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They appeared atop a massive statue, almost equal in size if not larger than the Statue of Liberty. It was difficult to see the one beneath them, but the others that littered the sandy shores of this lush island were easily seen. Cryptid-like monsters decorated the landscape, all equally as large as the one they now rested on. Behind them was an elaborate Palace structure, an aura of mystery radiating around the entire island.

Max gazed out over the ocean, staring at the waves as light glittered across the sea like diamonds. The sun was hot, but the breeze from up top made it all feel better. He hadn't turned to look at Sabine just yet, more lost in a memory than anything. ”You know something? When I was about…well your age actually, I saw someone I cared deeply about almost get hurt. I got so emotional my powers went haywire and I ripped open a rift between dimensions and took us both riiiight over there.” Max pointed towards a spot roughly 300 feet away from shore out into the ocean. ”I hadn't meant to, in hindsight I never meant half of what I did. All I ever wanted to do was help, but sometimes the dice don't roll in our favour.” He turned to look over at Sabine with a smile in equal measures friendly and concerned. As if she were his own child.

Sabine had been equal measures concerned and afraid to have a conversation with Max. She fully expected all of them to hate her immediately, throw her out of their home and never want to be near her again. So when Max wanted to talk, instead she tentatively agreed. And soon they were here, in a beautiful landscape with a cool breeze. Sabine wanted to take it all in, but knew there had to be a talk first.

Max shared and Sabine felt seen, briefly. Their experiences were different. She was sure Max didn’t nearly kill his loved one like she nearly did. Still, she knew he was coming from a place of understanding, of care, and of love. She finally met his eyes and could see him looking at her, really looking at her, and she felt a well of emotion drive up her throat. She wanted nothing more than to break down, but swallowed it. ”I swear…I didn’t mean to hurt him. Or you all by extension.” Her voice wavered and wabbled.

”I know. If anyone in that household understands that it's me most of all. We never mean to hurt the ones closest to us, but it tends to happen. Never by choice, or…not always by choice. No Ms. Bassard if I had felt any inkling of ill intention back there then we'd be having a very different conversation right now.” Max could see how much she was holding back. He was never very good at that. Erik had once told him he needed to be better at it, to stop allowing his emotions to dictate his powers. His mentors had all been very unlikely people, but each one taught a valuable lesson. ”Did you know the first time I tried helping my friends, I had accidentally set an entire warehouse on fire?”

Sabine let out a breath that turned into a laugh. ”That sounds like Danni.” She smiled remembering him and how sweet he was that, even though she unintentionally hurt his father, still fought for her. ”I’m trying to be better. Trying to be better than the labels everyone puts on me, even myself. I don’t know if you heard about Arcade but I thought I was helping him too. And he confessed his crimes and is serving his sentence, but I also didn’t give him much of a choice even though I thought I had. Maybe I can’t do more than hurt people, even with the best of intentions and practice.”

Max raised an eyebrow at Sabine. ”Now that simply isn't true and you know that deep down. Even if you won't let yourself see it yet. Now call me old fashioned or whatever you kids say these days, but have you ever heard of Rogue? She was a brilliant mutant who fought underneath the name of Xavier. Her powers were complicated and tended to hurt those around her. But that didn't stop her from doing good. It took practice, yes, but also knowing when to ask for help. Or when to stop. I'm not one to emulate Emma Frost but she too is a powerful telepath who…in her own way, does good for mutant kind. Her and I may not always agree on the methods but that doesn't change anything. You, Ms. Bassard, can do incredible good without hurting others. But you're still young and figuring yourself out. A telepath should know their own mind and heart before entering another's.”

Max debated for a moment, as silence clung to the air and he let Sabine attempt to soak in the words he was speaking. Before looking slightly offset from her gaze. ”Do you know why we have such a harsh view on telepaths? Why Dorian wears what he does and Casper and James are weary of them?” He figured based on her previous reaction she'd known of it, but perhaps she never got details. Dorian and Danni weren't the best at giving those out and not for lack of trying..

”After what happened with Arcade, Dorian wanted to speak to me and was wearing the necklace. I’ll admit, seeing it and knowing he brought it with him to talk to me hurt, but I understood. But no, he never went into full detail on why he does or why you all don’t trust telepeaths.”

Max clicked his tongue before letting out a sigh. ”Yeah I figured. Though he'd probably not have all the pieces anyways. As parents we try to shield our children from the darker parts of the world. We don't want them to see all the hurt and anguish as much because they still have the freedom to live unconcerned. It's why we made the French Quarter the way that it is now. Every inch of it down to the last detail. But that's for another time. You see, back when we were younger, we had many run-ins with telepaths and telepathic type abilities. We quite literally witness the entire world get rewritten, entire personalities changed at the whim of a singular person. James was affected most of all. That was the beginning. From that point forward he became almost like a beacon to telepathic disruptions. Constantly having his own will taken away from him by telepaths. One almost caused him to kill Casper, it was…a dark time for us all. When you feel that tug inside your mind…you feel the touch of someone else moving around and changing you on a fundamental level? It leaves a scar, it's not visible and most won't understand it, but it's there. And James for all his happy go lucky self that he is, he has the most scars of us all. So you can imagine he won't be so pleased once we head back, given that the one person who did get harmed…was his husband. It'll take time for them to bounce back. Things like that tend to linger around you for a while.”

Max locked eyes with Sabine once more. ”I gave that sword to Dorian not just for fear of telepaths, but as a way to protect himself. He travels into the Astral every time he uses his ability. That place is lousy with telepathic action and a single stray or miscalculated attack could harm him or lock him out from us. What's more you're at a school full of super powered teens with the ability to control their emotions no better than they can control their powers. There's bound to be an accident and I intend to keep my boy safe.”

Sabine bit her tongue, not feeling like speaking on parental abilities since her own were so terrible at it. She honestly didn’t blame any of them for not trusting telepaths, considering the harm that was done. Especially James. She royally fucked this one up.

Still, she could recognize their experiences and their defense, especially for their own children, but what of her? Their’s wasn’t an opinion that was so unique. Plenty of people hated telepaths, for good reason or not. ”When I was younger a teacher suspected I altered a classmate’s memory causing her to have a seizure. Well, she didn’t accuse me outright of having telepathic abilities, but she strongly suspected and asked my dad, who denied it. But afterwards he chastised me anyway and my stepmother, the monster that she is, used that to get us to move to the U.S. and away from it all, away from where we buried my mom.” This was the first person she told this to. But somehow, she felt Max would understand better than the others. What was one more trauma dump?

”Ever since then they never trusted me. Always second guessing if a decision they made was theirs or if I was somehow getting them. My stepmother blamed her high shopping sprees on me even though I never touched her mind. And then I went to Avenger’s Academy and I thought it would be better and in my first week I felt casted out and untrusted, by students and staff. My point is, I get it. If I was you or James or Casper or Ben I wouldn’t trust telepaths as far as I could throw them, magically or not, but we also deal with a slew of issues. That’s no excuse to cause harm to people and I am not advocating for understanding, but perhaps a conversation is in order. I don’t mind waiting, I am sure time is needed for everyone.”

Max simply asked one question, although he figured he already knew the answer to this one. ”Are your parents flatsca- I mean, non mutants?”

”My father isn’t but I believe my mother was. I think she had the same powers as me, but I do not know for sure. My father….doesn’t like talking about her.”

”The world can seem incredibly small when the people around us are so vastly different. Would that Genosha still stood so that children like you could've been raised around more…understanding people. But trust me im no stranger to what youre talking about. Sure it's telepaths today, but before that it was mutants, before that the homosexuels, jews, the list goes on. The world cannot stand to understand things that are different so they cast a label on it and make it into something to fear. I…well, when I was still in high school, my own parents called an antimutant terrorist group on me. They tried to get me killed as soon as they discovered I had powers. I ran and hid for years, I was so afraid to be myself, to use my powers. I wished I was normal. But normal isn't what saved countless lives, it never has been. I'm sorry for all of the discrimination you've already had to face at such a young age. That alone can damage how you view yourself. But don't let those ghosts of your past haunt you now. Don't let the words of others define who you are. And from what I witnessed today, you are a remarkable young lady who simply wants to do what's right and help those who need it. You just need to practice on what you can do and find a way to help that gives all parties piece of mind. You mentioned this Arcade kid, how you wish you could've done it differently. That alone is a start, but now you must figure out how you would've done it differently.”

Sabine thought for a moment, mentally chastising herself for telling a gay man how hard she had it. No, they both suffered. One doesn’t take away from the other. ”I guess I would have given him a choice, helped him remember who he was rather than implant fake memories or alter them. Highlight his choices and let him come to terms with what he wants, good or bad. He would still face his crimes, but he would be allowed the option to change for himself. I would still use my powers to save someone else if needed, but in the situation with Arcade, everyone wanted him dead and I don’t blame them, but that’s not how things would have been healed. He needed to face the consequences.”

”So then why is it your believe he gets a choice to be good or bad when you yourself have labeled your powers as something that can only cause harm? That doesn't seem very fair to you now does it? I believe you need to allow yourself that choice as well.”

Sabine knew he was right, but something in her teenage mind told her to never fully agree with an adult, lest they think they were right. ”You sound like Dr. Whitehall.” She chuckled slightly. ”Maybe you’re right. So, what should I do next then? I feel like over-apologizing won’t help and I don’t want to make things worse.”

”I'll have a talk with James and the rest when we get back. I'll see about creating a secondary house for the night that you all can stay in if it helps things with those two. I'd hate for you to be the only one going back to a hotel tonight. As for what you should do, well…I truly have no idea kid. Apologize of course, then let me speak to them and try to explain what happened. If James can forgive me for abandoning him and joking a league of evil mutants then I think he may be able to eventually see past this.”

