Archive of Our Own

Jean Grey..

In Jubilee’s opinion, was one of the biggest mysteries of the whole student body.

Arriving one day, a sunny afternoon with Professor Charles next to her, he was wearing a calm smile while her face was neutral, looking around, examining every nook and cranny of the room with her eyes. A heavy duffle bag on her shoulder and clothes that seemed to have gone through a full adventure.

But the most important part was the presence she gave once she entered the room. It wasn’t fear nor anxiety like most students presented themselves with. Instead it was a cold but calm presence that demanded you look at her. The kind of presence that makes you wonder if this girl was really in the same situation as most of them.

Rejected and alone.

Scott was the first one to take action – as always playing the leader – approach to welcome her to the mansion with open arms.

“Hello, Jean Grey, right? It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Scott Summers and I would like to…”

“Mr. Xavier, my room is on the second floor, third door right?”

She completely ignored Scott, Xavier for his part, only nodded with a knowing smile on his face . She nodded back and immediately dashed to her room.

To say that Scott looked like a kicked puppy would be an understatement.

Dinner was no better, some of the young ones were too eager to meet the newest member. Throwing 100 questions per minute, something that was almost a ritual in this mansion every time a new addition arrived.

And of course, the older members were listening for any new information about the newest member. Gossip was always hot in this mansion. Especially one who completely ignored the boy scout and self-appointed leader Summers.

It was amazing how she dodged the questions with simple answers. “In a house”, “Around here” “Telepath” “Just me” “Yes” “No” were the only things that were heard that day.

And the following days weren’t much different.

Jubilee tried, really, tried to integrate her into the group. Inviting her to movie nights, to board games, to play sports but anything besides curricular activities was met with the same robotic answer.

“Sorry my schedule is full”

“Sorry I already saw that movie, don’t want to ruin your fun”

“I have homework to do”

And Scott – bless his heart – was no better.

“Hey Jean about the group project…”

“I asked the professor and he gave me permission to do it alone, sorry maybe next time”

Jubilee had to cringe at the different ways the guy was rejected. The worst part? She always aced the projects. Jubilee envied her a little.

Sometimes she wondered if the girl would ever open up to them, if she would ever really be  part of the group. She was a mutant just like them, but the distance… The walls around her were too hard to climb up. 

She talked with Professor Xavier about it and his response always was “give her just a bit more time, she will open up when she is ready”

But well, things aren’t that simple. One can try so many times before stopping.

Even Scott was losing hope in that.

But somehow, time just proved the professor right.

It started small.

One of the little guys lost his toy and found it in the farthest branch of a tree. He was almost going to cry when the little toy started to magically float to the palm of his hand. Jubilee thought he had awakened a new mutation until she saw a figure next to the boy.

“Are you ok?”

It was Jean Grey.

The poor little guy smiled between sobs, thanking her with a hug that just reached her waist. One small detail Jubilee noted was that the toy was a Spider-Man figure.

“Do you like Spider-Man?” Jean asked. Her face remained neutral, but her tone was gentle. She crouched down to the little one’s eye level, while he, as soon as he understood the meaning of the question, started smiling and jumping from excitement.

“Who doesn’t?! He goes *fwsush* and *thwip* and saves the day! He saved my cousin Dave one time! It was awesome seeing him fly across the buildings! What about you Ms. Jean, do you like him too?”

Just for a moment Jubilee could’ve sworn she saw a twinkle in Jean’s eyes but that didn’t compare to the smile that followed it.

Something she hasn't seen in weeks of meeting her.

It wasn't as big as the little one’s in front of her. Instead, it was small but enough to see the corners of her mouth rising.

It was a gentle smile, something that you probably wouldn’t write about if you saw it on someone else but in Jean?

It was pretty. Enough to make your heart flutter.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Summers thinking the same thing if the almost audible gasp from his mouth was anything to go by.

“Yeah I do. Actually, I have a friend who met him one time. Did you know he hates pineapple pizza?”

“What??? no way!”

Jubilee couldn’t hear anything else from the conversation. But from the excitement of the kid, the conversation seemed to go well.

Later the same day, a group of other kids apologized to the little one for throwing his favorite toy into the tree. Apparently he was being bullied by older kids because he was the only one who had a Spider-Man figure.

Scott congratulated them for being brave enough to admit they did wrong. He asked them what made them apologize to the little one. The kids just stared blankly into the living room, precisely where Jean Grey was reading a book in silence.

They murmured something about terrifying redheads… After that, they would always look at Jean with fear and respect.

Things didn’t stop from there.

Danger room was… Well, Danger Room.

She agreed in practicing your own powers in a safe space. Where you can just go wild and learn about yourself, about your limits. At the same time, practice was really…

“Who the hell put a giant robot in the middle of a forest?!”

Not safe at all.

Professor Xavier cared about them, they all knew that. He was worried about the dangers of the outside and tried to prepare them for that.

“My leg!”

But sometimes it was too much, especially after two hours of math.

But apparently not for Jean Grey.

She moved with purpose, waiting for the right moment to take action. She didn’t dive first, no, that was for the likes of Bobby who was always eager to throw ice at something while Scott followed him, trying to save him.

“Angel, give me some minutes. Jubilee, you help Cyclops, I’ll save the idiot!”

And these were the times she talked the most to everyone.

It was a welcome change in Jubilee’s opinion. But at the same time, it was baffling how the usual deadpan face of hers changed to one of worry and commitment when it came to practice.

She avoided the traps and the lasers as if she had a third eye watching from afar, moving with a grace that could only be obtained with practice.

It made her origins all more mysterious. The first time they saw her in action, Bobby went directly to the professor asking if he had just adopted a little super soldier or an agent from S.H.I.E.L.D.

The professor just chuckled and said she just had a difficult life before coming here.

It just fed the mystery even more.

“Bobby are you alright?”

“I think I twisted my ankle, like really bad”

“Alright, hold on” 

Bobby started floating, right into Jean’s arms. Like a princess being rescued by the hero.

“Wait, Grey! Can’t you just put me on your back or just make me float? My pride as a man is at stake here!”

“Shut up! Take this as a punishment for not following Cyclops orders”

Out of nowhere a trap appeared just behind them, coming out from the ground, shooting an arrow toward the center of her back

“Jean, watch out!” Cyclops screamed

The arrow stopped mid flight, only to drop dread a second later. Sometimes everyone forgets she can just do that.

