Johnny POV
God, I fucking hate school.
It's the next day, and I'm stuck in some dumb math class. I'm so bored I'm about to take a nap. The guy next to me seems to have the same idea. I conjure a pillow and lay my head on top, closing my eyes.
A tap on my shoulder. I look over. The guy I thought was asleep is pointing to my pillow. I make one for him, and he says, "Bobby Drake."
I grin. "Johnny Carlton." We shake hands and slump back down, ready to nap… until a jolt shocks me. I jump up.
Standing at the front of the class is another stunning woman with white hair and a commanding presence. She calls herself Ororo Munroe… Storm.
Great. Another gorgeous X-woman I have to pretend to pay attention to. Let's see… Laura's still number one, obviously. But Storm? Definitely a solid second. Not bad, Johnny, not bad.
"Mr. Carlton, please don't sleep in my class. You too, Mr. Drake," she says.
We both nod. Okay, fine. Attention restored… for now.
Timeskip
Finally, class is over. My brain feels like it's been run through a meat grinder, so I head to the cafeteria with my new pillow buddy, Bobby Drake. Honestly, the kid's not bad. Chill, calm, doesn't get flustered by anything. Basically my opposite.
"So," I say, leaning on the railing like it's a catwalk, "you're Bobby, right? Drake? Heard of you. Ice powers, right? That's… wow, that's pretty sick."
Bobby just shrugs, all casual. "Yeah, I guess. You're Johnny, right? The guy who made a pillow out of nothing in math class?"
I flash him my grin. "Ah, you noticed! What can I say? Talent recognizes talent."
He smirks. "You're something else, man. Always gotta be the center of attention."
"Center of attention? Nah, I'm just naturally this magnetic. People can't help it. It's a gift, really." I flash him a thumbs-up, and he laughs.
We grab our trays and sit down. I'm already trying to think of ways to impress him with a few little constructs, like a tiny green football spinning above my hand. Bobby doesn't even flinch. Just casually drinks his juice and gives me a half-smile.
"You're… relentless," he says.
"Relentless is my middle name," I say, puffing my chest out. "Actually, my real middle name is Danger, but people don't like to say it. Too intimidating."
Bobby chuckles, shaking his head. "Man, you're ridiculous. But… not a bad guy. I can see why the X-Men grabbed you."
I grin, leaning back in my chair. "See? Told ya. Everyone loves Johnny Carlton. But hey, don't tell anyone I said that. You'll ruin my reputation."
Bobby laughs again, the kind of easy, relaxed laugh that makes me think maybe, just maybe, he's the kind of guy I could actually hang with. Not that I'd ever admit it out loud.
I look over and see Laura sitting by herself at the end of the cafeteria. Gorgeous, brooding, and clearly not impressed by anyone around her. My instinct? Walk over and change that.
Bobby leans over, giving me the "dude, don't" look, but I just grin and ignore him. This is my stage.
"Hey there," I say, sliding into the seat across from her, flashing my trademark grin. "Mind if I join the loneliest girl in the cafeteria? I promise I'm only slightly distracting."
She doesn't even glance up. Perfect. Challenge accepted.
I snap my fingers and conjure a small glowing flower, sliding it across the table toward her. "Thought you could use a little brightness in your day… not that it's anywhere near your level of gorgeousness."
Still nothing. She pokes at her food like I'm invisible. I lean back, hands behind my head, all confidence. "You know, if looks could kill, you'd already be in trouble. Lucky for me, I like living dangerously."
I make a tiny green heart float above my hand, just to add some flair. "See that? That's a symbol of our future… totally optional, but hey, it's cute, right?"
Finally, she pushes back her chair and stands. "Not interested," she mutters, turning away.
"Wait!" I spring to my feet and follow her. "Don't go. We were just getting to the good part… me making you laugh!"
Before I can finish, she spins, slamming me against the wall with her forearm pressed to my neck. I can feel her strength, her fire… and beneath it, I see something else: loneliness. A flicker of the same emptiness I carry inside.
I grin, ignoring the pain. "Okay, okay, message received. But just so you know… even your forearm can't scare me off. Not that I'd ever want it to."
She blinks at me like she's trying to figure out if I'm serious or insane. I lean in a little, teasing softly, "You're strong, I can tell… but even strong girls need someone to make them smile. I volunteer as tribute."
Her eyes widen for a brief second maybe she's blushing but then she knees me square in the crotch and stomps off. I clutch myself and fall to my knees, gritting my teeth.
Yeah, she's tough… but mark my words. I'm slowly burning those walls down. Game on, Laura.
Laura POV
Ugh. That boy is insufferable. Loud, obnoxious, and utterly convinced the world revolves around him. Every step he takes, every smug grin… it's like he's daring the universe to notice how perfect he thinks he is.
And the flirting. Don't even get me started. He's relentless. Slides flowers across tables, makes stupid little glowing hearts, talks like he's starring in his own action-romance movie… and he expects me to be impressed? Wrong. Absolutely wrong.
I glance at him again, and something stupid almost trips me up. Those eyes. There's… something in them. The same fire I see in myself sometimes. The same loneliness lurking behind the bravado.
