Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's a little late, but the new school year just started for me (meaning homework!) so I won't be able to update every day anymore.
This chapter is a little on the long side, and it ends a little weirdly, but I hope you all like it! Originally, it was going to be a lot different, but I was writing and this happened...I like this better. Hopefully you guys will too! You get to be a little more fun and relaxed and hyper.
And don't worry, what I originally planned for this chapter will come soon. *evil laugh*
Anyway...here's Chapter 7!
Chapter 7: Home
That night, you couldn't seem to fall asleep. You were so excited to see the X-Men again that after Wanda fell asleep, you wandered outside the facility with your phone to let off some steam.
You put in your headphones when you found a small clearing in the woods around the facility and turned on We R Who We R by Ke$ha. You started swaying to the beat, and when the chorus started, you completely let go and danced to the beat. You even mixed your powers into your dance moves, filling the clearing with beams and bursts of multicolored lights. They were mainly yellow, and you could feel the stones in your spine start to glow the longer you were dancing (made noticeable by a warm, tingling sensation in seven spots down your back), but you weren't paying attention. You were lost in the music and you were happy, and you didn't notice the aura behind you until the music faded away.
"(Y/n)? Vhy aren't you sleeping? Yesterday vas not easy and in the morning you're leaving," Pietro said softly, coming towards you, and you pulled out your headphones before turning to face him with a sigh.
"Pietro, I'm not leaving forever. I'm just going to visit my friends for a few days. I'll come back, I promise," you said, resting your hand on his shoulder. You brushed his cheek lightly as you did, having almost cupped his cheek before changing your mind.
"I know, I just, you are my teammate. I don't vant you to get hurt," he said, his eyes and aura unreadable. You frowned. You'd never had trouble reading anyone before, except for that one old guy the day you were taken, but you knew Pietro would never be involved with that. He must have been blocking you.
"I won't get hurt, Pietro, I swear. They would never hurt me," you told him, but when you still couldn't read his aura, you got an idea.
"I don't have to go alone, you know. If it would make you feel better, you could come with me. I love for you to meet them, and maybe they could teach you a little bit about your powers," you said, starting to smile. "I know there's more to you than just running really fast. Maybe Professor X could help you figure out what that is."
"Vhat makes you think there's more? I tried finding more, back vhen I vas vith Strucker. They pushed us to find more, do more, be more, but it never vorked. Vhat makes you think I can find more now?" Pietro asked, reaching up to his shoulder to take your hand in his. "And vhy vould they velcome me? I vasn't exactly nice to Kurt."
"They'll welcome you because you're my friend. Back in Bayville, we looked out for each other, and we looked out for each other's friends," you said, squeezing his hand and smiling at him. "I would really like for you and Wanda to come to Bayville with me. I can sense that there's more to you than just what you guys can see. I don't know what it is, but I have a feeling Professor X will."
"I'm your friend? I thought I vas just your new teammate," he said, his blue eyes sad and tired. You sighed and hugged him tightly.
"Of course you're my friend. I don't tell just anyone about my tattoo," you said teasingly, then bit your lip. "At least think about it? Please?"
"I vill. I promise," he said, tapping your nose. You shook your head with a laugh as you pulled away from him, grabbing his other hand.
"Dance with me before we go back in?" you asked hopefully, and he watched you for a minute before shaking his head slowly.
"I don't dance," he said. You pouted.
"You're no fun. Maybe you are just fast," you said, swatting at him teasingly, and he laughed before tugging on your hand gently.
"I guess ve'll just have to vait and see. Valk vith me?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the facility.
"Okay," you said, a slight smile playing on your lips as the two of you walked—surprisingly slowly—back to your rooms in the facility. It was almost 4:00 in the morning, and you finally started to feel tired when he dropped you off at the door to the room you were sharing with his sister.
"Goodnight, Miracle," he said quietly, and you leaned up to kiss his cheek lightly.
"Night, Speedy," you whispered before opening the door and going inside. You bit your lip to hold in a smile as you finally drifted off to sleep.
Your alarm went off far too soon, and you began to regret staying up almost all night when the sun shone through the windows and right into your eyes. You groaned and turned over to face the wall, but Wanda (who was somehow already dressed for the day in black skinny jeans and a red top with black beading) jumped on your bed.