Damn telepaths. They are too op.

“Alright let’s get you out of here safe ice cream man”

“I told you it‘s Iceman!”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure buddy, maybe next time don’t jump into a giant robot. You owe me a pint of choco mint ice cream after this”

Bobby didn’t say anything after that – which by itself was a miracle – and let Jean take him away from the action.

They learned, way early into these sessions, that when a plan is needed, you follow Cyclops. But when that plan goes downhill (more often than not) you just shut up and listen to what Jean says.

“Jubilee, cover me!”

“Kind of busy here. Beast! Where is its weak point?”

“I’m trying here. But I need just a second!”

Why you ask?

“Shoot, Beast watch out!”

The arm of the robot descended under where Beast was in speed nobody expected. No one was fast enough to reach him, everyone closed their eyes waiting for the robot to hit Beast.

Except it never came. 

The robot arm stopped in the middle of the air as if an invisible wall was between it and Beast.

“Beast, you have muscles in more places than your brain, use them! Angel do it!”

It was Jean, who just came back from leaving Bobby outside of danger.

It gave Angel enough time to swoop Beast away. Meanwhile Jean’s breath became a bit ragged from the effort. Small beads of sweat started to appear on her forehead. She finally let go of the robot, letting the punch land directly into the dirt.

Angel left Beast next to Scott and Jubilee while Jean regrouped with everyone.

“His weak point is on the left side of the chest” said Beast, finally finishing his analysis on the robot.

“Time to go boom?” Jubilee asked, looking at everyone with a smile on her face.

Scott looked at Jean, as if he was waiting for her to approve or say something. Only to receive a huge sigh from her, not before giving them one of her rare smiles.

“Don’t worry, I got your back guys. Let’s return this tin can to the recycler!”

Hearing her say those words with a smile, for some reason energized them. Maybe because she was becoming a backbone of the team, maybe because it was one of the rare times they saw her smile.

“Alright guys, let's finish this” said Cyclops with a confident smile on his face, everyone nodded and jumped into action.

Maybe because they knew that Jean would always try to save them. Maybe because she won’t yield until everyone is saved.

And everyone in the mansion learned to respect that.

After one of their practices, just as everyone exited the changing room. It was Jubilee who asked the question everyone had after their first time in the Danger Room with Jean.

“Hey Jean, why do you always put so much effort into practice? I mean it’s not like we are going to die, maybe a few scrapes but the Danger Room always stops when things go too far”

Jean froze, surprised by the question. She stared at Jubilee for a good second. Jubilee thought she was going to get thrown into the window that instant. Just like Bobby when he tried to enter her room. 

Instead, Jean looked at the window, her eyes staring at something really far away.

Everyone else stopped talking now, listening attentively to their conversation.

“Because it is something he will do” her eyes shone as she said those words, no… They lit up as if a tiny fire sparked inside them.

“Who?” Jubilee asked, now extremely curious about whom she was referring to.

“A long time ago” she paused as if deciding what words to say next “A friend saved me from a bad place. He went through hell and back for me. He didn’t even know me at the time, hell I did something horrible to him just days before but he still decided to save me. He taught me that if I have the power, then I should use it to save as many people as I can”

“But we are not in real danger Jean. Danger Room stops us from getting really hurt. I don’t see the efficiency of going that far” Beast, always the logical one, decided to give his part of the conversation.

Jean's eyes sharpened, for a moment everyone thought that it was going to be Beast who was going to be thrown into the window.

“Let me tell you something McCoy. If you freeze here knowing that, will you be able to save a crying kid while a megalomaniac wants to kill and destroy everything in their way? Will you be able to save a non-mutant in front of Magneto himself? Tell me McCoy could you?”

Beast lowered his gaze embarrassed, memories of the prior session just came to mind. 

Jean for her part decided that it was not enough.

“I didn’t ask for these powers” she said with a bit of bitterness in her tone “But I came here because I want to learn to use them. Because there are people like me who once were lost and didn’t have someone to tell them that it is okay to be themselves. If life gave me these powers then I want to use them to help as many people as I can. If I can’t do it in the Danger Room… If I can’t do it with the people here then I’m failing him”

Her anger was replaced with an iron determination. Her eyes expressed something far older than her.

Something bigger, powerful. 

It was a fire, a fire like none they have seen before. A fire so intense that everyone felt they were going to be consumed by it.

“With great power comes great responsibility. That was my friend's mantra. That was the mantra that saved my life once from the abyss. So yes, I’m going to give my all here even when it’s safe. If I can’t, then… Then I’m wasting the chance he gave me”

Everyone stared at her, nobody able to utter a word. A feeling of shame invaded them. Everyone had their motives to be here, some more noble than others, but nothing compared to what the girl in front of them said.

Jean’s breathing was uneven, the fire from before was put out, replaced by the realization that she said more than she wanted.

She cursed under her breath. Walking away from the group. Not before Jubilee shouted.

“Your friend, is he still alive?”

Most of them knew what it was like to lose people they loved. What was to distance themselves from them. What the loss of that important connection meant. And from what Jean said and with the passion she said it, Jubilee was starting to fear for the worst.

Jean turned back, her face hard to read.

“I don’t know but if he isn’t then I’ll kill him”

She said nothing more, leaving everyone more confused.

Who the hell was Jean Grey?

Things turned weirder from there.

A few months passed and with it, new changes appeared.

Jean a couple days after that discussion started a new tradition.

Every month, for one week, she would disappear from the mansion.

The first time that happened everyone freaked out, for a moment everyone thought she hated them so much that she had left the mansion.

Charles, when told about it, just gave them a chuckle, while taking a sip of what everyone supposed was tea. It was exasperating how lenient he was when it came to Jean Grey.

“I didn’t believe she was going to do it. She is fine, she will be back next week”

Nobody knew what he meant by that. Charles always liked mystery and the way he talked reflected that.

But lo and behold, Jean was back the week after. What was surprising was how she came back.

Relaxed, happy. As if she just came back from a vacation in Hawaii.

That picked everyone’s interest.

There were a few brave guys – Scott mostly – who asked her where she went that week. 

“Home, I was just homesick”

It shouldn’t hurt, but for some of them those words hurt. It’s not like they expected her to be always in the mansion, or to stay forever here. But to some, this was the only home they had.

