18 - The Institute
Saturday, September 1, 7:13 AM
Nathaniel Thomas knocked softly on his sister's door. Alexis's gaze snapped up to meet her brother's as he offered a soft smile, silently asking for permission to enter. The twelve year old nodded, removing her earbuds. Nate glanced around the room, the stuffed toys piled neatly and forgotten in one corner, Barbie dolls shoved in a box next to them. Rows and rows of clothes stacked carefully into the closet. The faint scent of perfume, which she'd recently been applying in small doses and was overwhelming to his enhanced sense of smell. A photograph of the two of them with their mom a few months after she'd adopted them sat on the dresser. There was a small amount of dust around the frame, proof she'd recently flipped it face down, and hastily fixed it, maybe just as he was entering. He winced slightly at the thought.
They'd been fighting for a while. It was mostly his own fault, he knew. She felt like he'd rather leave to go to a high priced school upstate then stay with her, and pulling away from the family as Sentinel hadn't helped her insecurities. Nate silently gestured to the bed beside her. She sat up, closing her laptop. Nate sat, reaching out a hand. Alexis let out a puff of breath, but placed her own hand in his. "Why are you leaving?" She breathed out. Nate winced; if not for his super hearing, he wouldn't have even heard her. He was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to.
"You know I love you, don't you?" She nodded, though it was so stiff he wasn't sure he'd not imagined it. His sister gazed at the wall over his shoulder. Nate let out a sigh. "Can I tell you something?" Another nod. "Well, would you look at me, please?" She tilted her head, green eyes meeting blue. He took a breath, tracing his fingers along her duvet.
"You won't remember this. You were just a baby at the time. It was just before Cassie dumped us outside the orphanage. I don't remember where Frank was. Probably in prison, I'd guess. Or not far off". He stared out the window. Alexis's hand had gone stiff in his; she knew he despised talking about Frank Tyson and Cassie Robertson to anyone. Didi had tried making him go to a therapist once; she had thought it might be good for him. He'd stuck it out a single session. Once she'd asked about his mother, he'd stopped talking. They had both sat in stony silence for almost an hour. That had been followed by a conversation with his mom, after which it was decided that therapy was not for Nate.
Blinking to remind himself where he was, he continued the story. "I was angry you were there, at first. Cassie hated you from the moment you were born, I think. Or resented you, maybe. She blamed you for Frank walking out. She never loved me, either, but I never had it as rough as you would have if she hadn't done the only decent thing in her life and left us behind. I think I resented you too, back then. My parents were the two people supposed to love me unconditionally".
"They never did, of course. I know that now". He smiled bitterly. For the most part, he'd long since forgotten about his birth parents, but the utter rejection still stung. "And then, along came this baby, and my father left. He was never much of a dad, but he was mine. And then he wasn't. My mother got worse after that. Somehow, I chalked all that down to you, Lexi". Tears sprinkled in his eyes. Alexis rushed forward, winding her arms tightly around his neck. His head dropped onto her shoulder. He didn't deserve this, he knew. Didn't deserve her.
As they pulled apart, he sniffled, wiping his eyes. Alexis let out a wet laugh, both smiling. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that one of my earliest happy memories was the first time you laughed. I did something stupid, I don't even remember what now. Probably pulled some stupid face. I just remember you were almost hysterical. It was the best thing I'd ever heard. It was a random burst of light in the darkest place I've ever seen. Just don't ever forget little sister; whatever I do and no matter where I go, I will always love you". Alexis nodded, leaping back into another hug.
A knock on the door startled them both. Nate turned around to greet the newcomer. Steven stood in the doorway, offering a faint grin. "Ready to go, sport?" Nate nodded as he stood off the bed. He glanced down at his sister.
"See you around Christmas?" She nodded eagerly. Nate stepped out of the room, Steven laying a hand on his shoulder as they went downstairs. His stepfather led him out onto the front porch. His mom was already sat in the car. Nate turned around to say goodbye to the other man. Steven Abrahams nodded as he pulled him into a brief hug, which Nate returned.
"We're all so proud of you, you know that, don't you?" Nate nodded.