Sabine nodded. She knew it would take some time and effort for things to be mended, but for the first time in a bit she felt a little bit of hope. ”That sounds like a plan. I wouldn’t mind going back though if that’s what everyone felt was best. I have a feeling Leah would come with me if need be. But of course I’ll do what I have to. No, what I need to.” She looked back into Max’s eyes, fully now. ”Thank you.” She reached out, intending to give him a hug, but stopped herself. They probably were not there yet, considering. But he helped her a lot.

Max rolls his eyes and pulled Sabine in for a hug. ”We are definitely a hugging family.” He said as he held onto her for a moment until she felt it was right to let go. When he pulled away he looked at Sabine with a look of concern once more. ”Something is seriously wrong with Leah, she's never had a milkshake. How do you make it this many years into your life and never have a milkshake?” Max joked, trying to break anything possible tension that may have even lingered.

Sabine fully laughed now, tension seeping away from her. ”Oh don’t get me started on her. I had to introduce her to so many different things, it’s bonkers. She’s trying though, bless her, but sometimes it is like talking to a literal rock. I heard you were pretty good with fashion, any chance you could tackle that sandpaper head of hers?”

”I bend reality to my whim, I think I can sprinkle a little magic towards it to help with that tangled mess a bit.” Max said as he stood up, stretching a bit. ”Ready?”

Sabine quickly followed suit, taking one deep breath in and out, clearing her head and reminding herself that she was worthy of goodness and love, and nodded. ”Ready.”

It took a bit for Danni to swim out of the soup. “Oh, God. What t'e ‘eck…” Danni groaned groggily. Things were a little fuzzy for him - Danni would begrudgingly admit he wasn't the best at holding onto things but adding on a trip down his Papa's memory lane and damn he couldn't quite remember what was going on. Someone was holding his hand, people were talking around him but he couldn't quite get himself to focus enough to care, and all the while Danni was a little uncomforty wherever he was sitting.

“OMG!” Danni leapt to his feet - or tried to if his Pops didn't firmly keep him in his seat. “Where's Papa? Is ‘e okay? Is Beanie? Oh dan’, ‘ow long were we out? Is everyone good? Vicky? I didn't mean ta get sucked in, Beanie didn't mean ta suck us in, I promise! She didn't do anyt'in’ wron’! Princess, ya know she wouldn't do anyt'in’, tell Pops.” Danni promised, talking a mile a minute as he tried to look around his Dad. "Vicky'll tell ya too. Where's Papa? Why hasn't ‘e come ta ask ‘ow I am? Are we still ‘avin’ milkshakes, cause I really want one now. It just sounds so yummy. Wait, where's Beanie? She was right next ta me. Omg, am I too late? Ugh, y'all know I ‘ate wakin’ up. Why would ya do stuff wit'out me bein’ awake first?! I ‘ad a whole plan and now I can't do it!”

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Dorian had turned to look over his shoulder as he heard April screaming Danni's name. He thought perhaps more had happened in the short time, but it seemed more likely that somehow April hadn't noticed Danni (along with Vicky) had been dragged in by Sabine's sudden power use. He was trying hard not to think about why she had used her powers. Hoping it was simply an accident like his Pa had said. Danni had them all the time, even Dorian's powers leaked out when too many suppressed emotions finally came spiraling out. Especially when he got too scared. There'd been many fan edits of him accidentally phasing out of his gaming chair when he got scared in a horror game on stream. Percy had already left. Using his powers to vanish somewhere in the household as soon as he was instructed to leave. He only wished everyone would do the same. This wasn't his family's first telepathic rodeo, and while they disliked telepaths; they weren't about to harm Sabine nor let anything happen to anyone here. ”April we gotta go downstairs. T'is isn't somet'in’ we can ‘elp wit’. Let our parents ‘andle —”

In a flash so much had already happened. Vicky came back online and made her way between Sabine and Danni's Dad's, his own father having vanished with Sabine the second it appeared she was safe to touch again. What's more, he used his second mutation to do so. Normally Pa would open a portal, a mystical doorway that showed each side where it led to. But not this time. There was no telling where they went. Dorian's veins ran cold for a moment. But he had to believe Pa took Sabine somewhere safe. To a medic or telepath that could help. Maybe he saw something wrong with Beanie that James wouldn't be able to detect. He looked at April with steeled eyes. April, Downstairs.” Was all he said before phasing down the floor and into the room below. Making his way into the kitchen. He threw himself across the counter, head pressed against his folded arms as a heavy sigh escaped him. ”Pleeeeease tell me t'e shakes are ready. I need a cold one after everyt'in’ t'at just ‘appened.”

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April opened her mouth, about to do as Danni said - to reassure Mr. Kingston that Sabine would never do anything like that, but… A fear that had been lurking in the back of her mind threatened to come to the surface. They’d gotten together so fast, despite Sabine not even knowing who April was - and when things ended, it was like she didn’t know them at all, the way Sabine refused to even talk to her or acknowledge her presence. Had any of it been real? Was Sabine capable of something like that?

Her eyes fell on the space Sabine had been in, before Mr. Gray grabbed her.

She was capable.

But would she do it?

Before she could answer that question - for both herself and for Danni - Dorian locked eyes with her, fixing her with a look that made her insides twist up. It was almost cold. Had she done something wrong? Was he mad at her? She swallowed, before nodding. ”I-I’ll see you downstairs,” she told Danni, relieved to see that he was alright, before making her way down the staircase. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her pajama pants to keep them from trembling.

“I wish I had answers for you, Victoria. I'm not sure where Max took Sabine, but she'll be in good hands wherever they are. No need for a rampage. Head downstairs, join the others in the kicthen, and relax. You deserve it; you all have been through a lot today and you deserve to be teenagers for a bit.” James reassured Vicky with a friendly smile as his son got whatever pent up energy out of himself he needed. James just shook his head, ruffling Danni's hair. “Your Papa got a little bit overwhelmed with everything going on. We're gunna get him downstairs into bed and let him rest for a bit yeah, kiddo? Then, yes you can hang out with everyone still and have your milkshake. I doubt your Appa would forget yours.”

A few moments later, with a sleepy murmur of ”milkshakes?” Casper lifted his head, not too surprised to find himself on the ground. It used to be a regular occurrence. His head, however, was pounding. ”Owww Jaaaaames my head feels like the fucking Juggernaut punted iiiiiiit,” he complained, before holding his hands up - partially in a request for healing whatever had caused this migraine, and also just because he enjoyed being held like a princess by his husband. ”What the fuck even haaaaaappened?”

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Percy quickly moved out of Andy’s way - it wasn’t that he didn’t want her to touch him, it was that he didn’t want anyone to touch him (well, almost anyone). Her touch simply came with an additional level of discomfort. Although, the intellectual in him was curious - if Andy were to touch him now, would Dorian feel it as well? To what extent were the two of them entangled together? His eyes darted from side to side, and he gently pinched the skin on the back of his hand. Of course, Dorian was upstairs so he couldn’t see if his boyfriend reacted, but he could ask later if he’d experienced any phantom pains (no pun intended).

At Leah’s question, he was caught off guard for a moment - his immediate first thought was a bourbon milkshake. He’d heard they were quite good. And everything that had happened had unsettled him. It would be a good tool for him to use to regain a bit more composure. But he couldn’t do that here, not under the watchful eye of the Kingston-Grays - he’d already been lucky enough to dodge a bullet so far with James. ”I’ll have what Andy’s having, please,” he then decided. He hoped caffeine meant espresso - and not the souls of children with ADHD.

Ben nodded slightly, seeing that Leah did seem to appreciate an activity. She seemed better. That was good. Sometimes with clients like that, he would break out a card game, ease them into a conversation over it. For better or worse, it occurred to him that perhaps that would help with Leah - and if not with her, then with the other children present. ”How about when we finish making the shakes, we break out the Uno cards? We have the No Mercy version.”

Two others then joined them - his son, Dorian, and April. Ben raised a slight eyebrow at Dorian’s dramatics, a tentacle snaking on over to comfortingly rub his back. ”I know kiddo, I know. Shakes are almost done. I think Percy’s making yours now.”

Percy was, in fact, staring at his boyfriend, doing the calculations. Did Dorian want him to come and comfort him? He knew that physical touch was supposed to be reassuring. He also knew that physical touch in front of parents could be distressing (Percy did find this unusual, as he found all physical touch to be distressing regardless of audience). So he ought to not do anything. But what if Dorian were to be upset with him for not doing something? Or would Dorian’s father think that he was a poor boyfriend for not acting? But if he did reach out to comfort him, perhaps Ben would be upset at the contact and find it inappropriate. There was the entire matter of the fact that they were entangled, a fact that Percy was sure would be brought up to them at some point…

So instead of making a choice, Percy was just fixated on his boyfriend, temporarily crippled with indecision.

April was quiet as she came down the stairs, her hands shoved into the pockets of her pajamas. Everything that had happened so far had been so much. And she still didn’t even know what had happened. And then Ser Nemo… He wasn’t dead? If he wasn’t dead, why did the school tell them that he was? Were they lying? Had Nemo faked his death? Or had something bad happened to him? And Leah, what was happening with her? What was going on with her father and why was someone pranking her about it? Was she in danger? How could April help her? She didn’t know how to handle any of these questions, she was barely sixteen and it felt like the weight of the world had come crashing down onto her shoulders. Part of her wished she was still at CAGE, isolated from all of the drama that circulated around the school.

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Andy didn't notice Percy being any different than almost anyone she knew. Everyone avoided being touched by her, except maybe Dorian and Danni. It did remind her that she needed to talk with Max and James. Between the sleepwalking that she had promised Eric she would speak to them, and the curse that had come up during processing, she definitely needed to talk to them.