And Jean, ever so distant, was becoming an important part of that.

Apparently Jean wasn’t like some of them. But a part of them hoped to connect with her one way or the other. They didn’t know why but Jean had a pull that made you want to know her.

“Don’t give those sad puppy eyes Summers, this place is also my home. Think of me as one of those stinky millionaires who owns multiple homes” she said with a smirk on her face as if she just read his mind.

Everyone let out a breath of relief they didn’t know they were holding. 

Things did get better after that, she was more open, more communicative, some even considered her a friend. Especially Ororo.

But there was still that distance, it was taciturn but solid. Like a line, imposed by her that nobody wanted to cross.

Because nobody knew what to expect… What would happen if they did.

Because nobody knew who Jean Grey was.

Some tried multiple times to follow her, to sneak around the week she went to her other home.

Only for those who tried to come back to the mansion with no memories of walking back.

She always came back with a smile on her face. A bit more open than before.

At some point people stopped trying, they just knew it was for the better.

So yeah, it was complicated.

And things turned out way more confusing after…

“Oh look there’s going to be a con about Spider-Man next week!” 

A small announcement appeared on the T.V, it was just a date with a title. It had the iconic mask on the lower left side. 

Spider-Man with the years had collected such popularity that someone decided to organize a convention about him. 

“Wait, really? That 's so cool! He deserves it, especially after everything he has done for the city all these years”

Two kids talked in front of the T.V. Spider-Man had also gained some popularity among the people of the mansion. Some saw him as an inspiration of what they could become if they learned to control their powers, not to mention he was really supportive of mutants’ rights.

‘Look I might not have gen-X but I know what it's like to wake up one day and realize your body isn’t responding as it is supposed to. If anything, we need to support them as much as we can.’ he said in one of his rare interviews. To know that the most beloved hero of New York supported you, gave them hope in the future.

“Jubilee, how about we go? It might be fun!”

Bobby asked, trying to sound as cool as possible. But Jubilee knew that the guy was a closeted Spider-Man fan. Every time there was a battle being streamed on T.V he was in the front row watching it.

“It’s for learning purposes” he said once.

“Sure sounds fun to me. How about you Scott, wanna come?”

Scott, who was fixated on reading a book about leadership just gave them a thumbs-up.

“How about you Jean?”

Jean, besides the incident with the figure in the tree, didn’t show much interest in Spider-Man. Sure Jubilee knew she liked the hero but probably as normal as your average New Yorker. But she saw this as an opportunity to bond with her a little about something in common.

“Sorry I have to go home that week. I hope you guys have fun though”

That was a bummer but something expected from her, Jubilee didn’t insist knowing that it would be in vain.

Later, they asked the Professor for permission which he readily gave. 

“Oh and please go in the morning, I heard it’s better at that time” he said ominously with a smile from ear to ear on his face. It was a bit uncanny to be honest, almost as if he was planning something.

Everyone collectively agreed to ignore it. Just for their mental health. Professor Charles smiling like that felt a bit unnatural in general.

Still, they decided to follow his advice, and they went on a Saturday morning. 

The ride was calm and the weather was without a single cloud. When they arrived, there were a lot of people but not enough to drown in the sea of people. The reason was probably because the city in general was still waking up. It was Saturday at 8am after all.

They were surprised by the diversity of booths around. Not only Spider-Man booths were present but from other heroes too. Even vigilantes like Punisher and Daredevil had merch going around. It was almost a celebration of New York’s protectors against crime.

But what surprised them the most was the booth of a recent hero.

Marvel Girl.

She appeared a few months ago. Wearing a yellow mask and green suit with yellow accents. Some people in forums theorized it was a similar material as Spider-Man’s suit but nobody could confirm. 

Her powers were still kind of a mystery. She could shoot pink beams and make things move with her hands. Some theorized she was a telepath, others thought she could have energy beams and kinetic manipulation but she never was in the same place long enough for an interview. So they never got any confirmation from her.

What was interesting was her debut.

It was one day where Spider-Man was losing against Shocker. 

She appeared out of nowhere, a frown on her face. Throwing a filled metal trash can into Shocker’s head while he was distracted gloating that he finally defeated Spider-Man. 

The way his body fell like a ragdoll on the floor unconscious was still memed to this day.

After that, the cameras only showed her helping Spider-Man get up. She wore a gentle smile the whole time, then Spider-Man made her laugh, rolled her eyes and gave him a friendly elbow in the ribs. All in a span of a minute. Not long after both of them left the scene going in the same direction.

To say that the internet took it well was an understatement.

People started theorizing who she was. Some said probably a childhood friend of his who also mutated into having powers. Others said she probably was a random person who decided to finally help their beloved Spider-Man. 

One crazy guy said she was a previous Spider-Man’s villain who fell in love with Spider-Man and changed sides now to steal his heart.

Then the fanarts started appearing, then the fanfics and finally the forums dedicated exclusively to her. Everybody was going crazy about the new heroine that was close to the friendly spider neighbour of New York.

Not like Jubilee had looked into it. But you know, a good romance story is a good story! It wasn’t her fault that some guy decided to give them an enemies-to-lovers dynamic!

Jubilee also once caught Scott visiting one of those forums. It was dedicated to Marvel Girl’s fans. One common theory was that she was a mutant who decided to show the world that they can be heroes too.

“It’s just for homework, Jubilee. Just investigating the impact of this hero on the mutant community and public opinion”

Scott was anything but a good liar. She could see the ‘Suscribed’ button in grey, meaning he had already joined to follow the post of that forum and that he had joined months ago. Not to mention the ‘top commenter’ badge next to his profile.

His awkward smile didn’t help his case either.

Marvel Girl also did solo jobs. Sometimes in places further than Manhattan, simple things. Like rescuing a kiddy, stopping a thief from stealing a grandma’s bag. She even helped an old lady with her groceries while on the job. She started small but the impact that was having on the community was starting to also affect the general sentiment of it too.

‘She’s one of the good ones,’ some old dude with a mustache once said while grinning his teeth. Probably not happy to be proven wrong.

She also worked with other heroes, mostly Spider-Man. But on rare occasions you could see her supporting the Punisher too.

Which honestly was a weird but effective combination. Spider-Man’s idea, everyone supposed, since it was well known he was friends with the Punisher.