"You have to wake up if you want to go to Bayville today," she said cheerfully. Just as you were about to complain about how anyone could be cheerful that early in the morning (it was only 7:30!), you processed what she said and sat up straight, a huge smile on your face.
"Gods, that's right!" you cheered, hugging her tightly before jumping out of bed. Wanda laughed quietly while you pulled an outfit out of your bag and ran into the bathroom to shower and change. You had pulled out a casual, backless pink dress with a black belt and a heart-shaped cutout in the high neckline, matched with a pair of comfortable, worn in silver converse, a pink and silver bracelet, and a pair of silver earrings. You brushed your hair and wove it into a thick French braid, securing it with a small silver hair tie. You put on a touch of mascara and a bit of neutral colored lip gloss to complete the look, then walked back into the bedroom.
"Vell, don't you look pretty?" Wanda said with a smile, and you stuck your tongue out.
"Why thank you. Wanda, do you want to come to Bayville with me?" you asked as you grabbed the bag you had packed before Wanda fell asleep the night before.
"I don't vant to intrude on your time to catch up vith your friends," the brunette said, looking out the window. You sighed.
"Wanda, you're not intruding. You're my friend. I would love for you to meet them. Besides, you got along pretty well with Kurt last night," you reminded her, but when she hesitated, you continued, "I asked Pietro to come too."
"You did? Vhat did he say? Is he going?" she asked, spinning to face you. You shrugged.
"He said he would think about it," you replied, throwing your bag over your shoulder. "What about you?"
"Okay," she said after a minute, and you grinned as she quickly packed a few things in a bag. "It's only a couple of days, right?"
"Right. We'll be back before Tony finishes the repairs to the training room," you said, and Wanda smiled at you.
"Speaking of, Stark just arrived," she told you, and you grinned, an evil glint in your eye.
"Then I guess I should go say hi," you said, heading for the door. Wanda laughed, knowing exactly what you meant, before following you down the corridor to where Tony was talking to Steve and Maria outside of the training area door.
You strode up to them with your head held high and your shoulders back. When you were right in front of the billionaire (which happened to be right when the rest of your team walked in), you punched him square in the jaw. The force made his head jerk to the side almost comically, and he grabbed his jaw, his eyes wide as if he had just been shot.
"What the fuck was that for?" he cried, turning to face you. Everyone but Pietro attempted to bite back their laughter or hide it behind coughs. Pietro just flat out laughed at Stark's face.
"For creating Ultron," you said, your eyes narrowed. He threw up his hands in defeat.
"You said you weren't upset about that!" he exclaimed. You rolled your eyes.
"I was half asleep and did not want to deal with you. I literally would have said anything if I thought it would get you to leave," you told him, your hands on your hips.
"You are your mother's daughter," he grumbled, and you grinned.
"Why thank you," you said, smiling up at him innocently. He huffed.
"Anyway, what did you do to my training area? It looks like you set off a bomb," Tony said, gesturing through the door to the mostly destroyed training area. You shrugged.
"We had a party," you said vaguely, waving it off with a smile. His jaw dropped.
"I don't see how that's a party," he said, and at that moment your mom walked in.
"It's better than some of yours have ended. Remember your birthday party?" Natasha said sassily, and everyone laughed outright at Tony's face.
"You know what, Romanov," Stark started, narrowing his eyes as he pointed at your mom. One look from her, however, and he backed off, turning back to the training area.
"This will take days to fix," he grumbled, and you smiled innocently.
"Well, that's perfect, since I'm going to Bayville for a few days," you announced. Your mom's eyes almost popped out of her head.
"No you're not," she said immediately, and you frowned.
"Why? Kurt is already on his way to pick me up! Wanda's going too!" you cried, and Pietro sped over to where you were standing.
"I am too," he said, and you smiled at him.
"I'll be fine!" you urged your mom, but she was still hesitant.
"I just don't think it's a good idea," Natasha said slowly.
"I'll go with them, Nat, if it'll make you feel better," Sam said, walking over. Rhodey and Vision both followed.
