The new kid wasn't anything special, Rogue decided. Sure, he got along well enough with everybody, but he didn't have a big presence. Since he got to the institute, he's maybe said two words.

Mr. Logan said that he's a friend of his, and that they should respect him and give him space. How Mr. Logan made friends with a kid outside of the school, Rogue would never know.

To be honest, Rogue was a little creeped out by Danny. he was always watching them, and anytime anybody moved to quickly he would always flinch. He couldn't trust them enough not to hurt them. They never would, not unless he started it, of course, but it was still annoying to be thought of as a villain.

On top of that, he like, never sleeps. The bags under his eyes are huge, and he always looks so exhausted. She thinks he has some kind of ice power, because anytime she's near him the temperature drops at least ten degrees. At night it's even worse. She swears to Kitty that she saw frost creeping up on the wall that separates their rooms.

Currently he was sitting near the window where Mr. Logan was sitting as he read the morning newspaper. He was looking down at his food, but not really eating it. He did, however, down his coffee in record time. It hadn't even cooled down yet. Logan looked over briefly as he set the cup down a little too hard, and rolled his eyes.

Danny knew he was being weird. He knew he was being as antisocial and he should at least try talking to someone other than Logan, but he just didn't have the energy to do so. He's been there a month and has barely slept a wink because every time he closed his eyes he saw his mother standing over him, a flash of silver in her hand, and then-

No. not here. Not anymore. He wasn't going to let what they did to him stop him from having a somewhat normal life. In a school full of other people like him. Except they weren't really, were they? They were all born with their powers, they have the special gene. He was just stupid enough to get into a lab accident. He's not a mutant, he's a freak.

He stayed in the kitchen until everybody but he and Logan filed out. He enjoyed the quiet only when there was somebody else with him. If he was alone without a distraction then he would start thinking about them, and he really, really didn't want to do that.

"You know, you can talk to them," Logan said from his place on the windowsill.

"Sorry, was I brooding to loud for you?" Danny shot back. His snark was reflexive, and it was the only thing he had going for him at this point. Logan though, he just raised an eyebrow at him. There was no judgement, just an understanding. Danny supposed that if anybody was going to, it would be Logan. "Sorry," he said for real this time. "It's just...Hard."

"I know, Casper."

"Woah, is that a new suit?" Nightcrawler asked as Danny finally stepped into the Danger Room with them. Danny nodded. Professor Xavier really outdid himself with this one.

His new suit was the simple black and white he preferred, but it was short sleeved with protective armor added in, and a pair of fingerless gloves. There was a bright green X on his shoulder pads and chest.

"Yeah. Pretty cool, right?"

"For sure. You ready for your first trip in the Danger Room?"

"Let's get started."

It was supposed to be a simple training exercise.

Danny had gotten knocked down, and Rogue, who had just finished borrowing Kurt's power, helped him up. He had reflexively tightened his grip, and he couldn't let her go. She just kept taking and taking and taking until the edges of Danny's vision started turning black.

There was a grip around his wrist and his hand was suddenly empty, but there was a grip around his wrist and they wouldn't let go, they wouldn't let go-

Then there was a pulse in his head, and his whole world went dark.

When Danny woke up, the lights weren't the blinding, fluorescent lights he was used to. In fact, they were all off, save for a small lamp sitting on the nightstand.

"I had them turn it off," a voice said. Danny turned his head weakly. Rouge was sitting there, twiddling with her gloves. "I...I know why you don't like them."

"You do?" He asked. His voice was quiet, weak. Rouge only nodded, not meeting him in the eye.

"When I touch people, I can gain their physical abilities...And also there memories. I...I know what happened to you."

"Oh," Danny said, because what else was there to say? So you know about my parents ripping me apart molecule by molecule? How do you feel? Do you wanna talk about it? Somehow Danny figured that wasn't really gonna work out.

"I won't tell anybody. I know that's what you're worried about," she said, finally meeting his eyes.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Yeah, anytime. But I do have one question."

"Yeah?"

"Did you really meet Wolverine by falling on top of him in your underwear?"

For the first time in a month Danny smiled. It wasn't one of those big ear-to-ear grins, but it felt real, and that was more than he could ask for. He chuckled a little as he sat up, turning to Rogue because it was a hilarious story.

"Okay," he said. "So this natural portal dropped me off somewhere in the bumfuck of Canada..."