“Wow I didn’t expect to be this diverse” said Bobby looking around different booths.

“Let’s walk around, there’s some activities starting at 10” said Scott, trying hard not to look into Marvel’s Girl booth but failing to do so.

They walked for some time, buying some merch from the money the Professor gave them. Bobby also bought some Spider-Man themed popcorn. Honestly it was kind of relaxing, nobody was looking at them weird, they just blended well into the crowd. Some even complimented Scott's hair which definitely didn’t make him blush.

‘If only it was like this every day…’ Jubilee sighed, things had gotten messy recently, with so much discussion going around gen-X and mutant rights, this was a welcome change from the usual ‘You are the future of our race’ kind of discourse. And here right now, It felt like they were normal again, just teenagers and young adults enjoying something, not future superheroes to be.

“Come on, everyone, you know the lyrics~!”

A voice came from the speakers from a nearby stage. There was a crowd gathered around it, a girl was speaking, she was wearing a spider-themed shirt.

“Spider-Man, Spider-Man. Does whatever a spider can~!”

The crowd sang along, they were laughing but at the same time singing with all their heart. Bobby was muttering the lyrics while Scott was cringing internally.

Jubilee was just laughing, dumbfounded that someone made a theme song about Spider-Man.

“Let’s join them guys, it looks like fun!”

She took them to the crowd, they didn’t put up much resistance. Until Bobby made her stop dead on the tracks. 

“Hey Bobby, what’s up with you?”

“Look!” He pointed at a specific section of the crowd, the color drained from his face completely.

Jubilee looked into the crowd, not sure what to expect, for a moment she thought Bobby was just being dramatic. 

Until she saw a familiar shade of red.

She rubbed her eyes, twice, just to confirm what was in front of her.

Jean Grey singing her lungs out to the Spider-Man theme song.

Jean Grey, the same girl whose definition of smiling was to slightly raise her mouth. The same levelheaded and serious co-leader of the team who was all about accountability and responsibility. The only member who called Scott out every time he was being too hard on the team.

Was singing the silly Spider-Man theme song as if she was in a concert.

But it didn’t end there.

She was wearing spider-themed glasses, accompanied with a plastic spider mask on the left side of her head. She was wearing a spider-themed jacket with a white shirt with Spider-Man face on the frontside. Alongside with it, she wore a spider themed converse and blue jeans. In one of her hands she was holding a silly looking Spider-Man plushie using it as a microphone.

She looked like a living advertisement of Spider-Man merch.

Oh but there was more.

In the middle of the song she started giggling in a high pitch, hugging the arm of a guy next to her affectionately.

Yeah you heard it right, the co-leader of the X-Men was giggling like a little girl with a guy. The same girl who had threatened everyone in the mansion to throw them into a window if they ever tried to enter her room. If Jubilee wasn’t shocked by the situation she would find it cute.

*kshhhk*

Did… did Scott’s glasses just break?!

“J-Jean?” Scott was the first one to recover.

As if a spell was broken, Jean completely stood still, like a pause button was pressed on her. She stopped smiling, her eyes found them. The color of her face disappeared for a second only to come back as the brightest shade of red Jubilee had ever seen in a human being.

She slowly walked to them, taking with her the guy next to her. He was confused but when he saw them it was as if something clicked on his mind.

“Hey”  she greeted, sounding as nonchalant as possible. 

The guy next to her almost choked.

“Hey Grey, great to see you. I didn't know you were a fellow Spider-Man fan” Bobby said with an idiotic smile on his face. If Jean threw him to the ceiling Jubilee wouldn’t blame her.

“Eh, I dabble sometimes, just a casual fan you know…” she said while hugging the Spider-Man plushie harder.

“Right, casual fan” Scott muttered as if it was self-assurance more than anything else. 

“Well not so casual if you ask me, we just saw you…”

“Just a casual fan, Ice Cream Man, capiche? You. Saw. Nothing” If looks could kill, Bobby would be dust in this instant with the death glare Jean’s was giving him. Bobby sagely stopped his teasing immediately.

The other two got the message pretty clear.

“So what brings you here this early? It's a miracle Bobby is up before 10a.m” Jean said, narrowing her eyes.

With an indignant ‘Hey’ in the background, Jubilee responded. 

“Oh, the Professor gave us the advice to come early. And he was right, the lines are shorter at this time of the day!”

As soon as Jubilee said those words, Jean’s face was rigid, as if the realization of something unknown came to her. Jubilee could swear she heard her muttering something about ‘making all telepaths suffer’.

“Sorry if I’m overstepping here Jean” Scott finally came back to his senses, with some visible cracks on his glasses “But you said you couldn’t come because you were visiting home”

Oh right, she said that.

“Oh yeah, well this is my home” she said while gesturing all around the place and tugging at the guy on her left.

“Nice to meet you all, My name is Peter and I’m…”

“Her boyfriend”

“My friend… boy?”

Both said at the same time.

They looked at each other, for a couple of seconds, as if they were talking with their eyes.

Then there was a beat.

An awkward cough from Bobby.

“Yeah he’s my boyfriend. And, my home” Jean finally said looking at the guy with loving eyes, who also was blushing intensely .

Oh…

“Is he *the* guy Jean?” Jubilee asked, remembering the conversation they had in the changing room once.

Jean, for once, looked away timidly. The three of them were starting to question if what was in front of them was a group fever dream that was caused by yesterday’s tacos.

“Y-Yeah, he is the one I told you guys about”

Jubilee looked at him.

He was, in every way, normal. Curly brown hair, glasses. He was wearing an unbuttoned green shirt with a white t-shirt inside, blue jeans and black shoes. The only thing that might be relevant was that the white t-shirt had the mask of Marvel Girl printed into. He was lean, not too muscular but it was obvious he did some exercise.

He was cute in a dorky way but nothing particularly remarkable that would make you think ‘Yeah, Jean would date this guy’. Scott would make more sense in her head to be honest, although at the same time, it sounds cliche right? Both leaders of the team… Dating… Making a power couple. Yeah sounds like something natural to happen.

Although, do they really know her?

If this was the guy who saved her long ago, then, there must be something special in him.

“Is he… you know… One of us?” Bobby asked awkwardly, more embarrassed than anything. Scott gasped a little at the question.

“No, unless you consider liking the black coffee at a hospital a mutation which in my opinion is”  she said naturally as she was expecting the question.