"That is perfect. Thank you, Leah." She did love coffee. Coffee ice cream was particularly delicious, too. Andy took a seat. The part of her that wanted to go and be alone was quiet as the room filled with people she considered her friends. She enjoyed just being around them.

"Thank you, too, Ben, for making the milkshakes." She hadn't been super interested in having one before, but now it seemed like a good idea.

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Works every time.

Ben seemed to be fooled by Leah’s act. That was no surprise, it was a strategy she employed often. When things got rough, it was S.O.P. for Leah to just deal with it. Put on a stone cold exterior that gave zero fucks and walk forward. It helped that she had spent her whole life working towards fighting bad guys. More people were coming down, and Percy apparently wanted caffeine too. So she pulled out the rest and stepped away from the cabinets and Ben at last. He wanted to play Uno, for some reason.

Card games. Another thing she wasn’t terribly familiar with.

She took a long and slow drink from the magical glass Max left behind, that currently tasted like salted caramel, as an excuse to not answer him right away. Vision wouldn’t have left them all here with these gay wizards (of which there was only one, unbeknownst to Leah) right before the contest if they weren’t trustworthy. But then again, Leah’s standards for being trustworthy were absurd compared to the average person’s. She couldn’t help but wonder how Uno would actually go. Maybe they’d lose their patience when she admitted to not knowing how to play it.

Was that what other people did while they were kids? Just play games at other peoples’ houses?

Weird.

What if I just walked out the front door, when no one was looking?

”If you want, sure,” She finally told him. It was’t her house, she wasn’t about to stop someone from doing whatever it was they usually did. But Leah didn’t really play games like Uno. She had some game system that she brought on the trip over here, but that thing had dust on it by the time she remembered it existed. The only time she usually had to do that sort of thing was time she spent with Sabine or time she spent asleep.

Someone would probably say something about how bad she was at it, or how she didn’t know what she was doing. Another little thing that wouldn’t matter but would get to her badly, most likely. The alternative would probably result in Vision coming down to smite her for scampering off back to the hotel without anyone to accompany her.

She’d just deal with it.

”Don’t know what a No Mercy thing is… April, I told them what you’d want. I found the shark things you like.” She sounded a little bit like she was going a bit on autopilot. That talk with a dead person seemed faster than Leah had imagined it would go. Did it even happen at all?

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Sabine didn't quite know what to expect when she came to and Max had grabbed her, but after their conversation she was feeling much better.

Max made a circular motion with his right hand, a portal made of stardust rippling before them much like what the students who were staying with the Kingston-Gray's first saw when arriving to New Orleans. Those within the kitchen would be able to see the Palace structure behind Sabine and Max. Sabine however could see the kitchen and those inside it awaiting on the other side. Max placed his hand on her shoulder gently before urging her to go in. "I'll go speak to them, just try and relax. You're in a household surrounded by friends, I'll come get you when I'm done ok?" He offered her a warm smile and then he was off, quickly approaching the Seance room upstairs.

Sabine stepped through the portal into the kitchen, where she saw the others. She intended to make up for her actions, on purpose or not, to James and Casper, but she had not planned on how she would interact with the others. Danni seemed fine while they were trapped, but who knows how he felt now? Dorian probably hated her and April would be more concerned for Danni. Andy and Percy were there, which helped, though she wondered how the two of them felt after finding out she had almost hurt one of their guardians for the night as well as taking Vicki and Danni on a little adventure. The only saving grace was when her eyes landed on Leah.

She stood a moment, taking her in. She would have to talk to Leah about it, about what happened. If for no other reason than to have a relationship built on trust.

Sabine walked over to Leah and wrapped her arms around her. She just needed that moment before things quickly got worse. "Hey," she said. Once she was satisfied, Sabine let go.

She turned to where a colorful assortment of drinks was prepared. "Milkshakes, I could use one. Which one's mine?"

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"I'm fine." Victoria told Danni after he paused, before nodding to James. "Good to hear. Carry on." she said as she hovered away towards the kitchen, biting back a remark that being a teenager was, in her experience, overrated. People this age took everything and dialled it up to eleven. Like an old teacher dying. Given that half of them barely even knew him, and they were here for an event they were yapping about all year, they should barely be paying attention to it. Instead: ghost seances.

Speaking of though, the result was abnormal, but, she had to say, hardly surprising. Whether her theory about the reason had any merit she couldn't say yet, but she was willing to put good money down on that bet.

Landing in the kitchen with a soft tap of her bare feet (seriously, where was mr. Gray so that this wardrobe malfunction could he addressed? Right, and bring Sabine back, of course.) her eyes landing on another portal that answered her question. Her eyes scanned over Sabine, who indeed looked no worse for wear. Thank. The. Stars. Because I had no idea how to go about finding you and liberating you from their clutches if they intended to do you harm. she thought.

The sight of the two lovebirds sharing a moment made her forget about giving Leah the stink eye for not telling her about the whole dad situation. In fact... She felt strangely appreciative of the giantess all of a sudden. Where did that feeling come from?


Yeah, I know, Ultron, shut up!


Vicky's head snapped to the girl. Aw no. Please tell me you aren't 'on' without even realizing it. That... Would be bad.

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”T'anks Appa.” Dorian sighed as he patted the tentacle that was on his back. Leah had asked a wild question, well something that would be wild had it not been Leah. ”Oh! No Mercy is a rule set for t’e game. It ‘as specialty cards in it and now ‘as a maximum ‘and size of 25 t’at if you ‘it it you're out of t’e game. It goes by a bit quicker t’an normal Uno, but I t'ink t'at only old people play t'at version still.” He began to explain before a portal opened up and Sabine had come through along with his Pa. Dorian shot up in his seat, about ready to tackle her for a hug before she walked past them all to give Leah one. He deflated a little, but it made sense for her to do so.

Dorian made his way over towards Percy, Sabine, and Leah. ”Oh! T’is one ‘ere is yours! Percy's working on mine right now so I ‘ave to wait a bit but…’ow'd it…i mean, are you? Well…so milkshakes yeah?” He wanted to ask her so much, but she didn't seem like she wanted to dwell on whatever happened so he'd quickly pivoted away towards the previous subject. Wrapping his arm around his boyfriend's waist as he now began to lean against the kitchen counter.

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Max made his way up the stairs, passing by Victoria as she made her leave towards what he could assume would be the kitchen. All pretenses of a smile dropped as what should be the last child passing by. He opened up the door to see Casper and James still within, Danni in their grasps. ”Is everyone alright? I just saw Ms. Van Dynne exiting the room, though she is a…peculiar, case. But how's Danni? Casper?” Max looked over the pair of them, though not like it mattered. He couldn't see the damage a telepath does, not with the naked eye at least. But still, he wanted to gage his child's reaction. If he didn’t feel in danger or hurt, then that would both be outstanding news as well as give credit to what he was about to say and ask of the others in this household.

“Pa! You're back!” Danni cheered as James chuckled at his husband, pressing a kiss to his forehead and soothing away any remaining pain. “Papa's got a bit o’ a ‘eadache, Pops ‘as been doin’ t'e ‘ealin’ bit, and I'm just ‘ere in t'e event of drama.” Danni explained with the help of jazz hands. “Told Beanie and Vicky I'd be t'e cutest distraction in case anyone-Pops, specifically-went all stab ‘appy!”

James gave his son an affronted look that melted into something more sheepish. “Fair enough, kiddo. Fair enough. You would be an excellent distraction. Good thinkin’” Danni squawked as James ruffled his hair, kicking at his Pops as he tried to scramble away.

Casper frowned slightly, incredibly confused. Why would James want to stab one of Danni’s friends? Did they have beef he didn’t know about? He had no idea what had happened, but as far as he knew, a kid had fainted, Danni had fainted in sympathy, the robot had shut down, and then Casper had passed out for… well, if it wasn’t for all the healing his husband routinely gave him, he would have assumed it was the drug use catching up to him. “Did I miss something? Ben? Fuck Ben’s not dead and not here to tell me what happened. So rude of him, how am I supposed to function? I’m too gay”! Casper whined. “Danni, my darling baby boy - why are we stabbing people?” His eyes then widened. Was James having a Wanda episode? Was that what was happening? He reeeeeally hoped that wasn’t it, his babe had enough trauma for one lifetime. It wasn’t pretty.

”We aren't stabbing anyone Casper.” Max chimed in as he pinched the bridge of his nose. ”Thank you Danni for your wonderful help in disarming any want to stab. Now, please join your friends downstairs, there's a bit we adults need to discuss.”]

“Woooooow. I'm just ‘ere ta be t'e damsel in distress and t'en ya pa-” Danni eyed his parents thoughtfully and then slapped his legs, shooting to his feet. “Actuaaaaaally, Pa gets ta break t'at news. I don't wanna be in t'e ‘ouse while y'all are figurin’ t'is out.” Danni all but fled from the room, only pausing a moment to blow the group a kiss before he disappeared through the door.

Max waited a few beats, making sure he heard Danni's feet reach the bottom of the stairs before he decided to speak. ”None of us are strangers to the idea that sometimes we do what we believe is right to help a situation, only to have it go sideways. I am guilty of this more often than not, especially in our youths. But you were able to look past that and see the good in what it was that I was attempting to do. You understood even then that I was young, foolish, and worst of all — inexperienced. What happened just now is no different than those times with me before. Ms. Bassard saw Casper in a state of panic, his powers threatening to go haywire. She tried to use her powers in an attempt to soothe him, to coax his emotions in a natural sense but, in her inexperience, had a psychic backlash that we all witnessed moments ago. She wishes to apologize for her actions, and is willing to do what she must to regain that trust she knows was inevitably broken; especially when certain parties watched too closely or kept too far of a distance away. So, what can we do to give you two the peace of mind needed to keep Ms. Bassard within this household and not keep her away from her friends. As Max concluded he began to sit down, a chair appearing beneath him as he crossed his legs and gestured that floor was open for them to speak.