"We could all go!" you said, looking at your team. "It'll be like a bonding thing."
"I don't see why they shouldn't," Steve said slowly, having listened to everything quietly.
"And Nat, you know Xavier won't let her get hurt," Maria chimed in. Natasha threw her hands up in defeat.
"Fine. But you come back when Tony finishes the repairs," your mom said, and you hugged her tightly.
"Yay! Thank you!" you cheered. Right then, there was a burst of brimstone-scented smoke in the doorway behind Tony.
"Did I miss something?" Kurt asked, and Tony jumped, spinning around and throwing his arms up as if he was about to attack him. You rolled your eyes.
"Tony, you are not a ninja. Don't pretend you are. That's Kurt Wagner, otherwise known as Nightcrawler. He's my friend, and my ride to Bayville," you said, going over and hugging Kurt. He hugged you back tightly before going over to your mom.
"Natasha. Good to see you," Kurt said, smiling at your mom. She nodded to him with a small smile.
"Same to you, Kurt. You look good," Natasha replied. Kurt grinned goofily at her and held up his watch.
"It's all thanks to this," he said, pointing at the watch Professor X gave him his first day at the Institute. Tony's jaw dropped.
"He has a watch that makes him look that good? I want one," Stark said, and everyone groaned.
"No, Tony. No," Steve said, shaking his head. Tony started to protest, but Maria shook her head and pushed him towards the door to the training room.
"You just focus on fixing the training area," Maria told him, closing the door behind him. Everyone could hear Tony grumbling, which sounded suspiciously like cursing.
"Language!" everyone but Kurt and Steve shouted at the door. The super-soldier threw his hands up and walked out.
"Language?" Kurt asked, smirking at everyone.
"Steve scolded Tony on his language the first time we were in Sokovia. We all use it to pick on him now," Natasha said with a shrug. "Now, you guys should get going. You want to be there before dark."
"I'll probably have to make two trips to carry everyone. I still have trouble with any more than three extra people," Kurt said, and you smirked at him.
"Leave that to me," you said, and closed your eyes. You focused on his aura and your aura flashed bluish-black like Kurt's before you disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing next to the twins. "I'll take the twins, you take the others?"
"Ah, you've been practicing, haven't you?" he asked proudly, and laughed when you nodded. "Fair enough."
Kurt grabbed hold of Rhodey, Vision, and Sam at the same time that you linked your arms through Wanda's and Pietro's, and with a playful smirk at Kurt, you teleported outside with the twins in tow. Pietro grinned at you, and Wanda put a hand on her head.
"Whoa…" Wanda said, blinking a few times. She was obviously dizzy, not that you blamed her. Teleporting could be hard the first time around, and you suspected it was worse what with Wanda's gift for manipulating reality with her mind.
"That. Was. Awesome!" Pietro cheered, jumping up and down. You rolled your eyes playfully as Kurt appeared just behind him, with Vision, Rhodey, and Sam. Pietro kept jumping and bumped into them, almost knocking them over.
"Watch it, Sonic," Rhodey said. He shrugged.
"Sorry," Pietro said.
"So, Kurt, where's your car?" you asked, and Kurt just smiled at you.
"I didn't take my car this weekend," your longtime friend said, nodding for you to follow him. You frowned but followed him around the corner, and your jaw dropped when you saw the sleek, black jet you had flown in more than a few times during your stay with the X-Men.
"You took the Blackbird?" you cried, teleporting in front of Kurt and walking backwards. "Do they know you took it?"
"Um, well, heh, about that…Professor X knows everything, right? Like, he can read minds? He probably knows," Kurt said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, and you groaned.
"Logan's going to kill you," you said, pointing your index finger right between his eyes. You mimicked shooting off a gun with your hand, and he caught your hand and spun you to face forward, shifting to walk beside you.
"That's only if he catches me. Besides, I thought you might like to fly it," Kurt said. You stopped dead in your tracks.
"Kurt, you didn't know I was going to be here. That excuse won't fly," you chastened him, then mentally facepalmed when you realized what you'd said.
