Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Louisiana
The sterile cleanliness of academia filled the atmosphere of the classroom as Carol Danvers stood in front of a crowd of bored teenagers. Carol was teaching Introductory Physics, and she was in the middle of a lecture. The former Kree warrior did her best to transition into her new career, trading her modified Starforce uniform for a cardigan and a pair of scholarly reading glasses. She had the equations on the chalkboard and everything.
"Energy can exist in various forms, such as kinetic energy, thermal energy, and potential energy. Potential energy, in particular, is the stored energy an object possesses due to…" Carol stopped her lecture when she noticed a girl in the back row began performing illusions for an easily impressed boy instead of paying attention. To be fair, it was a very dynamic illusion of Alderaan, the planet that gets blown up in the first Star Wars movie.
"Rei, please. That can wait until after class," Carol scolded, but her words were drowned out when other students began checking out the show. They even started "oohing" and "aahing" when the Death Star blew up the illusionary planet.
"Okay," she muttered before taking a deep breath. Looking squarely at the offending student, she cleared her throat and spoke more loudly, "Rei, this is your last warning. Cut that crap out, or I will…"
Her words were drowned out again, this time by roaring laughter. A confused Carol looked to see another student using his shapeshifting powers to morph into a caricature version of herself, silently mouthing her words and mocking her mannerisms with comic exaggeration. The kid even gave Carol a pair of buck teeth and made her glasses look more "nerdy."
Maria picked out those glasses for her…
Carol could feel her frustration begin to rise. Her eyes and fists began flaring with photonic energy, and she pounded the chalk in her hands into dust with her super strength. Thankfully, Carol quickly took control of her emotions. With a deep breath, she powered down.
She then pointed at Rei and the shapeshifting student. "You two, detention," Carol heard whining, but she snapped back with, "No arguments! Detention!"
Despite just doing her job, Carol could see that her students were looking at her like she was a nag. Carol took out her glasses and rubbed the sides of her head.
Who knew that controlling a classroom full of mutant teens would be harder than interstellar warfare?
In the cozy corner of the bustling teacher's lounge, Carol Danvers found a bit of solace in solitude and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. She slumped into the soft cushions of a worn-out armchair, a half-eaten sandwich resting on the table. Carol tried letting her lunch and this moment of solitude melt away all the stupid frustrations she'd been feeling. Unfortunately, a familiar ache gripped her heart, and Carol's face returned to its miserable grimace.
One of Carol's new coworkers, a blue-furred, beastlike man named Hank McCoy, noticed the blonde's foul mood. Hank walked over and sat across Carol, with concern on his furry face. "Ms. Danvers, you seem a bit out of sorts today. Is everything alright?"
Carol fixed her gaze on her sandwich, her voice filled with a touch of resignation. "I do not get teenagers, McCoy. I'm just doing my job, but they go around doing stupid nonsense instead of paying attention. And apparently, enforcing rules makes me the bad guy."
"I'm sure it's not as bad as all that…"
"The shapeshifter in my class made a caricature out of me after I scolded the illusionist for disrupting the class," Carol said with a straight face. Hank cringed as she continued, "And I thought little girls are easily distracted, but apparently teenagers with mutant powers are worse."
"Let us hope that there will be fewer distractions for the youth of the future," Hank said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Amen to that," an overly optimistic Carol Danvers agreed with the equally naive Hank McCoy, "And that's not even getting into the crap that my so-called class clown got into during the equations!"
Hank listened to Carol vent about her students for the next ten minutes. As he listened to Carol's rant, Hank couldn't help but notice a subtext underneath her tired frustration. Carol has been teaching here for three weeks now, but she dealt with similar encounters with grace before. This could be early burnout, but Hank had a feeling that there was something else going on.
Once Carol stopped ranting, Hank leaned forward and asked gently, "Carol, is there something more to this?"
"What do you mean?", Carol asked with her brow raised.
"Something tells me that it takes more than a few obnoxious teenagers to make the mighty Captain Marvel throw in the towel," Hank pointed out.
Carol let out a deep sigh. The only person in this school who knows about Carol's marriage and sexual orientation is Charles Xavier, and that is only because Fury invited him to her wedding without her knowledge. Although Xavier has proven to be more open-minded than Carol had expected, she still chewed out Fury for potentially risking Maria's new SHIELD career. This secret is not something Carol is willing to share with the rest of her coworkers, no matter how likable they seem at first blush. There's just too much at stake.