"Thanks, Steve. I'll see you soon". The older man nodded.
Nate jogged down to the car, joining his mother, who grinned as he buckled up.
"Next stop, North Salem". Nate smiled back at her. Despite all he was leaving behind, he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. He had earned this. He'd worked hard to come this far.
–AoS–
The car came to a halt on the gravel front yard. Nate jumped out of the car, running around to the trunk to remove his luggage. His mom climbed out of the car, making her way to his side. Nate placed the suitcases on the ground beside his feet as she pulled him into a side hug. "Well," she said, looking around at the mansion and surrounding grounds. "it's actually even nicer looking in person than it was on the brochures". Nate nodded. "Says in your letter we need to head to the headmaster's office on the ground floor when we arrive. Let me just check the map…" her words trailed off as Nate caught sight of a group of students that floored him.
There were three of them; a brunette wearing a stylish top and denim jeans, and on either side of her walked two boys. One, like the girl, had brown hair, and dressed in what appeared to be a school uniform. The buttons on his jacket were undone, and he was bouncing a ball of ice in his hands. The other two were laughing at something he had said or done. The third was the strangest; his shock of black hair stood out against his dark blue skin and yellow eyeballs with no visible irises. Running behind him was a long thin tail ending in an arrowhead point. Mutants, Nate realised, stunned. They were mutants, walking around a school and laughing like it was normal. An everyday occurrence.
The brunette noticed his stunned look and shit a grin and friendly wave. Still stunned, but not wanting to offend her, he waved back. She tapped her friends on the shoulders, and waved them over. His mom still hadn't noticed the other teenagers, still browsing the map on her phone. The girl softly cleared her throat as the trio reached them. His mom jumped slightly and turned around. Unlike Nate, she was better and hiding her shock as the girl offered a hand to shake, first to Nate, than her. "Hi," she said, sounding bubbly and cheerful. "I hope you don't mind," she addressed Didi. "The two of you looked a little bit lost, so we thought we'd come and offer to help". The two boys on either side of her both smiled awkwardly. The blue one looked like a deer in headlights.
"Oh," his mom said, offering a lopsided grin as she slid her phone back into her purse. "That's so sweet of you. Thank you for the offer, that would be most appreciated. Good classmates, huh son?" Nate nodded, still too surprised to speak. Perhaps sensing his problem, the brunette shot him a disarming grin.
"Hey. I'm Kitty. These are my friends. Kurt Wagner and Bobby Drake". She gestured first to the the blue boy, then the one with the ball of ice. Both waved, Kurt more awkwardly than Bobby. "Eventually you'll get used to the idea of being able to be out in the open here. It takes most people a bit of getting used to. A bit of a culture shock, I guess". Nate nodded, dumbstruck. Then, he registered her words.
"Oh, sorry," he cleared his throat. "I'm not actually a mutant. I guess there's a little more to the 'gifted' part of the school than just academics and athletics, then? My name's Nate, by the way. This is my mom, Didi Thomas". He offered all three of them a handshake, which they accepted. Kurt and Kitty both seemed surprised by his open attitude. It seemed Bobby was the most carefree of the trio.
"Yeah". Kitty agreed, "the professor uses this place as a refuge for the students. There are a lot of us with nowhere else to go. He and the staff give us a home, a family to come back to".
Beside him, his mom smiled. "A noble goal". Kitty nodded.
"So you're trying to get to the headmaster's office?" Nate nodded. She beamed again. "Follow me then. I'll show you where you need to go. Bobby, Kurt, how about you head down to the usual spot. We'll meet you there after?" The boys both nodded. Nate made note of the 'we'. It seemed she was already inviting him to join them. He turned to his mom, offering her a tight hug.
"Have fun," she whispered in his ear. "I'll see you at Christmas". Nate nodded as she stepped back, wiping her eyes. Picking up his luggage, he hurried after Kitty. The brunette smiled as he turned on the stairs, waving as Didi hopped back into the car.
"You're close?"
He nodded. "she and my little sister have been my only family since she adopted me". Kitty's smile broadened.