"No, but we will," he said, trying to make you laugh, but when you just glared at him he coughed awkwardly. "I overheard Professor and Logan talking about how S.H.I.E.L.D. had bought some land up here, supposedly for an Avengers base. Apparently some angry guy had called to warn us not to attack or interfere if Cerebro started picking up stuff. I decided to come up for the weekend to get away from the Mansion, hoping I would see you. I thought that if I did, maybe I could convince you to come visit, and if I didn't, I would still get a couple days off."
"Some angry guy? Do you mean Fury?" you asked, raising an eyebrow at him. He snapped his fingers at the name.
"Yeah, him! He called," Kurt said, grinning at you.
"He's my uncle, you know. You met him at my eighth grade graduation!" you cried, grabbing Kurt's arm and turning him to face you.
"Oh yeah! With the eye patch?" he asked, pointing at his left eye. When you nodded in exasperation, he smiled and nodded. "That's right! I remember him! He was scary."
"Oh my gods, Kurt," you said, dropping your head into your hands. "I'm not helping you out of this one. If anything happens, I'm saying you kidnapped me and my team and are holding us for ransom."
"Fair deal. So, do you want to fly it or not?" he asked, pointing to the aircraft with his thumb. You groaned.
"Of course I'm flying. I'm the better pilot anyway," you teased, boarding the plane first. "Besides, I have two army guys on my side, and the FAA people have worked with me before. Fury helped me contact them a few times when my family was teaching me how to fly. I flew the jet on a lot of my parent's missions."
"I'm so not surprised. You could probably fly before you could drive," he teased you, but when you didn't respond with anything more than a smile over your shoulder and a shrug, his jaw dropped. "Wait, you could fly before you could drive?"
"Are you surprised?" you asked sarcastically, slipping into the pilot's seat and putting on the headset. Kurt grinned at you and teleported into the seat next to you, putting on his headset as the rest of the team piled in.
As everyone was getting situated, you called the FAA. The person who answered was a man named Jason who had cleared your flight path almost every time you called for a S.H.I.E.L.D. trip. After asking how he was and catching up for a couple of minutes (which you knew was totally unprofessional but you couldn't help it), you told him you were going to be flying into the Bayville area from upstate New York, and he cleared your flight path for you without any issue. You thanked him half a million times, and, after laughing at his teasing suggestion of going on a date to talk in a less professional setting, hung up to find the entire plane staring at you.
"What?" you asked with a shrug. "He's the one that always helps me when I have to clear a flight path."
"How often is that?" Rhodey asked incredulously.
"Why are you surprised? I'm eighteen and grew up in S.H.I.E.L.D., with S.H.I.E.L.D. training. This is like, a routine thing for me," you said, turning back to the controls and taking off with a practiced ease. You could tell the team were still staring at you, but you shrugged it off. "Remember, Steve said don't hold back because we need to know what everyone can do. I'm a very good pilot. That's one more thing you've learned about me."
"I assume there's much more to learn," Vision spoke up from his seat in the back, and you turned around for a moment to grin at him.
"Of course," you said sassily.
The flight passed uneventfully, with your mom only radioing the plane once to check on you guys, and soon you were flying over Bayville. You smiled as a feeling of nostalgia and safety washed over you, and you guided the plane towards the cliffs to where the Mansion was located. When you approached the lavish school for mutants, the radio crackled to life.
"Kurt, you're in so much trouble when you land," a familiar voice said over the headsets, and you couldn't hold back your delighted gasp.
"Scott!" you cried over your headset.
"Wait, (Y/n)? What are you doing in the Blackbird? Why now?" Scott Summers spluttered into the radio, and you laughed happily at his confusion.
"Nightcrawler kidnapped my team and I. He's holding us for ransom! Can you believe that?" you exclaimed, winking at the mutant sitting next to you.
"What I can't believe is that you're going to be all grown up when you finally come home. Be careful landing. Navigating through the cliffs can be difficult," Scott said, and you rolled your eyes.
"I'm a better pilot than you may think, Scott Summers," you sassed into the headset, and he laughed.
"I'm sure you are, Mira," he teased before the radio went silent again. Kurt grinned at you.
"You helped me dodge that one," he said, but before he could get too happy, the headset crackled to life again.
"You're not out of trouble yet, bub," Logan's voice drifted through the radio, and Kurt paled.