Carol collected herself for a moment before explaining, "My… boyfriend is in SHIELD. What we have is great, but… he isn't always home due to his job. And… he hasn't been home for over a week. I guess his absence is just getting to me…"
Hank gave Carol a sympathetic look and nodded. "I see. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but in this case, the absence is making yours sick."
"I just worry. A lot," Carol said as she rubbed her wrists, "These missions can be dangerous, and I can't help but feel so… useless."
"Unfortunately, I don't have much experience in your position, but I am familiar with your boyfriend's line of work."
"You're talking about when that X-Men thing that Xavier tried roping me into?" Carol asked. All she knows about Xavier's secret mutant task force is that some of the staff and students are a part of it and that they have some kind of arrangement with SHIELD.
Hank nodded. "I'm sure he's missing you too. You just need to be patient and cherish whatever time you can spend with him."
Carol smiled and nodded. Although she had no choice in the matter, Carol still feels guilty for leaving Maria heartbroken and alone for six years. This hole in her chest… this must be what she had felt. A fraction of it, anyway. At least Carol knows that Maria is coming back. Hopefully…
"That I can do," Carol said as she looked away fondly with Maria in her mind's eye, "She means the whole world to me…"
"She?" Hank asked with a brow raised.
Carol snapped back into attention as she looked at Hank with panicked eyes. "I said "he."
"I'm pretty sure you said…"
"Then you heard wrong," Carol said as she hastily gathered her things, "Or maybe it's a slip of the tongue? Who knows! I am so stressed! Thanks for the talk, Hank! Goodbye forever!"
Carol dumped her trash into the bin and zipped away before Hank could get a word in.
The beastly professor took out his glasses, and his brow furrowed quizzically. "I wonder if this means something…"
The fun part of being a teacher, as Carol found out, is that her work day ends roughly at the same time as her daughter's school day. Once Carol stepped inside her car, it was like a race between herself and Monica to the house. Granted, even Maria's janky Camaro can outrace a school bus ten times over, but Carol is sometimes held up by paperwork.
That made this an even race.
Carol drove into the driveway at record time, but Monica was already on the driveway after stepping off the bus. As soon as the two locked eyes with one another, they knew the race would only end once one of them reached the front door.
Carol smirked. It's just like old times, but… better somehow.
"You let me win!" Monica said while cuddling with Goose on the couch. The ten-year-old was waiting for "Auntie Carol" to cook the popcorn for their movie night. It's a Friday, after all.
"I resent that accusation, young lady!" Carol answered back as she took the bag out of the microwave with her bare hands (thank you, super strength), "I used to race with your mother to the airbase before you were even born."
Carol raced to the couch as fast as she could after seeing Monica press play on the DVD menu. "Ask your mom when she gets back. Then you'll see that I don't take it easy on anyone. I play to win."
Monica chuckled as she snuggled into her "aunt's" arms. "Then next time, try flying. I could use the challenge."
"Seriously?" Carol said in faux offense, "First you accuse me of letting you win, and now you call me slow?"
"It's not my fault people get slower with age," Monica remarked with a shit-eating grin. Goose climbed on the top of the couch and sat directly behind Monica's head. She let out a meow as if in agreement with the young girl.
Carol glared at Goose for her apparent betrayal before letting out a laugh. "Okay then! I won't feel sorry for you when I start winning these races."
Monica snickered with Carol as the movie began.
"What is this movie about?" Carol asked.
"The Power Rangers. They are these superheroes that wear spandex and helmets and use an extradimensional energy source to fight aliens."
"Huh… relatable."
After a fun movie night, Monica was starting to crash due to all that buttered popcorn and the ice cream once that ran out. Maria would probably kill her for giving Monica all that junk food in one sitting, but Carol could never say no to that girl. That… and Carol wasn't exactly a role model herself when it comes to unhealthy, but tasty foods.
Once Carol tucked her daughter to sleep, she was in the same spot she always was for the past week. She's at the front porch, sitting on the bench with Goose on her lap. Carol's eyes were forward at the road and at the stars. Waiting for her true love to come back to her.
Yeah, Carol thought, this was poetic justice.
Carol would usually stay up for hours on the slim chance that Maria was coming home that night. Today must have really tired her then, between work and all that junk food. Carol nodded off to sleep within the first hour. It was a dreamless, almost restless nap, but then Carol was suddenly roused with…
"Hey beautiful," Carol whipped her head up and saw Maria Rambeau in her SHIELD fatigues smiling down on her with her big brown eyes, "You weren't planning to go to bed without me, were you?"