Casper almost immediately zoned out as Max began to talk. He was so stuffy these days, trying so hard to be like Doctor Strange. It wasn’t until he heard his own name that Casper tuned back in, certain that he hadn’t missed anything important… despite being the one begging for people to tell him what was going on. Only now… He didn’t really follow what Max had meant. Had she manipulated his emotions? The thought made him physically squirm. The only thing permitted to do that was James and cocaine (not these days, though). “Max… I LOVE how much you commit to the bit of being the wise old mentor these days but some of us are dumb. What the fuck are you talking about? What did she do to me??”

James kept his smile up for as long as it took the door to shut behind their son. “A young, inexperienced telepath decided to prove me right. The girl did something, supposedly tried to help when you panicked, and in doing so, knocked you unconscious and temporarily rendered herself and two others unconscious. And since she was caught, she's decided to beg for forgiveness.” James explained flatly. He took a seat across from Max, hand finding its way to Casper's hair and scratching gently. “Our circumstances were different, Max. Comparing this to the Underground is insane. We were hunted. We couldn't enter a store without worrying about if they had a fucking x-gene alarm. We saw children slaughtered and we made some fucked up decisions to stop that from happening ever again. She decided to exert her own will over a situation rather than trust the support system that already existed, a decision that she clearly knew was a poor one if she felt I was keeping an eye on her. I was firmly against her coming here, let me reiterate that, and yet here she is. She didn't break my trust; she never had it.” James all but spat back at Max, but took a breath. He wasn't responsible for this and he was being a reasonable adult here.

“I don't want her here, but you're clearly invested in her and so are the kids so…” James had to force a begrudgingly acceptance through gritted teeth. “I will tolerate her as long as her powers are suppressed in this house and Danni gets something to protect himself from her. Casper, I let you and Danni talk me out of it, but I am not budging this time.”

Casper blinked once, twice, three times. A… telepath. A telepath had been inside of his head. A telepath had been inside of his head and he hadn’t known. A telepath had been inside of his head and he hadn’t known. His chest suddenly felt tight and his hands clammy, as his heart rate gradually began to accelerate. It was only the physical anchor of James’ hand in his hair that was keeping him mostly grounded, mostly sane. ”Wh…what?” Casper squeaked out. Why was the telepath even here in the first place, again? He wished he could remember more of when James and Max and Ben were talking about logistics to him - but all he remembered was the Snikt’s he had been watching on his phone. ”A telepath was inside my head?? What did she do?? Am I acting different?? Would I know if she did anything?? Would you even know Max?? What if she edited my core memories and I’m now a completely different person and have different morals and interests and kinks - James????”

”From the sounds of it, her situation isn't much different than ours James. It isn't simply that she understood our family was wary of telepaths so much as everyone in her life leading up to Margaret Carter has been wary of her and blaming her for things she hadn't even committed. The X-gene alarms and hunts may have lessened but people's ires and hatred have only been moved from subject to another. Including her parents. That aside her teacher, mentor, and coach just passed away and with so many eyes on her her emotions were…unstable. But no, Casper, nothing within you has changed. Nothing has been done to alter your memory or emotions. I doubt that a telepath of her caliber even could. However, James does have a point. If Ms. Bassard can't control her powers just yet then it's probably wise we tamper them while she stays within our home. Especially with so many young minds around that are still developing. I can work on a charm for Danni if you wish, though it's up to him if he chooses to wear it.”

“He can choose not to wear and then he'll choosenot to go to that school.” James snapped. “You said she wanted to apologize. Stop making excuses for her and let her make them for herself. If she's old enough to decide she can fuck with someone's head, she's old enough to face the consequences. I'm fully aware this isn't fair, Max, but I'm not dragging her out, demanding she be killed, or even stopping her from interacting with my family and I think that's more than fucking reasonable right now. Let's get this over with. I'll be on my best fucking behavior.”

”Maybe this year just has bad vibes?” Casper didn’t know how to be helpful. When the arguments had come up about the boys attending boarding school, he had been a swing vote among the parents. He usually took his cue for opinions from James and Max - and when there was a disagreement, he preferred to just stick his head in the sand. That or he would just side with James. It depended on how uncomfortable he wanted to feel when asking for a new pair of designer heels from Max. And how much he thought James would be upset with him. It was an intricate calculus. ”But yeah, let’s get Danni some of the shibari, aaaaand I think I would like to recreate what we did in Milan a few years back to take my mind off of things.”

Max (and James) both stared at Casper for a long, judgemental, and horrific moment. Max hadn't had a headache before this, but Casper was almost always capable of giving him one. Sometimes he wondered if that was Casper's secondary mutation. ”A ring or earring more likely. Or even a necklace.” Max managed to get out with a tired sigh. ”Right. I'll go fetch her in just a moment.”

---

April's eyes widened for a brief second, and an honest smile broke out across her face. Leah had remembered what sort of gummies she liked in her milkshakes? Then icy cold pinpricks of regret filled her. Leah had remembered what sort of gummies she liked in her milkshakes. Leah had been a good girlfriend and a good friend - and April didn't know if she could consider herself to have been either of those things. Her heart beat a little faster. "Awww, thanks!!!" April gushed. "What flavor did you get?" she then asked. And then only more shame came bubbling back up to the surface. She didn't know Leah's favorite flavor.

She didn't know what to do, though - if she should go offer Leah a hug or just awkwardly stare. Sabine was back now - thankfully alive and in one piece - and April knew her ex couldn't stand her presence. So she settled on beaming at Leah, perhaps a bit psychotically. "I feel like you'd really like," she blurted, not knowing how to finish that sentence, before lamely coming up with, "rocky road!"

The tentacle retracted itself, as Dorian moved towards the others. And instead, Ben finished making up the rest of the milkshakes, following the requests as had been given to him. He then distributed them to the kids - espressos for Andy and Percy, dark chocolate peanut butter for Sabine, blue cotton candy with sharks for April, birthday cake for Danni, and mint chip for Dorian. "Thanks for the help, kids," he said appreciatively, glancing at Leah and Percy in particular. "I'll go find the cards, no destroying the kitchen in the two seconds I'll be gone, okay?" he then added, a tentacle ruffling both Danni's and Dorian's hair affectionately, as he moved to the living room - out of eyesight of the kids, but not earshot.

At least the telepath was back in one piece. That boded well.

Percy let Dorian wrap an arm around his waist, somewhat relieved to see that the answer had been yes, physical contact was good. It was mildly embarrassing when Dorian's dad had scooped the blender away from him and poured out the rest of the milkshake, but it could have easily been worse. He left his own untouched for a moment, frowning slightly as he took in the scene. Sabine seemed alright. After everything he'd heard about Dorian's family and telepaths, he had expected something... well, something a bit more dramatic.

"What happened?" Percy asked plainly. He then paused for a moment. "We should probably discuss about Nemo as well, but I'd like to hear from you first, Sabine." He wouldn't outwardly tell her that he was glad she was alright, but he was. Telepathy was tricky - it was akin to performing brain surgery with just vibes and no real sense of direction. He'd allowed Sabine to edit his mind before, when they were training for the contest, and he trusted her, but even the best surgeons had bad days. Telepaths had nightmarish days.

"Did the ghost stuff scare you?" April asked, before immediately regretting it. "I know that, like, horror stuff can be a lot sometimes and the sleepover vibe is really cute but also very oh someone is going to come and stab us now and then this was more than just a movie, right, it was real ghosts - or it would have been - well technically it started to be, but it wasn't Nemo and oh god... if Nemo isn't dead then what happened to him?? Why did the school tell us he died?? Are they lying to us or... did he fake his death? B-but yeah, first, Beanie - uh - Sabine, I mean, are you... are you okay?"

---

---

---

Sabine stared at the milkshake offered, glancing up at Dorian. While her talk with Max settled her mind on a lot of matters, she was beyond sure that Dorian would hate her. She wasn’t super convinced Danni didn’t either, though their talk in Casper’s memory helped a bit. She took it and offered Dorian a small smile before she sipped it. It was her favorite flavor and gave her a bit more courage for the next steps.

Soon, the others in the room all had eyes on her. Normally she would have relished this moment, but given recent events she wanted nothing more than to sink into the wall and forget. But she knew she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She owed it to everyone.

Percy had asked what happened. Their trust had been built up significantly. Hell, apart from Leah, Sabine was sure Percy was one of the only guaranteed people to not immediately hate her. And then April.

Oh, April….

The two hadn’t talked for so long. And then Sabine had to go fuck it up all over again. She didn’t even want to think about how what she did hurt April, seeing both her and Danni potentially hurt, Casper, even Vicky (to an extent).

So she took a beat, needing a moment, before she spoke up. ”During the seance, I saw Casper look terrified, something more than just seeing a vengeful spirit or whatever. I grew concerned and let my emotions take over so I used my power on him, intending to alleviate the worry. But something changed and shifted. I got stuck in a memory of him and couldn’t get out. And, though I am not completely sure on this, I think I had latent psychic energy still so when Danni and Vicky touched me they got sent in also. We managed to get out, thankfully, and nothing we did altered Casper, I made sure of that with Danni and Vicky’s help. And Max took me away somewhere to talk about it and discuss what to do going forward. I want to apologize to both Casper and James and…I don’t know. I am sure they both hate me and will want me out of here and I don’t blame them. So if that is what happens I’ll head back to the hotel and you all can enjoy the night’s events.”