"That's sweet. Sounds like the professor." Nate nodded and they stepped into the mansion, walking past several students of various shapes and sizes. Most waved as they walked past. Some stopped to speak with Kitty as they went past. It seemed she was well liked among the other students. A few even greeted Nate, introducing themselves eagerly.
"We don't get a lot of new students each year," Kitty explained quietly. "And a lot of them aren't eager to stay once they find out what this place is. Humans especially". Nate nodded thoughtfully. He'd known that the mutants were being persecuted, he'd just never guessed it was so bad that other kids would be a large part of it. He'd figured it was mostly religious groups and other outliers. It seemed there was more sentinel could have been doing for an entire population. The thought made his stomach sink with guilt.
"You okay?" Kitty asked. Nate blinked, nodding. He smirked.
"Are you an empath then?" Kitty laughed.
"Nah. Just observant, I guess. And your emotions are all written over your face. That's how I figured you were a good guy. Even if you aren't homo superior". She shot a playful grin to let him know she was joking. Nate grinned back. You might be surprised he thought, holding back a laugh. He'd been worried about coming here. Worried about missing his friends. Maybe, just maybe, he could make some more here. People who actually knew everything about him. People to trust, who were like him.
They came to a plain looking wooden door. Engraved on the nameplate was C. Xavier, faculty head. Faint classical music could be heard within. Kitty knocked on the door. A warm voice called her by name, telling them to enter. Nate glanced at her in shock. Telepath, she mouthed. Nate felt cold terror grip his heart. She opened the door, gesturing for him to enter first. Nate stepped into the room.
The room was sparsely decorated. A pair of bookshelves lined the wall to one side, stacked full of hardcovers. A simple desk, adorned with a few photographs, including one of a man and young girl with red hair grinning out at them from across a chess board sat on the desk. The man in the photo glanced up from a wheelchair behind the desk. "Ahh," he grinned, "you must be Nathaniel Thomas". Nate nodded, wondering if the man was already reading his every thought. Xavier's smile softened. "Kitty must have told you of my mutant gift then". It wasn't a question. Nate nodded.
"Your concern is appreciated and understandable, if unwarranted". The man's blue eyes crinkled slightly as he removed his glasses. "I ask only for my students' trust and respect. Part of inspiring that trust is in respecting your privacy. I will not read your mind". Nate nodded once more, this time less stiffly as he sat across from the professor. "Of course, I am not the only telepath in the school. And unfortunately we don't all have the same level of control over our abilities". Nate sighed and nodded. Xavier tilted his head. "You have something you wish to keep hidden?" He asked. Nate hesitated.
"You have my permission to enter my mind" he replied, glancing at Kitty sat beside him. The professor nodded. The bald man placed two fingers against his temple. Thin blue waves of energy flowed off of him. After a few moments, he frowned. "It appears your mind is blocked off from Telepathic probes. It is as though a massive firewall were blocking your thoughts". Nate blinked. That was me, VIOLET explained. I felt it appropriate to block potential magic users and telepaths from our mindspace after Loki.
Could you let him in, please?
If you think it prudent.
I do.
"Try again, sir". Nate invited politely. After a moment searching Nate's face piercingly, Xavier nodded. This time, Nate felt the presence of another in his mind. His memories flickered past in vivid detail, as the professor jumped from one to the other. He could feel the man's wonder and shock. After a few moments, he felt the presence retreat from his mind.
"Remarkable". Xavier murmured. "To do so much…" he gazed at Nate, clearly stunned. Nate shrugged.
"All I did was what anyone else would have". Xavier offered a faint smile.
"We shall agree to disagree". Nate nodded.
"Sorry, what's going on here?" Kitty asked. Xavier cleared his throat.
"My apologies, Miss Pryde. This is not my secret to sh-"
"I'm sentinel", Nate stated simply.
–AoS–
He was sitting on his bed in the dorm room he would be sharing with Kurt, Bobby, and one other boy he'd not yet met. The other two were gawking at him, Kitty stood in the doorway. "That ice breath is so awesome," Drake was saying. "How did you even figure it out?!" Nate shrugged. Pushing his suitcase under the bed, he sat back up.
