Kitty Pryde was running to the Xavier Institute, her brown scandals pressing against the ground. She had just turned twenty-one a few days ago. Her appearance remained the same as when she had joined the X-Men during her time in high school. Professor Xavier and a man with a tanned skin tone and gray hair wearing a Hawaiian shirt were standing near the front entrance of the school, as though they had been waiting for her.
"Kitty," Professor X said, pointing at the man beside him. "I'd like you to meet James Plath. He has an...interesting grandson."
Kitty stepped over to shake James' hand.
"Nice to meet you, sir," Kitty said.
"Likewise," James replied, briefly glancing over to the professor. "My grandson has superpowers. They let him fly, throw some beams around. The usual superhero stuff. He's had it for the last few months."
"I called you here today because I thought you might get through to him," Xavier said to Kitty. "From what I heard, he's interested in school, wants to learn, and is sometimes kind of shy. Like you."
Kitty placed her hand behind her head and looked away, smirking.
"I'm not that shy," Kitty said, turning her eyes to James. "So where is he?"
"I had him run an errand for Professor Xavier," James replied. "He should be back in an hour. The professor's instructed me to let you guys handle it so I'll depart before he shows up again."
"I know you're worried, but I'm gonna do everything I can to show him the institute will help him if he wants."
James nodded his head and walked to his car, driving away while Kitty and Xavier waived until they were no longer visible to him. The two engaged in a round of small-talk before a young man flew down in front of them. He was was wearing a pair of black glasses, and a long yellow dress that featured a green cravat around his neck, white gloves, and black high heels over white boots. His dark brown hair was in a bun. He was six feet and two inches, leaving him towering over both Kitty and the wheelchair-bound Xavier. Though Xavier was outwardly indifferent, Kitty looked at him with widened eyes.
"Um...are you Justin?" Kitty asked.
He nodded.
"Yes, ma'am," Justin replied, extending his gloved hand to her. "You're supposed to be my mentor..I think."
"Something like that," Xavier answered, rolling his chair away from the pair. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted."
"Mister professor, don't you want to hear about the errand?"
"You can tell me later."
Now Kitty and Justin stood alone, Justin placing his hands behind his back. His gloves ruffled the back of his gown and Kitty took a glance at his getup every few moments while they were alone.
"I know what you're thinking," Justin said, taking a large sigh. "It's the same thing with everybody. And by me admitting that, now you're wondering why I even wear it."
"Well...yeah," Kitty replied. "It's just not something you see every day, you know?"
"It was a gift from my mother. She's quite observational. She told me to wear it as part of a social experiment showing how in a world seeking equality, only one gender is allowed to wear various forms of clothing associated with the opposite sex."
He looked down and pulled at his skirt.
"I've just kind of gotten use to the attention by this point," Justin furthered. "Although, considering the professor told me you were very smart...I was kind of hoping you'd try to learn who I am first."
"Forget I looked, Kitty quickly replied, throwing her hands up as though disarming herself. "Maybe you can tell me about your powers."
Justin removed the glove from his left hand, a red beam descending to the ground and prompting a small incision. Kitty smirked in seeing where the beam hit, turning her eyes back to Justin.
"I have a feeling you're holding back," she said.
"That's true," Justin replied, placing his hands behind his back and looking away from her. "It's not something I want to really put in full effect in a place like this."
From the sky, descended a woman with red shoulder length hair and a white streak in the front. She was of average height and was wearing a purple top with black gloves, blue jeans, and tennis shoes.
"Rogue," Kitty called her name, pointing at Justin. "This is a new mutant. His name's Justin."
Justin extended his hand toward her, which Rogue quickly took.
"You wear gloves too," Rogue noted, "but they're not to keep your powers in check, are they?"
"No," Justin replied. "I'm guessing yours are."
"Yeah."
Rogue looked over to Kitty, wagging her finger in her direction.
"Don't forget about giving me back the chemistry book," Rogue told her, briefly glancing at Justin. "It was nice to meet you."
Rogue then flew away, Kitty staring at her back as though waiting for her to get out of sight.
"Okay," Kitty said, throwing her backpack to the floor and pulling out a book. "I'm gonna need you to do me a favor."
Justin placed the book under his dress.
"Mission accomplished," he said with a smirk. "How long do you need me to hold onto it?"
"Just until I can phase you into my room."
Kitty took him by the hand and the two spent the next ten minutes walking to a building containing several rooms. Kitty, still holding his arm, stopped Justin in front of one room in particular.
"My bed is the green one with the desk on the side," Kitty said, phasing Justin into the room while he nearly fell.
He placed the book on her desk and knocked on the door.
"Finished," he said, Kitty taking his hand and phasing him back into the hallway. "No offense, but couldn't you have done this without me?"
"In hindsight, yeah," Kitty admitted, "but I didn't know if she would see me or not."
Justin placed his arm to salute Kitty.
"Glad to be of service," he said.
"I do have some homework I have to," Kitty told him. "Maybe we can get better acquainted tomorrow."
"That sounds good. I'll check out with Professor Xavier and then leave."
"Cool. Talk to you later."
Justin walked down the hallway just as Rogue was coming toward the pair, Justin waving at Rogue and her smirking.
"How'd it go?" Rogue asked.
"That guy dresses weird," Kitty said, "but he seems like a nice enough person."
"What's wrong with how he dresses?"
"Seriously? How many guys do you know walk around wearing women's clothes?"
"Apparently just him, but so what? How many people do you know walk around wearing purple lipstick everyday?"
Kitty declined answering.
"Just me," Rogue said, throwing her palm over her face. "The whole point of the institute is that we accept each other's differences no matter how much we don't get it, so long as it doesn't hurt anyone else, and I'd take being a guy that wears dresses over being a woman that puts people in comas anyday."