Due to their shared adventure, Vicky would hear Sabine not only from her words, but her immediate thoughts.

”I’m a monster. Everyone here is going to hate me after this. I should run away lest I hurt anyone else.”

Max sat up from his chair, turning to make his way back downstairs. The stairs didn't normally creak, or groan. But it was almost as if the house itself was protesting this conversation as much as Max had been. He didn't know how well this would go, and frankly it frightened him. He knew what it was like to have your parents hate your very being. To question and doubt you as if you were nothing more than a monster lurking in the bushes waiting to pounce. He stopped midway down the steps, took in a deep breath, and continued on. Ben wasn't in the kitchen anymore, wandering the room next door as if to give the children some semblance of privacy. Good. Sabine could use that right now. He was always good with kids, better than Max ever could hope to be. Every time he saw his husband he couldn't help but smile, making his way over to him as he wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close for a kiss. Whispering. ”How are the kids?”

”They’re holding up,” Ben assessed. Leah seemed to be doing a lot better now that she had tasks - and the conversation seemed to be picking up now, as the rest of the kids had finally joined. He let the tentacles out, one of them going around Max’s waist to match his grip, another pair to gently massage his husband’s shoulders. ”What happened, Max?” he asked softly. ”Is James…?”

”James is…being reasonable. Sabine is willing to do what she must to apologize for her actions, and it appears James is willing to allow that to happen…so long as she's dampened. But ultimately it's her choice. Although, we could stand to issue a couple other dampeners to a certain couple given what the school found. But that's a discussion for later. For now, I have to gather her so she can apologize in private without her teams watchful eye's.”

Ben grimaced, sucking in air sharply through his teeth. He was never comfortable around power dampeners. He knew that they had their uses, and there were situations that called for them, but… It reminded him too much of the Purifiers - too much of the people who had killed him and so many others. And the thought of putting one on his son, given what the school had told them about… He couldn’t hide the way his tentacles trembled at the thought. ”If you’re putting a dampener on her, we should tell Vision. Make sure he knows she agreed to it.”

Max was relieved that Ben hadn't suggested contacting her parent , but Vision instead. He was right of course, he always was. But from the sounds of it, had he suggested it…if they had their way…their daughter would never be allowed to remove the thing. Not like Max would've told those Flatscans anything, Vision was always going to be his next form of contact. He could deal with their backwards ways and call on him if need be. He just nodded at Ben before taking a step back. ”I've got to go get her. No sense in letting James and Casper stew while we talk away.” He said before planting another kiss onto his husband's cheek and making his way over towards the kitchen. Max hung out at the doorway, one hand placed onto the wooden threshold as he looked in to all the kids together. For a brief moment, he swore he could see the entire underground standing there in their place. Glimpse, Sunshine, Casper, James, and all the rest he met along the way. A new wave of heroes, their future. He cleared his throat. ”Ms. Bassard? You ready?”

Sabine looked up from the others to Max. She inhaled and held it before letting it out. She nodded. ”Yeah, I’m ready. I’ll see you all later, maybe.” She let Leah go, but squeezed her hand before she smiled at the others: April, Percy, Andy, Vicky, Dorian, Danni. This might be the last time she sees them before the contest. But she said she would go through with this. She needs to. If she was going to show others she wasn’t the danger they saw her as, she needed to own up to the mistakes she made.

So she stood in front of Max, head held high. ”I’m ready.”

”Lets go then.” Max said as he motioned for her to move past him before making his way back upstairs alongside her. He paused at the door, placing a hand on her shoulder before whispering to her ”You've got this.” Before opening it.

Sabine felt something. It was a feeling she hadn’t had for a while. Not since her mother she was pretty sure. She reached for Max’s hand and held it briefly before he opened the door and she stepped through.

She saw Casper and James. She spent more time looking at Casper, hoping he wasn’t hurt either from anything she did in his memory (although she knew she didn’t mess with it) or from her…well let’s call it betrayal. She came into the room, but made sure she didn’t stand too close. Enough for them to see her fully. ”Hello Mr. and Mr. Kingston-Gray. First, I want to say that I am grateful you allowed me in your home initially. I know that had to have been a hard decision. That notwithstanding, I want to apolgoize further. To you, Mr. Kingston-Gray,” she said looking at Casper, ”For violating not only your mind but your trust. I truly did not intend harm, but intention doesn’t matter when harm is done. I let my emotions get the better of me and thought I knew better and that nearly hurt yourself as well as the others. I know my word means little in this moment, but I want to ensure to you that I did not mess with any of your memories or anything in your mind. Danni and Vicky can back me up, if need be. Be that as it may, I hurt you and I will do whatever I need to fix that.”

“And to you,” she said to James, ”I hurt you as well. I will not make an excuse for my behavior because I messed up. I hurt someone you care for and didn’t take into account the damage even if things went perfectly. Just know that I care a lot about your children, Danni and Dorian,” she glanced back at Max, ”both of them have showed me kindness and understanding, even given theirs and your history. Even after this both of them showed me empathy and that is not only a testament of themselves but of you also.”

“So, I am willing to take whatever consequence you both deem appropriate. I can go back to the hotel if that is what you feel is best. I can get myself there also if that’s needed. But, again, I am truly sorry for what I did and will work on myself so I can do better next time.”

Casper generally had a hard time holding onto anger - at least, anger that was directed at others. Making the choices he had throughout his life required a certain amount of self-loathing, a certain desire to escape himself. As the kid came back up with Max, there wasn’t any rage in him - just discomfort, an urge to jump out of his own skin, the feeling of running straight into an electric fence (something he’d done dozens of times before). But as she spoke, the discomfort in him soured. Even if things went perfectly. Did the telepath understand? No. They never did understand. His father used to say similar things like that to him, as if that had any measure of comfort against his cruelty - as if locking a child inside a mausoleum was reasonable, as if anything he had ever done amounted to more than pride or scientific curiosity, never real affection or love. ”What did you think was going to happen?” he asked, blinking slightly. ”Did you think you were going to just… what, exactly? Make a different choice for me? Make me act in a way that would make you feel better?” His voice shook slightly. ”What were you trying to do? And why did what you want matter more than what I would want?”

There was another question he had, but he wanted the telepath to answer these ones, first. A familiar urge spiked within him - a way to make everything a little quieter, a little more peaceful.

Vicky would hear Sabine’s immediate thought, the one that popped up that she would hold off on, but it still showed up. "I expected James to lash out at me, but not Casper. He always seemed so kind. Am I really that scary? Max was wrong, perhaps I am no good to anyone."

Sabine expected this, the anger and the fight. It was deserved. ”I hoped to find out what seemed to scare you and..fix it. And that wasn’t right of me, because I shouldn’t take that choice from you, as you said. You had support there with everyone and I should have let that happen, but I thought I knew better. And I didn’t.”

“You stripped him of his autonomy, but I appreciate you acknowledge that as the concern it is. Dorian's powers have the same problem and it was the first thing we taught him. Yours, and his, are unique in that it really isn't something you can defend against. If someone ran at me with a knife, I could at least try to run or fight back but so often your powers go unnoticed until it's too late. Exerting your will over another person, unless it's a genuine emergency, is unacceptable.” James stepped into the conversation, hand still firmly on Casper's shoulder and squeezing gently. As furious as he was and as badly as he wanted to remove the threat, Sabine was still just a child and clearly genuinely apologetic. He worked to relax himself and keep his voice even and soft. “I am angry. Livid, really. But more so than that, I'm disappointed. Danni and Dorian said great things about you, how much you care, and how we'd be wrong not to at least give you a chance. And they were right. I can admit that my personal issues with telepaths definitely color my view on anyone with mental abilities and some I put my concerns for my family's safety aside on their word. You might only see me once or twice in your life but your friends stuck up for you, stood up to their family for you, and you let them down.” James sighed.

“Max vouched for you and I respect his word as much as I love my husband. I am willing to let you stay; you made a mistake and you don't deserve to be taken away from your friends. And personally, I don't think running from a problem will solve anything. Babes?” James turned the floor back to Casper, giving him the space to ask more questions.

Casper nodded slightly. His heart rate had accelerated, and it was the firm hand on his shoulder that kept him from falling apart. The siren song of his old solution hadn’t quieted, but he could move his thoughts from it - at least for now. If the kid had gone into his mind looking for what had frightened him, then she knew. ”What did you see?” What did my son see? That was the last question he had for her. He knew he’d been violated. He deserved to know how.

Sabine hadn’t quite expected the…calmness from James, though she knew there was an undercurrent of anger that wasn’t surfacing. Her thoughts rattled in her head. Casper was owed that answer, at least, especially as Danni had seen it too. ”At first, it was you in an alleyway, lying on the ground with marks on your body. An overdose. The memory moved on from there, though, after you woke up and shifted to a diner where they seemed to know you. That’s when we managed to get out. That’s all I saw though, I promise. And, as I said, I didn’t change or shift or add anything.” Though, again, how much was her word at this moment?

It appeared she'd viewed a memory of one of Casper's many overdoses. It was hard to tell which one, or how serious it may have looked to the kids. But the diner…that was an interesting part. Even Casper had barely gotten any memories of that place until he began to sober up. Max didn't think anyone was [i]meant[i] to see that place, and he'd hate to think of the implications that may have later on down the road. But he remained silent. He'd said his piece before Sabine had come up, it was her turn now and she seemed to be doing fine. Even James, with all the anger inside of him, saw that she was just a stupid kid that fucked up. Casper…well he was always an emotional one. But given enough time and distractions this too would pass out of his mind soon enough.

