TITLE: We're in This Together Now
STARRING:Hellion and X-23
UNIVERSE:AU/WatXM
RATING:M
SUMMARY: Hope is not impressed with the conduct of two individuals and decides to teach them a painful lesson about respect. Involving a certain telekinetic...girl...and a certain...boy with claws? Huh? Yeah, you read that right. It happened. Read on, and let the lol's flow. Hellion and X-23.
DISCLAIMER:Song is titled after the NiN song.
A/N: Let me explain the setting a bit. It's WatXM...but a little different. Laura is my AU version (developed in the Helix series)...basically X-23 with sass slapped on, and a slightly tweaked history to be explained via story. A few academy X characters will be in this story that are cannon-wise no longer mutants, and a few of Cyclops's kids have chosen the Wolverine school option instead, because I was like "are you STUPID?". Oh also, it will become obvious that a few comic arcs didn't occur here. Alright, that'll do 'er. Enjoy.
-1-
7:00 AM
Laura and Nori's room
BRRRRIIINNNGGGG!
This is how it all starts, although Laura doesn't know it at this point. She reaches out for her alarm clock and slaps the table, her eyes scrunched closed. Then, because she gets frustrated at not finding it immediately...
SNIKT!
She sits straight up and examines the remnants of her small alarm clock, impaled on her claws. The sound of faint ticking dying down fills her ears. "Fuck," she murmurs.
"Another one?" comes a girl's voice from across the room, sounding vaguely amused. Nori, her short blue hair sticking up at all angles. She looks tired-there are bags under her almond-shaped eyes, from being up all night cramming for an exam.
Laura knows exactly the feeling. Who was Notker the Stammerer? What is the mass of a neutron? Where should X be if Sue wants to spend as little time walking in the desert as possible? The answer to all of these questions-in her eyes-is I don't give a shit. I've got bigger problems.
Unfortunately, Logan does. And he's pretty much her meal ticket here.
"Grr." She throws off her covers and heads for the bathroom with a displeased look. This is the fourth alarm clock this week, and her morning habit is becoming quite expensive. She turns on the lights and glances at herself in the mirror, then goes about her business preparing for a morning of classes.
...
12:00 PM
Cafeteria
"Oh my god," Laura says in a voice full of alarm, as she's just looked up at the clock and noticed the time. She's sitting at a picnic-style table, with an assortment of other teens. Nori is sitting on one side, and on her other is a girl with extremely long brown hair, and smooth, tanned skin: Sofia. She frowns. "Is something wrong?" she asks.
"Yeah," Laura says, her nose wrinkled. "I closed my eyes and-like-six centuries passed. I've got about ten minutes to get to self defense, or Logan will make me scrub the floors with my toothbrush again."
"Urrr!" Nori says, twisting her face in disgust. "Are you serious?"
Laura grins. "Little does he know it wasn't my toothbrush...it was his."
"Hah!" The blue-haired girl grins.
"Laura," her other neighbor says sternly, but she looks amused.
"What? Like I would go through all that effort if I wasn't getting any satisfaction out of it." The dark-haired girl wrinkles her nose. "It was a bitch. I never realized how big a square foot was until that little sojourn to hell."
"Speaking of hell...did you hear about Colossus' sister?" the rock-golem sitting across from them rumbles. "She rules some hell-place called Limbo."
"That sounds terrifying, Santo," Sofia says.
"Tell me about it," his neighbor says, a serious-looking boy with dark skin and a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. David. "It's full of demons."
"We should totally go and kick their asses," Santo comments.
"Absolutely not." David pauses. "Even the X-men can't handle Limbo."
"We're better than the X-men!" the rock-boy protests. He looks across the table. "X, you up for some demon-slaying?"
"When am I not up for kicking ass?" Laura counters. Suddenly her eyes get a faraway look, and she turns her head. "Speaking of..."
Sofia follows her look. "Oh no." Her eyes widen and her lips draw into a line.
A boy is approaching the table, with a familiar leer that suggests he is about to start some sort of trouble for all involved, and more than probably harass Sofia in the process. Julian.
She glances at her friend, remembering a conversation they'd had a few nights ago, in which the other girl had told her just how much these incidents could bother her. He's gotten so much nastier over the past few years.