"Maria!" Carol exclaimed with a gasp as she threw herself on her secret wife. Wrapping her arms around Maria, Carol properly greeted her wife with a needy kiss. Maria wrapped her own arms around Carol's waist as she pulled the blonde closer, deepening the kiss.
Even after their lips parted, the two women were still in each other's arms. By this time, Goose also climbed down the bench to give Maria's leg an affectionate stroke with her little, furry body. She then went back inside the house like the alien cat was giving the two women a moment of privacy.
Carol pressed her forehead against Maria's as a content smile continued to stay etched on her face. "Oh… tell me I'm not just dreaming this."
Maria moved her hand up to pinch Carol on the cheek. While her flesh felt malleable, Maria looked confused as her pinch didn't make Carol react in any way.
Carol chuckled. "Super strength. Though, I guess that's one point in the dream category."
Maria rolled her eyes. She then asked, "Is Monica asleep?"
"I already tucked her to bed."
Maria's smile then took a more… naughty tone as her mouth came up to Carol's ear and whispered, "Then I can prove this reality to you in another way, Mrs. Danvers."
That sent goosebumps up her spine. With a shiver, Carol began leading Maria back to the house with a playful tug. "Then by all means, Mrs. Rambeau. Give me that proof… all night long."
That night was the most blissful Carol had in days. As the sun gently peeked through the curtains, Carol Danvers woke up with a contented smile on her face. Today, Maria was right there beside her. She's going to be with her for this weekend at least, and Carol wasn't planning on wasting a moment of it.
It was early, very early. Monica is probably still in bed. Carol had an idea. She quietly slipped out of bed, put on some clothes, and tiptoed into the kitchen.
Almost an hour later, Carol sneaked into the bedroom with a tray of eggs, bacon, and pancakes along with two cups of coffee. She placed the tray on the nightstand on Maria's side of the bed. The smell of fresh breakfast was already stirring the sleeping Maria, but Carol got impatient.
With a smirk, she sat on the bed and kissed Maria on the cheek. She then whispered into her ear, "Wakey wakey, my love…"
Slowly, Maria stirred from her dreams, blinking her eyes open to meet Carol's loving gaze. Her eyes then turned to the breakfast tray, laden with delicious treats. "Carol, what's all this?" Maria asked, her voice filled with awe and surprise.
"It's breakfast in bed," Carol replied with a beaming smile. "I wanted to do something special for you."
Maria chuckled. "I always forget you can be such a romantic."
Carol gently bumped her forehead with Maria's. "Only with the right girl. Now come on," Carol said as she took a plate from the tray, "Help me finish this."
With a smirk, Maria grabbed her own plate and began eating. The first minute of the meal was spent in silence save for the sounds of munching and slurping. Maria is genuinely touched by Carol's thoughtfulness, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in her heart.
Her new duties as a SHIELD agent often took her away from their loving home. While she believed in the work completely, Maria couldn't help but feel bad for leaving Carol and Monica behind for extended periods of time. And she's been missing both of them badly for this past week. Carol and her just got back together, but it still feels like they don't spend enough time with each other. And after everything Carol gave up to stay with Maria and Monica on Earth…
Carol noticed the guilty look on Maria's face. Without a word, Carol cupped Maria's face with her hand and said, "You have nothing to feel guilty about. Your work with SHIELD is important, and I know it fulfills you. Monica and I support you fully. We'll always wait for you. Sure, waiting… sucks, but that just means we have to make every moment special. I can't wait to spend this weekend with you, Maria."
Maria was smiling from ear to ear. She is honestly struggling not to cry. At this moment especially, she is so grateful for the life she has now. For the incredible woman sitting next to her.
"You and Monica are my everything, Carol. I love you," Maria spoke softly.
Carol stroked Maria's thigh over the covers. "You're my everything too."
The X-Men school is traditionally in New York, but I changed it to Louisiana so that Carol can be closer to Monica.
I haven't ironed out all the details about this universe's X-Men yet other than the fact that they are secret and that most people are unaware of the existence of mutants. There are, however, other pieces of information I am willing to confirm. The first X-Men were Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, and Iceman just like in the comics. Beast and Iceman are still with the school. I'm not sure what to do with Cyclops or Angel, so their current whereabouts are undecided for now. By now, Wolverine, Storm, and the original Banshee were members in this continuity before the team disbanded, but I haven't decided on what to do with them yet either. Jean is certainly dead at this time, and a version of the Phoenix Saga has happened by now.
I will bring up X-Men lore and any past members as it becomes relevant, but for now, I'll focus on the Ramvers fluff. Feel free to give me ideas in the meantime.