"Fara'Dein had told me Harridanites were able to produce super breath. I tried that, and it worked out. Eventually, I figured maybe if I blew it out fast enough through a narrow enough opening, it might come out cold. I just happened to guess right, I guess".
"Super breath?" Kurt asked. The other boy hadn't done much talking, preferring to allow Bobby to dominate the conversation. Nate glanced at him, nodding as he rubbed the back of his neck. Kitty giggled and nodded.
"From what he's told me, it sounds like he's given all his powers little names like that," she explained. "Frost breath, super breath, thunderclap. Optic blast. X-Ray vision. Supersonic punch. That sort of stuff". Kurt and Bobby both nodded in understanding.
"That's pretty cool, actually". Bobby said with a grin.
A snort sounded from the doorway. "Dorky, more like. Ice boy, devil dude. Ghostie". Kurt, who had previously been smiling slightly, darkened. Bobby scoffed and Kitty groaned. A tall boy with blonde surfer's hair and wiry muscles entered wearing a pair of aviators, cut off denim jeans, and a light blue shirt with an Iron Man mask and Sentinel S printed on the front. A pair of massive angelic wings stuck out of his back. Under one arm he held a football.
"Who's the newest member of the school geek squad?" Asked the blonde.
Bobby rolled his eyes. "Worthington. This is Nate, he's our new roomie. Nate, this is Warren Worthington".
"The Third!" The blonde added with a grin. He glanced at Nate. "What's your deal, new dude? Fabulous bouncing boy? Another wolvie clone? Little claws and superheating? Or what?"
"He's not a mutant". Kurt spoke softly. Warrington snorted.
"Just a regular nerd then. Xavier running an outreach program then?" Bobby snorted and rolled his eyes and Kitty waved goodbye to the boys, smiling reassuringly at Nate as she left. He lay back on the bed, staring at the bunk above. Kurt teleported onto his own bed and Bobby jumped off the chair he'd been using, announcing he might go for a run.
–AoS–
An hour later, Nate found himself wandering the sunlit grounds. Staying in the dorm any longer would have driven him up the wall. Worthington's constant thinly veiled insults and stupid comments were beginning to weigh on him already, and he'd only known the other boy less than a day. Nate sighed. If he couldn't handle the ribbing of teenage boys, he was in the wrong line of work. Fighting back would do no good. Only put Worthington in the hospital. Or worse. He found a massive oak on the edge of the grounds and made his way in that direction, taking a seat under the massive boughs of the tree.
Leaning back against the trunk, he closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to drift back to Gwen, Pete and his other friends back home. "Hey there" came a bemused sounding voice. He opened his eyes, tilting his gaze up. Sat midway up the tree, gazing down at him was a girl his own age with a shoulder length curtain of red hair. The girl blinked, watching him owlishly. As he noted the book clutched tightly in her hand, he briefly wondered if she wanted to be left alone.
"Hi". He waved up at her. She waved bemusedly back. "Do you want me to go? I can find somewhere else if you wanna be alone." She blinked once more, softly shaking her head.
"I don't mind if you stay or go". He nodded, leaning his head back against the bark of the tree again. For a while, they stayed there in companionable silence. Nate found himself appreciating her presence. Finally, the girl spoke up. "I'm sorry if I scared you like that. I didn't mean to. You'd just surprised me, that's all. Normally I know someone's around before I see them" she trailed off. Nate blinked.
"Ahh. So that means you're the other telepath Xavier mentioned". He tilted his head up into the tree. The girl glanced down again, nodding.
"Aha. Though I can't actually see your thoughts" her face scrunched up slightly in concentration as she peered at him.
"Well, sorry about that -"
"No!" She cut him off. "Please. Don't apologise. It's a nice change of pace". With a shrug, she went back to reading. It was then Nate recalled what Xavier had said about not all mutants having control of their abilities. He took a closer look at her, and at the rest of the grounds around him. Suddenly, as he took in her broken nails and the faint scars on her fingers, he wondered if maybe she hadn't wanted to be alone after all.
"My name's Nate, by the way". He caught a faint tug of her lips.
"Jean".
"You mind if I come up there, Jean?"