"Stay here...I've got it," Laura reassures her friend as she climbs off of the bench, one hand clenched into a fist. The boy stops in his tracks as she approaches him.
"Kinney," he says, his eyes narrowing in appraisal-or dislike. He has dark hair, and a face that seems to have a permanent, built-in sneer. By his sides hang a pair of shiny, metallic hands, connecting to the rest of his body by what seems to be green mist.
"I've been thinking," Laura says loudly, not acknowledging his greeting. "We've made it pretty obvious that you're not welcome at this table. If not by our comments, then by the fact that I usually throw food and cutlery whenever I see you coming."
"And?" Julian prompts.
"Well, since you just ignore the reaction like it didn't even happen, I figure you've got to have a pretty serious mental deficiency." Laura pauses. "I bet your IQ is, like, ten."
"How ironic-the brainless clone trying to insinuate that I'm messed up." He raises his eyebrows. "Get out of my way before I catch the weird."
"No." Laura glares at him. "I'm not letting you bother my friends anymore. I've seen enough."
"Right." He makes to shove past her, and she shoves him backward, catching him by surprise. Julian bumps into an unoccupied table, making the empty dishes and used cutlery on it rattle slightly.
"You want to go, clone?" he snaps, recovering his footing.
VRRRRMMMM!
A few dishes rise into the air around him, in a small field of green light.
"Please-do not fight!" Sofia says, now beside Laura. "This is ridiculous. Julian-what did you want to say to me?"
He looks at the other girl, and his angry expression softens slightly. "Just hello."
"Oh," Sofia says. "Laura-please-I will handle this."
Laura pauses. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." Her friend smiles, but it's a strained smile.
The dark-haired girl shrugs. "Hey, it's your world-I just live in it." And turns toward the door, remembering her class. That's when it hits her.
VRRRRMMMM!
SPLAT!
A shockwave of mashed potatoes has been spread all over her back and hair. Making a high-pitched growling noise, she redirects herself and lunges like a wild mountain lion hunting down a rabbit. Julian impacts with the picnic table and slams backward onto its surface, with her straddling his chest, one hand twisted into the collar of his shirt, the other curled into a fist.
SNIKT!
"AHHHH!"
he shouts, his face paling by several shades, his eyes widening beyond their usual somewhat narrowed shape as they focus on the points of the claws a couple fractions of an inch away from their surface.
"You want to go, fucktard?" Laura demands, through gritted teeth. "Let's go, then. Your brains, all over this table. Just TRY me."
"LAURA!" Sofia is shouting, in a state of panic. "Stop this now!"
Julian stares at the claw tips, and swallows quite audibly.
"Maybe I should just put an end to you, you worthless little shit," Laura whispers. "Nobody needs a pain in their ass like you around. We've already got enough enemies. You're the rotten apple in the barrel."
"LAURA!"
"Do something!"
"I'm afraid to touch her! Her claws are out!"
Julian raises his eyes to hers, and surprisingly she sees the fear she's seen in so many other eyes is accompanied by a look of challenge. "Try that and I'll blast you right through the fucking roof," he murmurs, his lip curling.
She pauses, half-tempted to do so. She's curious to see if he'll make good on his threat.
And then-in this moment of hesitation-she is sent plowing through several tables and the cafeteria window, by a big jet of wind. She scrambles to her knees and coughs up dirt, having landed in a flower bed. Sofia runs to the open window, and stares out. "Oh my goodness-are you okay? I did not mean-"
"Fine," Laura says. "Let's get out of here before the heads arrive."
...
2:00
Outside classroom 300
Laura exits her English class, talking with a short girl with dark skin and a pleasant smile-Idie. They are discussing the next tutoring session, since Logan has assigned his pseudo-daughter to do various acts of kindness around the school.
Suddenly, she stops dead, having caught a scent she doesn't like.
Julian is standing in the hallway outside her class. "Well, well, Kinney. No little friends to protect you now." His eyes narrow. "I'm going to pulverize you."
"Yeah, right." Laura meets his glare with one of her own. "Seriously? I had you in checkmate."
"One thought and I could have choked you with your own intestines," he hisses.