James blinked at the admission. Well, shit. “I hope this goes without saying, but I expect you won't circulate what you saw and you will encourage Victoria to keep her experience to herself as well.” James wasn't concerned about Danni. He'd probably forget it by the time he woke up tomorrow, honestly.

”If it’s important I will tell her to keep quiet about it. We aren’t the closest though, but I’ll stress the importance.” She wondered though.

”What was so important about some diner? There’s one around every corner.”

”If it’s important…?” Casper repeated, dumbfounded. ”You saw one of the - one of the most vulnerable times of my life. Something I haven’t shared with my children and I overshare aggressively. I….” He let out a breath. He was going to need to enact a portion of his safety plan tonight. His entire body was itching. He didn’t want to be in this conversation anymore. The more he heard, the more upset he felt.

Max stepped forward, standing slightly before Sabine but to her side. ”Casper, I don’t believe that's what Ms. Bassard had meant. It sounded to me as though she was prefacing that if it important to you both that she personally tells Ms. Van Dyne not to speak of what she saw, then she would. Even if those two aren't the closest of friends. I do not believe she had meant to make it sound as if she was downplaying a vulnerable moment in your life.” Max turned his head to look at Sabine. ”Did I get that right Ms. Bassard?”

Sabine was taken aback a bit. Almost everything she said was…being used against her. She assumed James would be the one to lash out at her, to take what she said with little regard and fling it back in her face, but not Casper. She bit back a retort, knowing full well she was in no place to get angry. Casper had every right to question her. ”Yes, that’s right. I didn’t mean to sound as if I didn’t value it. I just know Vicky tends to…speak about a lot of stuff on her mind, whether it’s warranted or not. But I will stress the importance of it and ensure her silence.” She was thankful to have Max there. She was sure if it was just her with James and Casper she would be a smoking husk on the floor, figuratively or not.

James took a look at the pair across from them and sighed. This really wasn't going anywhere. He pressed a kiss to the side of Casper's head. “Why don't you head to bed? I'll join you once we're done here, okay babes? I love you.” James suggested softly.

Casper hesitated for a moment, before nodding. The knowledge that the robot might go and share this thing about his life was… not great. Couldn’t she just delete it from her memory banks or something? ”Okay,” he mumbled, before putting a kiss on James’ forehead. ”I love you too,” he then glanced at Max. ”And you, bitch,” he told his other partner, before stepping from the seance room, holding his elbows with his hands as he headed down to his and James’ room.

James watched his husband leave and waited until the door shut before turning his attention back to the pair. “We appreciate the apology, but I can't offer you a way to fix this in just a few moments. Neither my husband nor I trust you and that isn't going to change for a while, Sabine. Our children clearly don't hold that same sentiment.” James settled back into his chair, one leg crossing the other and his fingers tapped on his knee. “I know your home life is difficult. I know you have difficulty making connections with others because of the stigma around your powers. If we did everything by the book, we'd need to contact the school about tonight's incident and then they would have to reach out to your parents and it would just escalate from there. I doubt you want that to happen and I'm happy to stick my neck out to keep this between us if you'd like.” James paused for confirmation from both Sabine and Max.

Max nodded a confirmation at James, but mouthed ‘talk to Ben' so that he understood he wasn't the one who needed convincing about sweeping it all under the rug.

Sabine breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t considered her parents finding out and, if they did, they would pull her from school and probably lock her up in some room that can’t be penetrated. ”I don’t expect there to be an easy fix, but I am willing to take a step towards it. What would you have me do to show that?” She looked at Max, assuming he knew what to do.

“Making it up to Danni and Dorian comes first. They're the people closest to you that you let down. To that end, you'll need to actually be here to do that. After Max talked to us before you came up here, I agreed I wouldn't ask you to leave despite that being my initial reaction; however, emotions are running high. It's the night before a huge competition, coupled with the news of your coach's death, and I'm sure there's plenty of nerves running around. I can fix anything the other kids can do, but I can't fix anything you do if you accidentally slip up. With that in mind and the fact that we don't want anything to escalate beyond this room, I am going to ask that you wear a power dampener while you stay here.” James explained. “Casper needs some time to recharge and stabilize after this so we'll be out off your space to keep some pressure off you, but this has to happen.”

Sabine was grateful for that, at least. She really didn’t want to leave everyone, but would have fully if asked. To that end; however, a power dampener. She pictured some high-tech collar that could be seen from space. She had heard of them before, of course. It had been talked about before with her stepmom, but she never had to wear one. ”Could I ask to see what it looks like?” She didn’t want to say no, but she also didn’t want to wear something that looked like the Red Letter A from the Scarlet Letter, if it could be helped.

Max looked towards Sabine, before taking a more casual stance and leaning up against a wall. ”Well that all depends on you. I can be a bracelet or necklace, you simply have to tell me you Vision or even show me a photo of what you would like it to look like and then I'll create it. Reality to my whim remember?” He said with a bit of a smile.

Sabine nodded, glad that it wasn’t going to be something so outlandish and obvious. She could handle an extra piece of jewelry. ”A ring would be nice. Something light pink to match the pajamas I brought? I am not picky on the design, I’m sure you can do something great.” Sabine caught herself getting excited and stopped. She didn’t want to appear flippant about this as it was still a serious thing. ”So yeah, I’ll wear it.”

“Good. I'd hate to disappoint Danni and Dorian. Max, if you'd please make something now.” James requested. He itched to get to his husband but he wouldn't be able to settle if he didn't see it go on her.

Max snapped his fingers, the clear sound resonating across the room as cosmic magic wrapped itself around Sabine's finger. A golden band with soft pink gems to accent it. Inscribed inside the inner ring of the band it would read ” We cannot change the way the world views us, but we can strive to prove them wrong.” ”There we are. One dampener in pink.”

Sabine looked at it on her finger, moving her hand to see it from different angles. It looked like your typical piece of jewelry. And it was cute. And it would, hopefully, put them at ease. ”Thanks Ma…umm Mr. Kingston-Gray. It looks nice.” She turned to face James now, showing him the ring. ”I know it doesn’t mean much right now, but thank you for giving me the opportunity to make amends. I will do so next with Danni and Dorian.”

Max couldn't help but chuckle a little. ”Im sorry im sorry. I know, serious moment. But uh, I'm Mr. Gray, he's Mr. Kingston. Separate names. Ben is a Gray and Casper is a Kingston.”

”Oh, I heard this was the Kingston-Gray household and assumed. I figured you all were so close that it was….oh god…” A blush appeared on her cheeks, hotter than ever before. ”I am so sorry for assuming! Umm, is there anything else you need of me before I put another foot in my mouth?”

”Youre fine kid. You won't be the last person to make that mistake i can tell you that much.”

“No, Sabine. Go have fun with your friends.” James nodded at her, but turned his attention to Max. “I'm going to make sure Casper is okay, but we'll probably need to talk with Danni soon. Send him to our room when you wrap up here, please.” James asked Max and then left quickly.

As soon as James had left the room, Max let out a sigh of relief. ”You did good kid, and if it wasn't for how high alert everyone is right now downstairs id probably suggest making up some horrific story about what had happened up here to see their reactions but I don't think that'd go over too well. So instead I think we should just head to the kitchen if you're ready.” Max said before making sure Sabine was ready to face everyone downstairs.

Sabine nodded, ”Yeah, I think we have all been through enough horror to last…oh until next semester,” she joked, knowing that something would inevitably happen at the school that would drag them all in. ”At least I got a nice piece of jewelry out of it.”

”Well we've kept you away from your friends long enough. So we should really head –” Mid sentence Max placed his hand on Sabines shoulder and BAMF'd them both downstairs. A small black hole appearing above the kitchen countertop as cold air filled the space before the pair would appear. Max sitting on the counter with his legs crossed. ” Oh hey everyone, what'd we miss? How're the shakes? And most importantly. Leah, did you find a favorite flavour yet?”

Sabine, despite being portaled a few times now, didn’t find it any easier. But, she was back in the kitchen with everyone and her nerves settled. She looked around, catching everyone’s eye and ensured she was okay. ”How was your first milkshake experience Leah?” Sabine asked with humor tinting her question. She was in a much better mood.

”Oh and Danni, James and Casper want to see you upstairs. Soooo skidaddle”

---

---

---

”I got…” Leah held up hers. All infinity of them, in one glass. ”This fucking thing. Told one of them I never had one, since I don’t really drink stuff like. Then he snapped his fingers and left this for me. It’s everything. I dunno how. Magic or something.” Leah took another sip from it, and it tasted like… Rocks on a road? Yeah, that was tolerable.

Leah noticed that look Vicky gave her. Except she didn’t register why. Given the fact that she was a little busy ensuring someone hadn’t been killed, actually calling for Miss Robot wasn’t immediately feasible. Besides, it turned out to been a fluke caused by magic. Which could kill her, if Leah remembered right.

”Nemo? I knew he wasn’t actually dead. But… What happened up there?” She asked her girlfriend. Stepping a little closer to Sabine, she put an arm around her and kept it there. ”I figured you’d all be busy for an hour. That was barely ten minutes. And what was that shouting about? I don’t really know how necromancy stuff works.” They were all looking pretty rough.

And then Sabine explained it. She used her powers on one of them, and it went poorly. Shit.

They probably hated her? Oh, hell no. If they had a problem with Sabine, they had a problem with Leah. She could probably blow the door off and get Sabine to the hotel and alert Vision quick enough that they couldn't hurt her. Or what if they could teleport? No, she could just do that thing where she-

Sabine pulled away again, and was back upstairs before Leah could shut her damn brain off.

Several seconds passed where she was just standing there, around the rest of them, gears turning in her head.

"...What in the fuck?" Leah didn't even know she could have bad moments like that. Shit, she had them too, but... Fuck. Shit. Damn, she was feeling real jittery all of a sudden, and she already felt jittery in some way or another tonight by just being in this house. What were they gonna do with her? Or... What would they do to her?!