“I told you it’s an acquired taste” Peter for his part looked offended.

“I would prefer over-expensive starbucks coffee over that thing”

“Take that back! That thing is just sugar with water!”

“Yeah but that doesn’t change the fact that It’s not worse than hospital coffee”

And then they started bickering, in front of them…

It was the most normal thing they have seen this morning.

But also the most bizarre.

Because even Scott and Jean had never butted heads like this This was a completely different person in front of them.

“So every time you said you were going home, you came here?” Jubilee finally decided to end it with another question.

Both looked at her as if they just remembered they had people present. Their faces came too close to each other without noticing. Jubilee could notice Bobby giving some pats on the back to Scott.

“Yeah but we didn’t start dating until recently. It was after *that* talk that I decided to not just stay in one place and Professor Xavier let me do it. So I decided to crash in his place every other day”

“Which by the way scared me senseless the first time. For a moment I thought I was robbed, half of my pizza was gone! Only to find you sleeping on the couch”

“Hey! It was a good, warm pizza! It’s not my fault you had to do ‘errands’ or whatever that word means”

“It’s called being a functional adult, you should try that”

“You? A functional adult? tell that to the stale bagel I found yesterday! I could kill someone with that thing!”

Jubilee had to clear her throat to make them come back to reality. She could feel they could go an entire morning just bickering this way.

“Ok, so that answers where you always go during the week. But that doesn’t answer this!” she said pointing at her attire “What’s the deal with you being a fan of Spider-Man, like you didn’t even emote when he got sucker punched by Scorpion in live T.V. Bobby almost fainted that day!”

“Hey I just have blood pressure problems, you know it!”

He didn’t but he didn’t want to lose face in front of the new guy.

“Oh I just think he’s cool and he saved Peter a couple of times. Aaaand he kind of trained me?”

Now it was Scott’s turn to almost faint. Fortunately Bobby got him first.

Jubilee pinched her forehead, she could feel the migraine coming. Too many revelations in so little time for her.

“Are you telling me that you, Jean, were trained by Spider-Man himself?! How do you even do that?”

“I… just asked him nicely after he saved Peter” she shrugged as it was the most normal thing in the world

“And he said yes… Just like that?” Scott asked, completely dumbfounded.

“I asked very nicely if you are wondering”

That explained so much but also so little.

Like sure, that answered why she was so fluid during the first Danger Room exercises. Why the trees were like an extra layer of floor for her instead of just trees, why her body sometimes contorted in the ways they did to avoid projectiles.

But also, how the fuck do you get trained by Spider-Man himself?

“Ok” Jubilee finally said.

“Ok?” Jean said, confused.

“I’m not going to ask anymore, I feel like if I ask for more things, I might just have a stroke. Like I thought watching you singing the Spider-Man theme was weird”

“Hey it’s a good song”

“But you? Being trained by New York’s beloved hero? It doesn’t make any sense. Like why are you serious all the time while he jokes all day? I mean, isn't that something you learned from him?”

“Do you want another Bobby?” Jean asked in complete confusion, it took Jubilee ten seconds to imagine having two Icemans in the team.

“Oh god no”

“Then you understand why. Besides, would you behave if I made jokes all the time?”

“Please don’t make jokes Jean” Scott said, pleading. He could completely imagine how to handle the X-Men without Jean.

He would have white hair by the time he reached 25.

“Is there anything else we should know? Like now that you are being open, is there any other weird trivia? Like are you part vampire? It would be cool if you were a vampire…” Bobby said.

Peter for his part looked at them awkwardly and raised his hand.

“Hmm, is it a good time to tell you that Danger Room has developed a conscience and it's hooked to a romance manga Jean takes with her every time she visits?”

The three of them took a deep breath at the same time.

“Explain, how?” Scott was the first to ask.

“So I studied engineering, right? And I work mostly on AIs. So I had this experimental program in a USB that Jean mistook for one that had her homework...” Peter explained

“Then I connected the USB to my laptop that was connected to the same network Danger Room was on, I accidentally clicked on the program and Danger Room caught it and started to analyze it. Lo and behold, she started a chat with me.” Jean finished.

“She?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah she decided she was a she. Please don’t use ‘it’, she gets moody when you do that” Jean said as if it was yesterday's news.

“And about romance manga? And why is it you haven’t shared it with us, you know we love that kind of thing!” Jubilee was almost offended by the news. Why was the Danger Room the first to know about Jean’s romantic likes! It should’ve been her, not… her!

Jean for her part looked away, a small blush adorning her cheeks. It was kind of adorable 

“I have an image to maintain, you know? And she started asking me what I like constantly, so I just shared the first chapter I had downloaded on my laptop. To say she loved it, it’s an understatement”

“Define loved?”

“She is writing an alternative route as we speak, she decided that with just the first love interest, was enough to make a good story and love triangles are useless and cheap drama”

“Beside our training room being hooked on romcom comics” Scott massaged his forehead, he was starting to wonder if Magneto offered a dental plan “Does the Professor know about this? Why hasn’t anyone noticed?”

“It’s not comics it’s…” Bobby was about to respond.

“The Professor knows, he just decided to ignore it, something about appreciating his mental health” She interrupted while Peter took out a candy out of his pocket and threw it to her unprompted, she catched with her mouth and gave him a thumbs up, making Jubilee even more confused than before. 

“And for the other question, I don’t know? I mean, it's your loss guys. She’s really cool. We are doing a walkthrough of a game called Persona 3, we just reached the part where we met Aegis. We usually do it on Friday nights.”

“Ok, that might explain why Danger Room gets significantly more difficult the week you are gone” Scott said, it wasn’t that much but for some reason there were more traps than normal during those days.

“Yeah my fault, I told her to be strict while I’m gone, just because Scott’s alone doesn’t mean it’s a vacation for you guys. I’ll ask her to be more open now that more people know about her. It might take time, she’s a bit scared of talking with you guys”

“But why? We are cool people”

“You set up a cucumber on fire last week Bobby. Your powers are ice based”

“Hey, it was for a salad!”

“Just eat it raw, no need to cook it. You cook a zucchini, not a cucumber!”

“I just like the taste, ok?”