"Told you he was going to kill you," you taunted Kurt.
"Is that you, Miracle? What are you doin' with the elf? I thought you was off with your family in Iowa," Logan asked you.
"Long story. I'll tell you when we land," you said, lowering the landing gear and pressing the button that would open the hangar doors.
Your team all leaned forward to look out the windshield as the face of the cliff opened through a waterfall, and everyone sucked in a breath as you expertly navigated your way through it. Your landing was perfect, and you drove the aircraft to the end of the runway where it was always parked before you left and cut the engine. As soon as everything was powered down and the door was open, you were out of your seat, biting your lip out of nervousness and excitement. Sam laughed at you softly.
"Go, (Y/n). We'll follow," Sam promised, and you grinned excitedly before running off the plane. You vaguely heard laughter behind you but you didn't care. Scott and Logan were both waiting at the door when you ran off, and you rushed over to hug them.
"Kurt, vas this vhat she vas like before she vas taken? She seems so, happy and young," Pietro asked your old friend quietly as everyone piled off the plane. He watched out of the corner of his eye as his sister walked next to Vision, a little too close for his liking, but was more focused on finding out as much as he could about the girl who had saved his life.
"Yeah, she was like this. Less sassy, but what you saw is how she was before her life went to hell," Kurt said, his eyes and voice filled with regret.
"You couldn't have stopped it," Pietro told him, feeling bad for the mutant. He suspected Kurt had felt guilty about this for a while.
"Pietro, we couldn't even find her. Cerebro couldn't locate her, Jean and the Professor couldn't track her, even Logan couldn't pick up the scent. As for me, I can only teleport short distances, so I wasn't much use," Kurt said, a little bitter, but when he looked out the windshield and saw you smiling and introducing your teammates to Logan and Scott, his expression softened. "I'm glad she found you guys though. You're helping her, even if you don't realize it. The mistake we all made, the one that probably caused her to leave without a word to any of us, was we tried too hard to help. We didn't know what to do, and we danced around what had happened. None of us would have dared to get her to show off her tattoo, but you guys, you guys have her helped her be proud of it, acting as if she was born with it or as if she has it because she wanted it."
"I think a lot of it is her friend back in Iowa City, Claire," Pietro admitted, but Kurt just smiled at him.
"It doesn't matter. You still helped a lot, and I can tell you care for her," Kurt told him, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know vhat you are talking about," Pietro denied, but couldn't stop himself from smiling at seeing you happy when he looked out the windshield. "I vas the first of us that she told her story to, she saved my life, I just vant her to be happy. She deserves to be happy."
"That right there is what I'm talking about. Don't give up," Kurt said, nodding towards the exit. "Now come on. You met her parents, but it's time for you to meet her other family."
Pietro gulped reflexively before following Kurt off the plane and down to where you were talking animatedly with two tall men, one wearing red sunglasses even though he was inside and the other strong and almost primal. The second one intimidated Pietro the most, if he was being perfectly honest. This could be a long week.
You ran off the aircraft and around to the front door, tackling Scott as you hugged him. He grunted before hugging you back, laughing and ruffling your hair as Logan pulled you off of him. You hugged Logan next, as tightly as you could, and while he tensed up at first, he hugged you back just as tightly. You had a fleeting thought that it was times like this when he was the most dangerous, but you really didn't care. They were your second family.
"You're still just as bouncy as you were four years ago, kiddo," Logan said, ruffling your hair. You pulled back with a frown.
"You're messing up my hair!" you complained teasingly. Logan rolled his eyes as he helped Scott off the floor, right as Rhodey, Sam, Wanda, and Vision came off the plane.
"I take it this is the team Kurt is holding hostage?" Scott asked, amusement flickering over his face. You nodded.
"This is my team. War Machine, Falcon, the Scarlet Witch, and the Vision, otherwise known as Rhodey, Sam, Wanda, and Vision respectively. I don't know where Pietro is…" you said, frowning when you didn't see the fast boy you'd come to care about anywhere.
"Oh, something tells me he's not too far away," a friendly voice echoed, and you heard the door whoosh open. You turned to see Charles Xavier rolling into the room in his fancy wheelchair that he's had for as long as you've known him.