No. Shake it off, Laura. That's not yours to touch. That boy has no idea what real pain is. No idea what it's like to lose someone, to live with guilt, with blood on your hands, with scars no one sees.
He's playing at life, and it's annoying as hell. I can't afford to like someone like that. Not when he doesn't understand anything I carry with me.
So I glare, push down the fleeting thought, and stomp away. Let him strut, let him make his jokes. He doesn't get it. Not now, not ever.
Timeskip
Johnny POV
Training class with the hairy goblin is in full swing. He's yammering about some "discipline" and "focus" nonsense while the rest of us pretend to care. Me? I've had better things to do. So I conjure a lawnchair, plop down in the middle of the dojo floor, and close my eyes. Perfect nap spot.
"Hey brat."
I open one eye. Damn him. He's standing there, claws out, glare sharp enough to slice through steel. "You think this is a joke?" he growls.
I stretch, yawn like I just woke from the best nap ever, and smirk. "Relax, hairy guy. I'm listening… sorta. Just giving your lecture that extra dramatic flair, that's all."
He snarls, stepping closer. "You want a lesson, kid? Fine. Let's spar. See if that mouth of yours can back up anything else."
"Oh, it can back up a lot," I tease, standing up and bouncing on the balls of my feet. "Prepare to be amazed, old man."
We circle each other. Logan lunges first, a fast, chopping right hook. I side-step, narrowly avoiding it, countering with a spinning back fist. He barely blocks it, smirking.
I throw a front kick to his chest; he absorbs it with his shoulder, grabbing my leg and twisting it hard. I flip backward, landing in a crouch, and fire off a low sweeping kick that nearly knocks him over.
"You're fast… not bad, kid," he growls.
"Flattery won't save you," I tease, ducking under a high punch and delivering a crisp elbow to his ribs. He growls, backhands me across the shoulder, and I stumble but recover instantly, rolling into a side kick that connects with his thigh.
We trade blow for blow, movement fast enough to blur. Palm strikes, leg sweeps, spinning kicks, and elbows and the floor reverberates under our footwork. I launch a jump kick; he ducks, grabs my ankle mid-air, and slams me down. I twist, roll, and spring to my feet in a fluid motion, flipping him a grin.
"You're starting to get serious," I mutter. "I like it."
"I always get serious," he snaps, slashing with precision punches. I block, counter, and he pivots, catching my arm in a tight wrist lock. I twist free, spinning into a split mid-air, and snap a low roundhouse kick that knocks him off balance for a fraction of a second.
It's close. Too close. He feints, I go for a high kick but he grabs my leg again, twisting me down. I land hard, winded but still smiling.
Finally, he corners me, fists a blur, landing a solid combo of hooks and jabs. I feel it that he's not joking anymore. He's taking me seriously. I barely block a spinning back elbow, step into a knee strike that catches him in the stomach. He grunts, pivots, and slaps me with a brutal uppercut that sends me stumbling back.
He straightens, breathing heavy. "Kid, you've got potential but you're reckless. Discipline. Focus. Life lessons you won't understand yet. You….."
I don't wait for the lecture to continue. In one smooth motion, I drop into a split, swing my leg around, and connect a precise crouch shot to his midsection. He grunts in surprise, stumbling backward, and I spring up, brushing myself off.
"Yeah… that's my life lesson for you," I quip, giving him a wink. "Class dismissed."
I walk out, chest puffed, adrenaline still buzzing, knowing full well I didn't win… but damn it, I didn't lose either. And he'll be thinking about that split-crouch kick for the next week.
Timeskip
Jean POV
I follow Johnny after his
little… "lesson" with Logan. Honestly, I wasn't surprised. The boy's bravado was like armor but something underneath it tugged at me, something I couldn't ignore.
I caught up to him in the hall, matching his long strides. He turned, flashing that grin, all cocky charm. Typical Johnny even knowing him for a day his feeling are all over the place but most of all I feel his anger at his parents.
"You know," I said softly, "you can't keep taking your anger out on him or anyone without dealing with what's really going on. Your parents… do you ever talk about them?"
His grin didn't falter. He leaned against the wall, tilting his head like a spoiled child. "Oh, Jean, we don't do boring stuff like family talk in my life. Way too depressing. Let's stick to the fun stuff, like me being amazing, shall we?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Johnny, I'm not asking for your ego. I'm asking for your truth. You can't just dodge everything with jokes and arrogance forever."
He laughed, loud and obnoxious. "Truth? You want the truth? Fine. The truth is… I don't care what you think. I'm busy. Big things to do. Dates to impress, heroic stuff to accomplish… oh, and did I mention how amazing I am?"
I felt my patience stretch thinner, but I didn't give up. "I don't care about your ego, Johnny. You need to stop pretending you're invincible. Stop hiding behind the act. One day it'll catch up to you."
He stepped closer, eyes flashing that dangerous green spark he always had, and smirked. "Jean, seriously. Stop pushing. You don't know me. You don't get it. And frankly, I don't feel like explaining it to anyone right now."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me in the hall with my chest tight, hands curled slightly. I could see the pain behind those green eyes, even if he refused to admit it. He was a storm. He was wild, chaotic, and impossible to reach… for now.
But I'd get there.