“Ok that’s enough about Bobby’s weird diet for today” Scott decided to step in, not wanting to start another three-hour discussion about soggy cucumbers “I say let’s just enjoy the convention and for a moment ignore that Jean has literally a secret double life behind our noses, please, for my sanity” 

“It’s not that dramatic Summers” Jean said rolling her eyes “It’s not like I went under a different name, I just didn’t want all the mansion to snoop around. You all know how noisy things can get. So, please let me tell them at my own pace, ok?”

Ok that was the most reasonable thing they heard so far.

“Fair” Bobby said.

“Maybe bring Peter, too? They ARE going to want to meet him, you know?” Jubilee pointed out. Knowing Anna and Kitty, they will make Jean bring Peter, getting throwed to the window or not.

Jean, in the most mature way possible, blew a raspberry. 

“Fine, let me think about it”

“That’s a victory for me!”

Peter watched the whole exchange with a smile. If a telepath could read his mind right now, they would probably hear him congratulating Jean for not erasing her friend's memories at this moment out of embarrassment.

Not like that happened before. Yeah, no way!

“So, since you guys are new here. I know a good place where we can have a good brunch. We can trade stories about Jean while eating, what do you say?”

The X-Men trio looked at Peter, their stomachs growling at the same time.

Having breakfast early has its consequences.

“Y-yeah sounds good. Lead the way Peter” Scott said, embarrassed.

The five of them started walking, slowly, they got split into two groups. Peter and Scott behind while Jubilee and Bobby were asking Jean a million questions about how life was here.

“Scott, right? I love your glasses. Are they made out of ruby quartz?”

Scott for his part tried really hard to not look surprised, not many people got the material right the first time they saw his glasses.

“Y-yeah, It’s for containing, you know… my powers”

“Oh, Jean told me about them. I think they’re really cool. But she also told me you’re an amazing leader to the team!”

“She talks about me?” Scott asked, genuinely surprised. He had assumed Jean barely mentioned him at all.

“All the time,” Peter said with a small smile. “About you, Jubilee, Bobby… Well, everyone in the mansion, honestly.”

Scott's shoulders relaxed, yeah of course it would be that way.

“She says that without you, the X-Men wouldn’t be half as good.”

“Really?”

A feeling of pride warmed Scott's chest.

Sometimes, just sometimes, Scott wondered if he was enough to lead them. Especially when others complained about him or questioned his decisions.

“Yeah,” Peter continued. “Honestly, I don't think I could do it.”

Scott glanced at him.

“You mean leading a team?”

“Yeah.” Peter shrugged. “I would prefer to work solo. Less responsibility. I mean I work as a freelancer, I like the flexibility.”

Scott smiled faintly.

“I don't think it's that simple.”

Peter looked at him.

“You don't?”

“No.” Scott looked ahead at the others walking in front of them. “When you're responsible for other people, you can't just think about what you want to do. You have to think about everyone else, too. About making sure they will see another sunrise, that they can just worry about their future dreams. We're young, but everyone is full of dreams…”

Scott paused.

“I can't help but want to see them come true.”

Peter was quiet for a moment, looking at Scott, almost as if he was trying to find any lies in his words.

“Sounds exhausting” he simply said with a sigh.

“It is.” Scott chuckled. “But… it's worth it.”

Peter smiled.

“Yeah. I think Jean would agree. Even after complaining about the others, she always has this glow, this smile on her face… I think she made the right decision on going to Professor Xavier’s mansion”

Scott looked at him.

“You really care about her, don't you?”

Peter's smile softened, looking down at the floor, a memory of long ago surfacing in his mind.

“Yeah. A lot. She’s been through so much already. I… I just want to make her happy, you know? I might not be like you guys but I want to give her a space where she can relax. Where she doesn’t feel like the world is on her shoulders.”

There was no hesitation in his answer.

Scott nodded.

“I can tell.”

For a few seconds, they walked in silence.

“Thank you, by the way” Scott finally said.

“For what?” Peter asked, confused.

“For giving her a place she can call home. It’s… rare for common folks to not be scared of us, I think this is the first time someone complimented my glasses at first glance. 

He glanced at Peter.

“I wouldn’t mind if you came to the mansion one of these days. It could do some good to have you with us, especially the little ones…” 

He said in a moment of honesty he didn’t expect. There was something about Peter that made him be open about things.  

“I’m in. I will show them that we common folks can also be extraordinary” Peter said flexing his bicep.

Scott couldn’t help but chuckle.

“And, for the record, I think the same about Jean… She's a very important part of the team. She's helped me more times than I can count.”

Scott looked ahead at Jean.

“So I think she deserves whatever happiness she can get. I just hope the mansion can be that place too…”

Peter looked at him, as if he completely understood.

“You're doing a good job, Scott. Honestly, dude, you are going to be one hell of a leader in the future.” 

He patted Scott on the shoulder. 

“But if you need to talk, if you need to just take some time off from being a leader. I can show you a few places that will take your mind off. There’s a certain place where the sunset is amazing. It’s one of my favorite places in the city.”

Scott smiled.

Coming from someone who had only known him for a few hours, somehow, that meant more than he expected.

“I’ll hold you to that”

Peter smiled.

“Anytime.”

They continued walking, the noise of the convention slowly filling the silence between them. Bobby had just gotten elbowed by Jean, probably because he had said something stupid, while Jubilee laughed at the two of them.

Then—

BOOM!

An explosion shook the convention hall.

Everyone froze.

A second later, a familiar voice echoed through the building.

“Why did nobody tell me there was going to be a convention about Spider-Man? Where's my mug saying Nemesis #1?”

Peter's eyes widened.

“Oh, you've got to be kidding me.” he muttered, not enough for anyone to hear.

Shocker.

People immediately started running as Shocker raised his gauntlets and fired another blast into the ceiling.

The five of them looked at each other.

Jean was the first to move.

“Bobby, Scott, Jubilee. Make sure the civilians are safe. If anything falls, use your powers. Otherwise, avoid him. I'll take Peter somewhere safe and back you up.”

She pointed toward the nearest exit.

“Don't try fighting Shocker.”

All three nodded.

Jean took Peter's hand and started running, leaving their friends behind.

Scott watched them disappear into the crowd before turning toward the chaos.

“Come on. Let's move!”

The three X-Men immediately began guiding people toward the nearest emergency exits, making sure no one was left behind.

Another blast tore through a nearby booth.

A table came flying toward the crowd. Before it could hit anyone, a pillar of ice erupted from the floor and stopped it in midair.