Idie watches their interaction with interest.
"One thought and I could have plucked out your eyeballs," Laura counters. "Good luck thinking past that, dumbass."
"You didn't have the guts." He smirks at her. "You're a coward."
"No, I simply didn't find the thought of your innards plastered all over my clothing that appealing." Laura returns the leer. "Trust me...I know other ways to kill a person. None of which require me touching you...or even being nearby."
"Right." Julian shakes a metal finger in the air. "I'm warning you. I won't back down, next time. You try to get in my face-I won't hesitate to kill you. Like you said-we don't need rotten apples in the barrel around here...we've got enough trouble as is."
Laura responds by focusing on his metal finger.
His face grows red. "Fuck you!" he snaps.
She pauses, then grins. "Not in this lifetime, virgin. You wouldn't have the...touch."
Julian responds by slamming her into the wall with his hands, shouting something about how he's going to rearrange her features. Idie jumps a few feet back, her eyes widening-and about three minutes later, as blows are being traded back and forth with increasing violence, a redheaded girl pushes through the gathering crowd in the hallway, her expression very cross.
"What the hell is going on here?" she demands.
The combatants pause. They are on the floor, Julian having gained the upper hand in the situation. His metal fist is in midair, and he has Laura by the hair. There is blood dripping from both of their noses, and tear trails on his face, from when she had kicked him in a very delicate area.
"What the hell does it look like?" Julian snarls.
"It looks like you guys are fighting." The red-headed girl glares at him. "We're X-men. We don't fight each other-we've got enough-"
"Enemies already, yeah we know the drill." Laura pushes him off and sits up, with a cool look at the girl. "Except that this isn't the X-men, Hope. This isn't Utopia, remember?"
"That doesn't matter!" Hope folds her arms. "You two are despicable. I can't understand how you can hurt each other like this, over..." she pauses, and raises her eyebrows. "You make me sick."
"No, what makes me sick is that so many people died over you!" Julian retorts, getting to his feet. He holds out his hands in front of her. "What do you say to this, huh? You never even fucking apologized to anyone for the losses you caused!"
"I-it's not my fault!" Hope says, her eyes flashing. "I didn't personally cause any of this mess. I was born into it. Don't try to talk about matters you have no clue in."
"No clue, really?" Laura is on her feet now as well. "I fought a war for you. I held your hand when you were four years old and you were scared about the 'big bad man' that was after you...and would do anythingto get you..or don't you remember?"
Julian glances at her, raising his eyebrows. She's never talked about her time with X-force before.
Hope's face turns red. "No, I don't remember that. You're lying!"
"Whatever other shitty qualities the clone may have, she doesn't lie," he says, surprising even himself with his ferocity. "So we even have an eye-witness here to attest to the fact that you brought all of this bad karma on us. If anything, we should-"
He doesn't get the finish the sentence, because now Hope is really, really pissed. The air around her smokes slightly, and her face is flushed. And her eyes are white.
"SHUT UP!" she roars. There is a bright flash-like that of a camera-and then her eyes clear. "I've heard enough! Just learn to have some respect for each other, my god."
Hope's words are met with a confused silence from the pair. She turns on her heel and stomps away, the crowd parting ways before her, and Idie hurrying to follow in a sort of trotting gait.
"What was that?" Julian asks, his voice much quieter.
"Hell if I know," Laura replies. She frowns, reaches up, and rubs her temple. "Oh, man. I've got a killer headache all of a sudden."
He looks over her and raises his eyebrows. "Don't care."
Suddenly, there is a loud clatter, and Julian looks down, alarmed. Both of his metal hands are now lying on the floor, utterly useless. His eyes widen in horror. "What the fuck?" he gasps, then reaches out at the ground with the stump of his arm, obviously trying to pick them up-and failing. He tries again, and again, and then squeezes his eyes shut and makes a straining face. Nothing.
Laura grins. "Problem?" she asks.
He ignores her, then nudges at one of the hands with his shoes. "Um, can you pick them up for me?"
"I don't want to touch those creepy-ass things!" she snaps.
Julian glares at her.
"Have fun with that," she says. She waves, then heads down the hallway, in a considerably lighter mood.