Okay. Okay. Calm the fuck down. You're doing it again.

She'll be fucking fine. They wouldn't hurt one of us. And if they tried, she could kill them faster than you could punch them.

You're overthinking. It'll be okay. Stop acting jumpy.

Leah took in a deep, deep breath as quietly as she could. Then she held it and let it go.

And then someone scared the fucking shit out of her.

When Max and Sabine teleported in with a black hole, it almost made Leah jump out of her skin. The glass she had miraculously didn't get flung across the room, and she froze up for half a second before realizing who they were.

"Whatinthegoddamnfucking- Oh. It's just you." Sabine seemed okay. That was great. That didn't last nearly as long as Leah's hyperactive brain had expected. She held the glass up, that she was still consuming copious amounts of shaken milk from. "You gave me... What, a thousand? They're all pretty okay, mostly- Thanks, by the way. Sabine, look at this thing. It's magic. I'm drinking magic, he put everything in it, and somehow none of it's blurred together. It's different every time."

She took another sip from it, and that time, her eyes widened. It tasted like vanilla.

She glanced down at the glass, then back at Max. Then at Sabine. Then at Max, then the glass.

And then, she sloooowly turned her head around and looked at Ben. "That's not worth $100."

---

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All things considered Andy's sense of dread and the near panic state she lived in constantly since she was eight was not that bad right now. Sure she was worried for Sabine. She liked Sabine. It had taken time though, and Andy had allowed it to happen. She was also in the household of people she had a very awkward relationship with. She didn't want that relationship to get more messed up than it already was. Even if they seemed chill about the whole left to time travel without saying anything thing. It was still going to be a rough bridge to fix. Andy was not ready to have to defend Sabine to the people who lived next door to her dad. As Andy sipped her own milkshake, coffee flavor flowing over her tastebuds, she smiled at the thought of her dad.

With Sabine's return things seemed a bit better. Sabine seemed to be mostly okay. Could she have done anything if James had gotten mad enough to...to what? James was probably the most level headed person she knew. Hell Andy had been the one to awkwardly tell him his roommate was dead...well she hadn't actually told him, she told him to speak with Veil. He hadn't been mad once. He was always the voice of reason. So what was he going to do to a teenager? Andy suspected nothing worse than turning her out, she had a room at the hotel, or maybe telling his son the two of them couldn't be friends anymore. That was going to be basically unenforceable and James knew his child well enough for that. Remove Danni from school? Andy couldn't stop that. She sucked on her straw. It seemed okay. Sabine wasn't being kicked out, which would have been the most basic step for literally any repercussions they'd enforce.

Her shoulders relaxed. God today was a mess. Seeing Magneto again, Zari breaking up with her, a bunch of students being removed from the team, Ser Nemo dying(??), and of course the seance with everything that happened there. How had all of that happened just since four pm?

"Today is scuffed." She sighed leaning back in the seat she had claimed. She almost said, 'hopefully that means tomorrow will be uneventful,' but caught herself and decided to just leave it. Andy didn't consider herself superstitious but it felt like a good time to be. She looked up at Max and considered telling him about her curse, finding a quiet moment to talk to him about it and see if he could fix it. She had promised Eric she would talk to him and James about the sleep walking, but now felt like a really bad time to bring it up. If she found a quiet moment she would, otherwise, she decided, to wait until later. Maybe during winter break. She'd be here anyway, her dad lived next door. She smiled.

---

---

Danni skipped down the stairs without a concern. Beanie’d be just fiiiiine. Maybe. Kinda. Sorta! No biggie, just did the one thing that set his parents off with little to no regard for who it was. Whelp. Danni paused halfway down and considered. Should he get involved? Should he jump over this railing and fake an injury? There were too many people in the house for him to consider starting a fire. He could scream and cry, pretend to be traumatized by Poisson’s death, and get a little more attention. Danni pondered it for a little more than a second before he let out a gasp and took the stairs down two at a time. He was missing milkshakes and if he missed the perfect meltiness window, he’d fucking scream!

Sorry Beanie, you’re on your own.

“‘ello! Your favorite person is here!” Danni shouted as he stormed into the kitchen, eyes on the prize as Appa handed them out. He cackled as he snatched his up, taking a full bite out of the mountain of whipped cream he loved. And obvi, with sprinkles because who could have a birthday cake milkshake without sprinkles? Monstrous. He took a healthy inhale of birthday cake shake, doing a happy little wiggle as he drank, and then cheered as Sabine popped back into existence. “‘eeeeeeey! Not dead! T’ey like you!” Danni cheered around a mouthful of deliciousness.

He instantly groaned when Pa said the ‘rents wanted to see him. “First, ya tell me ta leave. Next, ya tell me ta come. What is wit’ t’e ‘ot and cold today?” Danni groaned. With a put upon sigh, Danni shuffled out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. He’d learned to make sure he was loud coming down the hall. Never wanted a repeat of that experience. He stopped at this parents door, pressed his ear to it for a moment, before knocking and throwing it open. “‘ello! It is I, your favorite child!”

Casper was securely snuggled up beneath the covers with James, his head resting on his love’s chest. He loved being able to hear James’ heart beating, knowing that it was matching his own, as his husband’s powers circled around him tighter than their weighted blanket could. It was calming, enough to push those urges off, to keep them at bay for now. That was the best Casper could ever do, really - just choose to not give in, to take a different path for handling his own emotions. ”C’mon here kiddo, we got something to talk to you about,” he lifted his head up, using one of his hands to lift up the blankets to invite his son to come snuggle in close. ”Aaaaand your pops so graciously volunteered to go first!”

He gave James a bit of a pleading look, hoping he seemed suitably cute. He didn’t know how to start this conversation with Danni.

Danni pouted at the complete and unnecessary shut down. If Danni was insecure, he might think he wasn't their favorite child but considering the whole sitch, Danni gueeeeeeeeeessed he could give them a little leeway. Still, it didn't stop him from hopping up under the covers and looking at his Pops expectantly as he took another sip of his milkshake.

“Yes, your Pops made a fully informed and forewarned decision to start this discussion." James drawled, pinching Casper's thigh gently. “So, you spent a little time in your Papa's head. Sabine told us you saw him at a pretty bad time and we just want to make sure you're doing okay.”

Danni sucked a little harder as he rolled the thought around in his head. “Well, Pops ‘asn't been quiet ‘bout ‘is usage and you've mentioned t'at a little deat’ ‘ere and t'ere and t'en also you don't always t'ink ‘bout us sneakin’ ‘round and we've ‘eard. I get it, Papa did some bad stuff when ‘e was younger, but t'at was ‘fore Genosha and me and I'm t'e perfect angel t'at made your lives so much easier! Look at ‘ow much less ya ‘ave ‘ad ta fight for your life!”

Casper was at a complete loss for words here. He wished he had some sort of guidebook for this conversation. Usually he just gabbed and figured things out along the way, but just talking and seeing what came out of his mouth didn’t seem to be working right now. Danni had seen him die. His precious baby boy had seen him die. He hadn’t wanted Danni to ever see that. ”Sooo you don’t have… any questions? Or like concerns? Because you saw… saw me die and you just seem fine? Or is this, like, a trauma response? Jaaaaames is this a trauma response? Do we need to get a therapist? Like if I saw you die, I’d freak out - both of you. And I want you to know Danni that I’m not going anywhere, if you’re pretending to be fine about this, because I love you both and I’m choosing you every time. Even on nights like this when I get mind fucked.” Was that right? Fuck it. He didn’t know.

James watched Danni while Casper rambled. Danni was taking this… very well, considering he'd seen his papa dead. “I know we heard it from your friend, but can you tell me what you saw, kiddo?”

“Okay, well. It was super trippy right? Like, one second I'm chillin’ ‘round t'e table wit’ everyone and t'en BAM we're in this spooky little alley, I t'ink? Idk really, but it was dark and damp and a little spooky and musty. Real musty. T'en we see Papa all done up in zombie make up and all sorts a needles around t'e place and t'en Beanie is all “I'm so sorry, Danni. I know t'is must be ‘ard. Your papa is dead” She was super dramatic ‘bout it too, you woulda liked it.” Danni told Casper, snuggling a little further under the blanket. “And t'en eveyt'in’ got sups blurry and t'en you were eating yummy lookin’ waffles in t'e diner and I was real confused ‘cause t'e waitress lady said soemt'in’ ta Beanie but I cared more ‘bout t'e whole genttin’ out t'in’ ‘cause I like it better when you're not eatin’ waffles all alone in a diner. Plus, ya seemed ta really like t'em but t'ey were wrong. I make t'em wit’ extra love and care and I didn't even see a cook so ‘ow could t'ey be any good? Im gunna make waffles for everyone in t'e mornin’. Do we ‘ave bacon? I want bacon too. Goupy eggs. Gunna make so many goup eggs.”

Zombie make-up and needles? Casper blinked. He was used to being the confusing one - talking with Danni was somewhat like talking to himself. Had he even realized what he’d seen, that he’d watched Casper overdose and wake up in the Void, his own personal hell between this life and the next? He didn’t think much of the waitress - she always seemed mildly annoyed with him when he showed up, but she fed him, listened, and never seemed to mind that he’d leave within the hour to come back to this side of existence. The last time he’d been there for a while… Casper trembled a bit at the memories - about Ben’s disappearance. His breath hitched for a moment.