“Keep moving!” Bobby shouted.

A series of small fireworks shaped like arrows appeared above the crowd, pointing toward the exits.

“This way, everyone!” Scott's voice reverberated through the hallway.

Jubilee fired another burst of energy into the air, illuminating the path.

“Keep going! Don't stop!”

As more and more people emptied out of the hall, Shocker's attention finally shifted toward them.

“Oh, what do we have here?”

His gauntlets began to crackle.

“A group of kids playing heroes!”

The three of them froze.

Shocker was well known in New York. Being part of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery meant that almost everyone had at least heard of him. Most people saw Shocker as dangerous, but not exactly terrifying. After all, Spider-Man always seemed to dispatch him relatively quickly. 

Of course, from seeing it on T.V.

But being in front of him was a different matter.

It was real.

“Guys, we have to retreat. Jean said no confrontation" Jubilee said.

“Go, I’ll watch your backs!” Scott put his left hand over his glasses, preparing himself to use his blast in case Shocker tried to hit them with his blasts.

“Oh? Who said you can leave? The convention just started. Let me give you a demonstration of what I can do!”

A thunderous blast erupted from his hands.

“MOVE!”

The three scattered.

The blast tore through the floor where they had been standing seconds earlier.

Bobby immediately raised both hands and wall of ice erupted between them and Shocker.

The next blast shattered it.

Bobby’s eyes widened. Those walls of ice were strong enough to withstand most hits.

“Keep moving!” Scott shouted.

Jubilee fired several bursts of energy toward Shocker, forcing him to shield his face.

“Oh? Aren’t you special little things?”

He recovered quickly and slammed both gauntlets together.

The shockwave sent Jubilee and Bobby tumbling backward. Scott barely managed to stay on his feet.

“Guys!”

He removed his glasses and fired an optic blast at Shocker. The beam struck the floor in front of him, forcing Shocker to leap aside.

“Oh, I like the red beams, little guy.”

Shocker landed and immediately raised one of his gauntlets.

“But your posture makes it too obvious where you’re pointing.”

He fired.

Scott barely ducked as the blast passed over his head.

“Scott!”

“I’m fine! Just go!”

Scott gritted his teeth, his ears buzzing from the blast.

Was this really the villain Spider-Man fought on a monthly basis? How did he make it look so easy?

It didn’t matter now. They needed to get out of here. Now.

Their identities shouldn’t be exposed to the world. Not now.

“Aw, look at that. You’re trying to be a leader.”

Shocker raised both gauntlets.

“Let’s see how good you are at it.”

Scott braced himself. He put his hands over his glasses, preparing to use his optic blast once more, but this time at full power.

He knew it was dangerous.

But he needed to get his friends out of there.

Even if it meant exposing himself.

“Really, Shocker? Bullying teenagers? Was the trash-can incident not enough for you?”

A familiar voice echoed through the hall.

Scott froze.

Jubilee and Bobby looked toward the sound.

THWIP!

Something shot across the ceiling.

Spider-Man swung down and landed between the X-Men and Shocker.

“Hey, Shocker!”

Shocker's expression immediately soured.

“You.”

“Me.”

“You always show up at the worst possible time.”

Spider-Man looked around at the destruction.

“I don't know. Seems like pretty good timing to me.”

Shocker raised both gauntlets.

“Stay out of this!”

“Oh, come on. You know how this works.”

Shocker fired.

Spider-Man flipped over the blast.

“Still doing that?”

Another blast.

Spider-Man swung around a nearby booth.

“Man, you really need to work on your aim.”

“STOP MOVING!”

“We both know what happens if I do that, right?”

Shocker charged forward, firing both gauntlets, getting more and more desperate.

Spider-Man kept moving, drawing his attention away from the X-Men.

Enough attention that Shocker did not notice Marvel Girl quietly stepping in.

She glanced towards Spider-Man, silently relaying a message.

He glanced back, his eyes widening by surprise.

He silently nodded.

She smiled.

She raised her right hand, far away behind Shocker’s back, a large solid metal trash can slowly lifted off the ground, surrounded by a faint pink glow. 

The X-Men noticed her entrance. The three of them were completely speechless that the rumored heroine was in front of them. She was just like in the pictures, a yellow mask, green suit with yellow accents and fiery red hair behind her.

They noticed the silent message between the two heroes. It was just a second, and the gestures were small, but they knew something was said at that time.

Bobby's eyes widened, noticing the trash can started slowly moving through the air and looked at Jubilee.

“…Is she seriously—”

“Shh,” Jubilee whispered. She pulled out her phone. Oh the mansion was gonna love this!

Scott was just dumbfounded by what was happening in front of him.

The trash can floated higher.

Shocker remained completely focused on Spider-Man.

“You're not getting away this time, spider! Today is the day I will defeat you!”

“Nah, I don’t think so. And it’s because of one thing, Shocke0.r” He raised his index finger.

“What?”

“Spatial awareness”

Marvel Girl flicked her wrist.

As soon as those words registered in Shocker's mind, the lights went out for him.

CLANG!

The thrash can dropped into his head, knocking him unconscious.

And just like that Shocker was defeated. By a simple trash can.

Again.

Spider-Man stared at the unconscious villain.

Marvel Girl floated down beside him.

“I can’t believe this has worked twice. Should I start collecting trash cans just in case? Like, is this really his weakness? Is this really our special move? Trash-can throw?” Spider-Man said, completely surprised at how easy it was.

“Please don’t. Just don’t call that a special move ever again. Besides, it’s not my fault he has a personal grudge against you.” Marvel Girl said, exasperated “Just… Wrap him up, in case he wakes up”

A couple of webs later, Shocker was completely wrapped in the familiar silk.

“Honestly, It’s dumb how he has fallen for it twice, he deserves to be a meme again.” She paused “But I suppose a simple villain belongs to a simple spider”

She gave him a teasing smile.

“Really? That nickname again? I swear these guys are usually difficult! Like, he is really tough. Usually. Right, guys?”

Spider-Man turned toward the X-Men, who were just getting back on their feet.

The three of them stared at him.

None of them answered.

“Are you alright? He didn’t hit you too hard, right?” Marvel Girl asked, genuine concern on her face.

She floated over to Scott and helped him back onto his feet.

“I-I’m fine,” Scott said.

He adjusted his glasses.