"Professor!" you cheered, hugging him tightly. You were careful not to knock over his wheelchair, even though you didn't think you would be able to in the first place.
"(Y/n)," Professor X said, smiling at you. "Welcome back."
"It's good to be back. How many are here?" you ask, looking around.
"Storm is upstairs with everyone," Logan answered, eyeing your teammates.
"They're all here?" you exclaimed. Scott chuckled and nodded.
"They're all here. Kurt called and said to make sure everyone was at the mansion today. He didn't say why, though," Scott said, smirking at you.
"Surprise," you said with a shrug, grinning, before turning to Professor X. "Are you sure you don't want me to heal you so you can walk again? I've gotten pretty good at it, you know. I brought my teammate back from the brink of death."
"I did know. I saw it in your thoughts when you mentioned Pietro," the professor said, a soft smile on his face. It reminded you of how he would smile at you when you were younger and needed a father's advice (admittedly sometimes with boys), but your dad was on a mission. You bit your lip and ducked your head, suddenly fascinated with your bracelet.
"How much did you see?" you thought, a little hesitantly, and heard a soft laugh in your mind that certainly wasn't your voice.
"Not much. Just a few flashes of the stronger memories. I saw you help him, the two of you meeting when he woke up, and how he helped you when you told him about your tattoo," Professor X's voice echoed through your head, and you smiled a little despite yourself.
"Thanks, Professor," you thought, looking up at him with a smile. He nodded just behind you and you turned to see Pietro and Kurt were finally coming around the corner. You smiled and tilted your head to the side, a teasing glint in your eyes.
"Aww, is that a bromance I sense?" you joked, smirking at the two as they approached the group.
"A vhat?" Pietro asked confusedly, frowning at you as Kurt flipped you off. Wanda and Vision looked about as lost as Pietro. Professor X, Logan, and Scott glared at Kurt for flipping you off while Sam and Rhodey chuckled.
"Never mind. Where are the others, Professor?" you asked, turning back to him.
"Outside on the lawn. Why don't you take your team up there with you, and we'll follow? It'll take me some time anyway," Professor X suggested.
"Yeah, we need to talk to Kurt anyway. Go on ahead," Scott said, nodding in the direction of the training area. You smiled before motioning to Rhodey, Vision, Wanda, Sam, and Pietro, encouraging them to follow you.
You left quickly with your team in tow, following the familiar halls until you made your way upstairs and to the door that opened to the backyard. You closed your eyes when you sensed at least thirty auras on the other side of the door, and you frowned slightly. How many new recruits do they have? Did they bring in the entire Brotherhood? You had heard rumors of new mutants joining the team, but you didn't think there were that many. What you never could have expected, however, was what you saw.
"SURPRISE!" the entire room—and your teammates behind you—cheered as soon as they saw you.
Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped, and instinct took over. Your powers scanned the crowd and identified everyone, showing you that all of the X-Men you knew were here, with a handful of new mutants; your parents; Claire, Henry, Liam, Emma, and Killian Jones; your uncles Nick Fury and Phil Coulson; your aunts Melinda May, Maria Hill, and Laura Barton; Lila, Cooper, and Nathaniel Barton; and the other four Avengers. A sign hanging between two trees read, "CONGRATS GRAD!" The yard was decorated with Tiki torches and a huge dance floor, complete with a DJ station run by Tabi, and a set of tables and picnic blankets set up on the grass. There was a cake on one of the tables, set up near a grill, and a huge fire pit near enough to the blankets to sit on them comfortably but still far enough away that there wasn't a fire hazard. The sun was just starting to go down, turning the sky various shades of pink and orange, and the first few stars were just starting to shine.
"What…" you started, totally unable to speak. You couldn't believe it.
"Welcome home, (Y/n)," Storm said, coming up to you, and you grinned brightly.
"It's good to be home."
What did you think? How would you feel if Professor X had seen stuff about your totally-just-friends relationship with Pietro? How would you feel if you were Kurt (or any of the X-Men, for that matter)? What's going to happen next? What do you guys think I have planned? Let me know in your review!
Snowflakes of love and fun to you all!