She glanced down, something lighting her gaze for just an instant.
"I won't stop you" she stated casually.
–AoS–
She sat there in the tree, the professor's copy of Ulysses open on her lap. She read silently, the blonde sat underneath the tree. He had closed his eyes again after making sure she didn't want him gone. It was nice, having someone whose thoughts weren't constantly being broadcast to her every waking moment. She knew what the others thought of her. Freak. Teacher's pet. Witch. Mind reader. That scary telekinetic girl who's always going to the headmaster. She smiled bitterly. That's me. Jean Grey. Outcast with the outcasts.
She glanced down, deciding to apologise for bothering her when he'd been trying to sleep earlier. He replied by asking if she was the 'other telepath' Charles had told him about. She'd confirmed his suspicions, confiding that she couldn't read his mind. She didn't want this strange new companion to get offended and leave. She was tired of being the freak. He actually apologised to her for the lack of his screaming thoughts in her head. She felt a rush of appreciation. "No! Please. Don't apologise", she replied, closing the book, her finger marking her place.
"It's a nice change of pace". She took a page from his book, leaning her head back so she could see the afternoon sun shining down on them through the leaves. The world fell silent once more. The only sounds were faint bird cries in the distance and the soft thoughts of the others in the mansion. She could feel his gaze on her.
"My name's Nate, by the way". She glanced down with a brief nod. Despite her worries, she could feel a faint smile threatening to break through.
"Jean" she offered. Nate nodded thoughtfully.
"You mind if I come up there, Jean?" His voice trailed up from the ground below. Head leaned back against the tree trunk again, Jean smiled faintly. She glanced down at him out of the corner of her eye.
"I won't stop you" she replied in what she hoped was a casual tone. She closed her eyes, waiting for a reply. Nothing came for a few moments, and she briefly wondered if he'd changed his mind. Who wanted to speak to the psychic freak? Scott seemed nice enough, but his friends hated it when she was around. Jean sighed softly. A faint gust of wind brushed the leaves against her hair. The soft sound of someone clearing their throat had her opening her eyes.
Floating before her was a familiar blonde silhouette in a black suit, a large diamond shaped crest adorning his chest. His cape hung off his back. It flapped slightly in the breeze. Sentinel grinned at her. "Hey there" he greeted, amusement colouring his tone.
"Hi?"
"I just thought you might like to know you aren't the only one here who's afraid of yourself. You're not alone. Like I said, friends call me Nate". Jean offered him a faint grin as he lowered himself slowly onto the branch across from her, deactivating his suit and returning to his normal appearance as he did.
–AoS–
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The first day of classes was going reasonably well. What classes he had with Jean, he would sit at the back with her. When she wasn't around, he would sit in a group with Kurt, Bobby, and Kitty. His first class in the morning was physics with Hank McCoy. It had taken him a moment to get used to the coarse blue fur covering the man's body. Jean softly elbowed him in the ribs, and the pair found their seats. The werewolf-like man had simply chuckled good naturedly before going on with the rest of the class. History was taken by a familiar man with wild black hair. Logan sniffed the air as he entered with the rest of the students, narrowing his eyes slightly. To Nate's relief, he made no other reaction however.
As they were leaving the room, Wolverine simply nodded. Once they were the only ones left, he murmured a greeting. "Sentinel".
"Wolverine. Thanks again for the save, teach". Logan groaned. History was followed by lunch, then Phys. Ed with Scott Summers' older brother Alex. Finally were philosophy taught by Xavier, and Storm's chemistry class. fortunately, unlike wolverine, the latter did not seem to recognise him from their meeting in Africa.
That evening, he, Kurt, Bobby and Kitty were working on homework in the library when Jean entered, shooting him a faint smile when she walked past. Glancing at the others briefly, Nate called her name, gesturing for her to join them. The red head also glanced at his friends, discreetly shaking her head. Bobby grinned at him."Sorry Natey," he joked, "our resident Psion isn't the most social of people". Kurt glared at his friend as Kitty smiled at Jean.
"Come on, Jean," the brunette said to the other girl. "Just this once. You can help me with the philosophy writing, and I'm sure Nate will let you go over his chemistry and physics notes". Nate nodded in agreement.