Then he stared at her.

For a moment, he completely forgot what he was supposed to say.

Marvel Girl was standing right in front of him.

The real Marvel Girl.

Not a picture from a newspaper. Not a blurry video posted on the internet. Not a discussion on a fan forum. She was actually standing there. Scott's mouth opened slightly.

“You’re… Marvel Girl.” There was fascination in his voice as if he just saw an angel.

Marvel Girl blinked.

“Yes?”

Scott coughed.

“I mean—yes. Of course you are. The suit makes it obvious, I just—”

Jubilee stepped forward before he could embarrass himself any further.

“Okay, this is officially the coolest day of my life. We just got saved by Spider-Man and Marvel Girl.”

She looked at Marvel Girl, practically glowing with excitement.

“I’ve seen your videos. Is it true you are a mutant? What made you become a hero? Why do orange cats love you but black ones hiss at you? Can we take a photo, please?”

Marvel Girl smiled awkwardly.

“Uh… yes?”

Jubilee opened her mouth to ask another question. 

“Whoa there lady.”

Spider-Man stepped in, trying to shield Marvel Girl from the million questions Jubilee was throwing at her.

“Just one question at atime, maybe after you guys get checked out. Shocker’s attacks are no joke” 

Jubilee immediately turned toward him.

“Spider-Man, I’m your fan! Can you sign my shirt?”

Bobby finally managed to stand up properly. His head hurt, probably due to Shocker’s blast. For a moment Marvel Girl’s voice sounded completely similar to his classmate Jean Grey.

Yeah it was probably a concussion.

“Hey, so. Did you guys see another red-headed girl coming? We were originally five but we got separated” He asked, walking to the group with a hand on his head.

“Oh yeah, I told her to wait outside. I assured her that everything would be alright. She’s probably waiting for you guys somewhere outside” Marvel Girl said with a nod.

“Thanks, Marvel Girl. And sorry about the mess. We tried not to use our powers but well, he didn’t leave us any choice” Scott said embarrassed.

“It’s fine, we are going to declare it’s all Shocker’s fault. No overpowered teenagers involved” Spider-Man said, giving them a thumbs-up.  “You were brave guys, seriously. Thanks for helping people evacuate.

The three of them beamed with pride. Not every day they got complimented by Spider-Man himself.

Bobby was probably thinking of never washing that shirt ever again.

“Bobby watch out!”

It was then that we one tile of the ceiling fell, aiming at Bobby.

And Marvel Girl acted without thinking and tackled him out of danger.

Without noticing her mask slipped.

The tile hit the floor with a soft clack.

“Are you okay?”

Bobby blinked.

“Y-Yeah…”

Marvel Girl let out a relieved sigh.

“Good.”

She finally looked at the others.

And froze.

Two pairs of eyes were staring directly at her.

Scott's expression was one of complete confusion.

Jubilee's mouth was slightly open.

And Spider-Man was pointing at her face in complete panic.

Marvel Girl reached up to her face. Only to notice the lack of texture her mask usually provided.

“I knew I should've tightened it up” she groaned, knowing that her identity was discovered by the exact people she was hiding it from.

“JEAN!!!!” The X-Men trio said in unison.

“Uhm… Surprise?”  she said with an awkward smile, her shoulders rising in a small, helpless shrug as if that somehow explained everything.

“You mean to tell me that you have been heroing out without telling us!?” Jubilee asked in complete shock.

“I decided to give it a try, in my defense, I was supervised during the first few months” She pointed at Spider-Man who raised his arms in defense.

 “In my defense, her professor approved. And she is doing a good job, she has saved a me couple of times already” 

“THE PROFESSOR KNEW!” It was now time for Bobby to shout “He always said that no… That we weren’t ready but he let you go solo?!”

“Ok, not let me per se. More like, I gave him a warning? What was he going to do? Ground me?” 

There was a long silence.

Jubilee stared at her.

“You threatened the Professor?”

“I wouldn't call it a threat.”

“What would you call it?”

“A notice.”

“A notice?”

“Yeah.”

Jean shrugged.

“I told him that I was going to start helping Spider-Man whenever I could. He looked at me, gave me a lecture and then he let me do it.”

Bobby's jaw dropped.

“That was it?”

“Pretty much.”

Bobby looked genuinely offended.

“And when we wanted to train outside the mansion, he gave us a twenty-minute lecture about responsibility and maturity. And I quote, ‘The time will come soon, don’t worry Bobby’.”

Jean scratched her cheek.

“He also gave me a thirty-minute lecture.”

“That is not helping!”

“I said I was going to do it anyway.”

“And he just agreed?!”

“He didn't exactly agree.”

“Then what did he do?”

“He said and I quote, ‘Just don’t put anyone in a coma’ while he took a gallon bottle of whisky out of a cabinet. Then he let me leave”

Bobby stared at her.

“…That's it?”

Jean nodded.

“That's pretty much it.”

Jubilee put both hands on her head, dread slowly spreading across her face. 

“I can’t believe I wrote a 10k word fanfiction of my roommate”

“What?”

“What?”

“Guys? I think we should leave and have this conversation somewhere else. The cops are nearby” Spider-Man decided that they won’t delve any further into what Jubilee just confessed, for his and everyone's sanity. “So how about you guys go, I talk with the police and you guys discuss this identity reveal over some pizza?” 

While the whole exchange was happening Scott stayed silent, looking at the ceiling, processing everything that happened in the last hours.

Jean Grey, his (crush) co-lead.

Marvel Girl, his hero (crush) inspiration.

Were the same person.

Who also was trained by Spider-Man. His other hero inspiration.

Also already had a boyfriend who was kind of an amazing dude.

Sang Spider-Man with her full lungs, wore what is defined as a walking Spider-Man advertisement, had somehow given their training room a conscience and became her friend.

And somehow threatened the professor Charles into letting her become a hero.

At the same time, she was the person who got his back. Who he leads the team with. Who was the person who called him out. Who in the months knowing her, never wore this range of expressions he just saw today.

That was too much for his brain to process. So many mental images of Jean Grey and Marvel Girl were colliding together. So many memories, talks, discussions, posts, so many comments. 

The commissions…

So he did the most mature and logical thing he could at that moment.

“Scott!???”

He fainted.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Salem, Professor Xavier smiled.

“Ah, revenge is really sweet”