ newfound radicalism. Don’t you think? I’ll even tell her the plan myself.”
Storm’s eyes narrowed. “What are you planning?”
“Nothing!” Emma said. “Only something that benefits us all. Students included. I mean, we need all the help we can get, after all.”
Storm frowned, sighed, and then looked straight at Emma with a straight face. “Alright, then. But if I catch you… scheming in any way-”
“Yes, yes, I understand.” Emma said. “It is for the students after all.”
———
It was 12 in the morning. Jubilee snuck down the hallway and down the stairs. Looking left and right, trying to find her way around just to get a glass of water. “God, this place is a maze.”
“Kitchen’s that way.” She heard a voice suddenly say behind her, which caused her to jump slightly. Jubilee turned around. It was Jean.
“Sorry, did I scare you?” Jean asked.
“No.” Jubilee lied. “I just… felt a sudden cold on me. Where’d you point?”
Jean pointed forward and Jubilee nodded, walking towards the direction that she pointed to. “So,” Jean said, “what Psylocke said really weirded you out, huh?”
“Fucking telepaths.” Jubilee whispered. “What about it?”
“Look, I don’t want to tell you who you can and can’t talk to,” Jean said, “and I really hate using this word to talk about another mutant, but Psylocke is dangerous.”
“What do you mean?” Jubilee asked, turning around.
“I really don’t want to say anything about this but… the first time Psylocke and I met, I saw something in her mind. Something I wish I didn’t. Her mind is… messy. Dark in ways that I can’t explain. There’s a presence, an anger there. And I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of it.”
“So, what do you want me to do?” Jubilee asked. Jean slowly walked towards Jubilee, pulling her close and looking around as if to see if anyone was watching.
“Stay away from her.” Jean said.
Jubilee smirked. That smirk then turned into a soft chuckle. That soft chuckle then turned into a laugh. “Look, red, I’m not gonna listen to some telepath I just met the other day tell me who I can and can’t trust. You’re cool. Really, you are. But I should get to decide for myself who I get to hang around. Now, I’m gonna go get a glass of water and piss off. Night.”
Jean sighed as she watched Jubilee walk away. A look of concern swept over her face, but Jubilee was right. She turned around and began walking away, but as she did, Jubilee looked back. The cockiness on her face had melted. What did any of this mean? Whatever the case, this school sure turned out to be more than she signed up for.
———
Psylocke sat on her bed, rubbing her temple. It was so late, and the weak feeling of tiredness flooded her body and mind, but sleep felt like something she had forgotten. Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from dozing off.
“Elizabeth…” she heard, as her mind drifted away. Her eyes felt heavy, her mind wandered. But a sudden knock on the door snapped her out of her trance. She shot up, clenching her hand into a fist, before opening the door. Standing in the doorway was Emma Frost, looking as smug as ever. Psylocke’s face immediately fell from resting to a frown.
“What do you want?” Psylocke asked.
“To talk.” Emma said, holding up a bottle of alcohol and two glasses. “I’ve brought some whiskey. Opened it just this morning.”
Psylocke rolled her eyes and stepped away, motioning for Emma to step inside. The door shut.
“I’m surprised.” Emma said, setting the glasses down onto Psylocke’s bedside table. “Usually that never works.”
“Yes, well, today’s been an odd day for all of us hasn’t it?”
“Indeed.” Emma poured the drinks.
“So, why are you here?” Psylocke asked as Emma handed her a glass. “Usually you’d make some suggestive comment by now and try to coax me into letting you into my mind.”
“I’ve actually come to discuss a more pressing matter.” Emma said. “You see, Storm believes the school isn’t safe for children anymore.”
Psylocke took a swig. “Go on.”
“She wants to have the children moved to a separate location. In the city.”
“And what does this have to do with me?”
“We need help covering up. I mean, to move five children out of a school is a difficult task, after all. It will be difficult for Charles not to notice.”
“Ha! No.” Psylocke said. “Sorry, darling. But I’m not going to help you sneak children out during the night. That sounds like the perfect recipe for an arrest.”
“Exactly.” Emma said, raising her glass. “That’s what makes it fun.”
Psylocke raised her eyebrow and set her glass down. “You’re a bizarre woman.”
Emma sighed, placing her glass down next to Psylocke’s. “I’m going to be frank, I don’t care about what you want. I never did. In fact, I couldn’t care less about Charles’ stupid dream.”
“So why are you here?” Psylocke asked.
“Spite.” Emma said, stepping towards her. “Spite against my sister and her spineless husband. Spite against that pathetic, greedy, bastard Sebastian Shaw. Spite against everybody who’s kicked my face into the dirt and laughed. But there’s one person who hasn’t gotten to taste enough of my spite.”
“Charles.”
“Coming into his school and taking his students to teach them away from here? Now that’s petty. I couldn’t have been more spiteful if I had planned it myself. I don’t even think I need you anymore.”
“So, what do you want with me?” Psylocke asked. “Why all the trouble? Why all of your advances? Why all of this? Why, if not just to use me?”
Emma stepped even closer to Psylocke, staring deep into her violet eyes and smiling. “Because you’re stubborn. And that stubbornness…” she placed a hand on Psylocke’s cheek, making her breath hitch, “it only makes me want to try to break that mask even more.”
For a moment, it felt like Psylocke’s heart stopped. She stood frozen for what seemed like minutes, just staring into Emma’s icy blue eyes. She then felt a sudden drop in her stomach, as if going down a steep hill on a rollercoaster. Her heart raced at what seemed like a thousand miles a minute, and as if pulled by some invisible thread, she leaned in and pressed her lips against Emma’s. And this time, she didn’t pull away.
“Dear god, what am I doing?” She spoke in Emma’s head.
Emma chuckled softly, breaking away from the kiss with a smug grin on her face. “You’re giving in to what you want, my dear. Don’t fight it.” She pulled Psylocke back into the kiss, becoming more aggressive as she wrapped her arms around Psylocke’s waist, feeling Psylocke’s hands trailing to her hips. They parted once more, their faces only centimeters apart, their breath mixing.
“I despise you.” Psylocke said, her breathing heavy and her heart pounding harder than a bass drum.
Emma chuckled. “Is that so?” She leaned in and kissed her again briefly. They parted. Then went back in. Over and over, Psylocke insulting Emma between each kiss:
“You’re smug,”
“Absolutely true.”
“abrasive,”
“That’s a new one.”
“disgusting,”
“I prefer to be called ‘dirty’.”
“and possibly the biggest bitch I’ve ever met.”
“Is that it?”
“I think so.”
“Get the light, darling.”