"I suck at this Philosophy stuff," he told his friend. "You're the best in the class. Though if you've got somewhere you need to be that's fine too". Not wanting to ambush her more than they already had, he threw her an escape route. Silently, she nodded, wandering over to the table. Beside him, Kurt grinned, shooting him a thumbs up. Nate smiled at the boy's accepting nature. Bobby gaped. Moving his bag, Nate gestured to the free seat on his other side. Jean smiled uneasily at the others as she sat beside him.
–AoS–
Sunday, September 24, 9:22 AM
They sat across a chess table in the attic. He was black, she white. A tea pot was resting on the table across from them. They each currently nursed a cup. Rain pelted the windows of the mansion, and wind rustled through the trees. Branches snapped against the walls of the mansion. Above them, he could hear Logan swearing as he and Scott retiled the roof. Jean glanced up from making her move, taking a sip from her tea.
"I figured you'd be wanting to go and fly back to the city to see Gwen again this morning". Nate shook his head as he examined the board. Moving his bishop along the board to take her knight, he took a gulp of his own drink. Jean sat with a faint frown on her face as she examined the game. Doing this without her powers was fun, she claimed, but also exhausting. Nate swallowed his tea, placing the cup back on the table.
"Nah. Our parents are meeting up for a barbecue this weekend. It's my stepfather's birthday, and he and the captain are sort of friends. They were invited, and she's expected to go with them. Besides, if she found out I was blowing off a friend in need just to see her, she'd kick my ass worse than Doom. Especially if I left in weather like this while she can't go hang out with her favourite tree". He grinned up at her. Jean smiled faintly as she moved her piece.
"The tree is quiet," she defended. Nate nodded, smile turning soft.
"I know. I didn't mean anything by it, Jean. It was just a little joke". Being friends with Jean and not letting anyone read his mind got difficult sometimes. She might hate knowing what everyone else thought, but she was also used to it. Expected it, really. Nate had to take extra care not to say the wrong thing and make her panicked or upset. Jean moved her pawn forward, gesturing for him to make his move.
"I could tell. I'm starting to get used to your humour, I guess. It's a little like Charles' actually".
"The two of you are really close, aren't you?" She nodded.
"When my powers manifested for the first time, it was even worse than it is now. My parents couldn't deal with having a mutant girl who knew what they were thinking every moment of every day. They were afraid I'd do something to them or my big sister by accident". Nate winced. He had a feeling he knew where this was headed. "When the professor turned up, my mom and dad were eager to hand me over. This was just before the professor and the X-Men set up the school. He took me in".
Nate nodded. "You were his first student".
"He's more my dad than a mentor, really. I wouldn't be who I am today without him. I'm not sure I'd have survived".
"You would have". He replied softly. "I can tell". She shot him a grateful smile.
Eager to change the subject, he cleared his throat. "She's eager to meet you, you know? Gwen, that is". Jean blinked as she looked up.
"You told her about me?"
"You told her about me?"
Nate nodded. "I told her about all four of you. She'd love to get to know you all. That's okay, right?" Jean nodded.
"Checkmate". Nate groaned.
A/N:
Yep! I imagine at least a few people already guessed, but the fancy upstate school Nate was going to is the Xavier institute for gifted youngsters. For anyone wondering, there has been at least one non mutant student in the history of the school. Here are the cast picks for the X-Characters Nate has interacted with so far.
Charles Xavier - Matthew Macfadyen
Current X-Men squad:
Ororo Munroe / Storm - Naomie Harris
James Howlett / Logan / Wolverine - Hugh Jackman
Alex Summers / Havok - Zac Efron
Hank McCoy / Beast - Sam Richardson
Nate's classmates
Kitty Pryde - Kaitlyn Dever
Bobby Drake - Brandon Flynn
Kurt Wagner - Asa Butterfield
Jean Grey - Abigail Cow
Scott Summers - Jacob Elordi
Warren Worthington III - Ethan Lamb-Kelly
I actually enjoyed writing Nate and Jean's dynamic a lot more than I thought I would. Their friendship should be fun, I think.