”Mm, you do make the best waffles,” Casper agreed. He’d missed Danni’s cooking since he’d gone back to school. The things Max portaled in just weren’t the same. He paused for a moment. Maybe they didn’t need to make a big deal out of this. Danni seemed fine. It was all probably fine. He pressed a soft kiss to his son’s head, before pressing one to James’ jaw. ”You’ve been depriving us of your cooking, kiddo. So rude of you to go back to school and leave us here just waiting for you to come back.”

James barely kept the frown off his face as Danni told his story. Sometimes, the kid was like Casper in the worst way. He made a mental note to reach out to the school therapist he knew Danni was still chatting with to look into this. Casper and Danni were the best things that happened to him, but sometimes it took a little while for them to process the big things and James expected those things be showing up in his nightmares soon. And since his last big nightmare ended in the house burning down, it was only fair he put the school on alert. “Can't wait, Danni.” James reached across his husband and pulled Danni in to drop a kiss on top of his head, turning to give one to his husband next.

“Sounds like you're doing okay now but if you need or want to talk about it, you come get us okay?” James smiled. “Don't let it get to nightmares, okay? We can't having our future hero neglecting his mental health.”

Danni beamed at the praise. “I know, my cookin's t'e best! Appa's decent but ‘e doesn't love it like I do. Gotta treat y'all after t'e mot so fun stuff and so you won't miss it too much after t'e contest since we'll go back.” Danni giggled. “And yeah, I promise! Don't want a repeat of last time tbh. But did ya need anyt'in’ else? I wanna go han’ out wit’ my friends!”

”You don’t wanna hang with us?” Casper fake gasped. ”Are we uncool now?” He secretly hoped Danni didn’t confirm that, even if he was kidding around. ”Go and have fun, kiddo. But give your pops and I one last hug before you do, okay?”

“Papa! Of course I like ‘an'in’ out wit’ t'e fam, but ‘ow often do I get all t'e friends ‘ere?!?!?! Like, neeeeever.” Danni put his glass on the bedside table and threw himself at the pair. “Thanks for bein’ my ‘rents. I know I got lucky gettin’ picked by t'e best ones.”

James let out a soft oof as Danni tackled them. He blinked back tears and had to swallow to keep himself from crying at Danni's words. “Thanks for being the best kid anyone could ask for.” James squeezed Danni tight before letting him go. “We love you and we're proud of you. Go have fun. Just don't stay up too late; you don't want to be groggy tomrrow.”

By contrast, Casper lost it immediately, as thick, ugly tears rushed out of him. He sobbed out something that was supposed to be I love you, kiddo but sounded more like a distressed whale song. He hugged back tightly, very aware of the fact he was crying all over both of them, but there wasn’t much he could do to stop it.

“Paaaapaaaaa, noooooooo!” Danni choked out, getting teary eyed. He squirmed his way out of the hug and off the bed, fixing his hair and straightening out his clothes even as he fought back sniffles. “I've been missin’ for so long, t'ey're gunna t'ink I'm in trouble.”

“Go on, Danni. I'll handle your Papa. Tell Dorian we love him too.” James smiled and curled Casper in closer to him.

Danni beamed, blew them both a kiss, and headed out the door, only to door an awkward little shimmy back in side, snatch up his milkshake glass, and bolted back out.

---

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Tori was about to highlight the intrusiveness of her thoughts to Sabine, but her speech got stuck half way out as others started to speak, asking for clarification of what happened both with regards to Nemo and their resident psion. Everybody else was acting normal, so Victoria guessed that only she... overheard? Overfelt? Overthought? what went on in Sabine's head. Weird, but then again, only one other got pulled alongside for the trip down memory lane.

Before she could wonder whether Danni was experiencing the same thing, another alien thought entered her mind, making her stiffen and wince. It made her recall what Sabine told them about her life while they were in Casper's head. The two of them were different, but kind of the same. One mistrusted openly, one stealthily. For herself, she reacted with anger, resentment and rebellion when she found out. It made her wonder: If she knew about being backdoored from the get-go, would she be so ready to basically agree with the people who treated her like this? Lost in her thoughts, she missed another opportunity to ask about the predicament as Max took Sabine away.

Having lost the object of her most pressing thoughts, she rerouted them to the other topic of the conversation. "As much as I would love to pin this on the school, there's still a non-zero chance that Nemo is dead but just couldn't or wouldn't be summoned, right? I only have a passing curiosity as I hardly knew the man, but if it would put you at ease, I guess I could look into it some more tomorrow? I have nothing better planned than watching the circus." she offered.

Then, she grit her teeth and shut her eyes to the point of frowning as another thought floated over, on top of the constant stream of data and suggestions coming from Ultron as per usual. Ultron she learned to ignore over the years, but this was not data, this was psionics and Victoria had no idea how to shut them out. The inside of her mind was getting uncomfortably loud, to the point of scattering her own thoughts, not to mention that she was unwillingly invading someone's privacy. While that was not a concept she concerned herself with when it was justified, it was the unwilling part that bothered her. Though for once, she wondered how Sabine arrived to the conclusion that the violated party would not be the one lashing out the most. She certainly felt entitled to the most rage when Ed took over her mind!

Max then reappeared with Sabine in one piece, setting her mind at ease. Notably, Victoria was not picking up any more thoughts, so perhaps the whole situation was just a slipup and whatever conversation they just had settled Sabine down enough for it to stop? She supposed she should still talk to the psion about it, but it didn't seem as pressing at the moment - not as it could possibly unsettle her again.

Lacking a milkshake to comment on, Vicky instead finally addressed something else she was lacking. "Far be it from me to complain about your hospitality, mr. Gray, but could I have my suit back? This place already feels like its trying to crush me and this-" she picked at the PJs "-Is a bit uncomfortable. Unless it would involve trading favors with another wizard. I have had enough of that for one day."

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The day had already been more eventful than it ever had been intended to be - and unfortunately, the same could be said for the night. Reunions decades in the making had competed for emotional space with sudden loss and confusion, with a number of disqualifications from the contest that threatened to fracture what small bonds had been formed, and strangers turning deep, fundamental trauma into a childish prank. For most, any number of these factors would have warranted an early bedtime, particularly with the Contest of Champions - the culmination of everything they had worked for - coming with morning's light.

But these teens were built different.

And definitely addicted to caffeine.

The Kingston-Gray parents had announced lights out roughly an hour ago, bidding their charges a good night's sleep - including some additions to their numbers who the Vision had been all too happy to entrust to their care. Of course, our heroes weren't the only ones having issues the night before the contest. The Young Avengers had somehow stumbled across a 100 year old cold case and appointed themselves in charge of finally laying a spirit to rest. Meanwhile, Tommy was MIA, Billy and Teddy had gotten into an argument, and Kate had gotten the archer's version of the bends from stress. They too desperately needed sleep.

Perhaps the students from the other schools were having a similarly hectic night. That was all the Vision dared hope.

In the attic of the Kingston-Gray house, used partially for storage but also as a designated 'teen zone,' the new-new Excelsior team sat in a circle, soft blankets around them like capes, pillows on the floor for cushioning, soft lighting from up above, and a multitude of snacks for everyone to partake in. Even Gideon was present, having finally decided she'd had her fill of scrolling through GrindHer. It was all she ever wanted to do, but for some reason, her heart just wasn't in it tonight. And while she'd somehow failed her classes (despite Coulson auto-passing them all), she had trained for the contest with her fellow students for the past few months. She didn't know them super well and they didn't know her, but she cared about them. Kinda. Some more than others.

The light reflected off the tinted shades of her sunglasses, as her finger twitched for a joint, but instead just found the bowl of popcorn. "Sooo... What's next on the docket then, huh? We gonna play Spin the Bottle or something?" Her gaze focused briefly on Andy, before she leaned back slightly, clad in a wife beater and boxer shorts.

April turned bright red at the suggestion. Of the people in the circle, two of them were her ex-girlfriends and as much as she had been the one to initiate the break-up, it still fucking hurt. She still missed the way that things had been. There were still moments where she wished she could take it all back, and just be a little bit unhappy instead - just feel a little bit like a third wheel in her own relationship. And then, of course, there was her cousin (?) Andy, and Danni and Dorian were basically her brothers, and Percy was Dorian's boyfriend and also a boy, Gideon was hot but too old (she was like 19!) and then Vicky... Vicky was the last person in the world April would ever want to kiss.

"N-no way!" she blurted. "Umm, what if we played something else like... Frogger, maybe? Or Never Have I Ever? Or we could go pick out a board game, Dori, Danni, what do you guys have besides Uno? Or we could do Hide and Seek but... Maybe that's a bad idea, since we're supposed to be asleep, and I don't want your parents to kick us out - well not that they'd kick all of us out but Leah, Sabine, Gideon, and I technically are supposed to be at the hotel so... Two Truths and a Lie?"

None of those options sounded particularly appealing to Percy. Of course, everything sounded a little strange to him. It was hard to describe. It was like the difference in sound quality between a preciously maintained vinyl record and a bootleg recording taken on a phone, only applied to language rather than sound. He could understand everything everyone was saying, but the quality had dropped - as if the words themselves had acquired a haze to them, a fog that would not dispel. It was coupled with a slight gnawing ache, a soft emptiness, as the world shifted slightly out of perspective - everything a bit to the left, not quite as it should have been.

Or maybe it was all in his imagination.

"I'd rather mafia." He liked deduction games. Particularly ones that involved murder. It was a bit macabre, sure, but it was visceral and exciting. And it was hardly the only children's game to deal with death - so many rhymes and songs showcased it, too. There were games about the plague. What was wrong with a bit of healthy murder between friends? He fought the urge to yawn. On top of the mild discomfort, he was also just incredibly tired. It'd been a long day. And he knew the next day was only going to prove even longer.

Sabine, meanwhile, had taken all this into account. It occurred to her that each person had varying levels of sleepover experience. Leah, more than likely, had never done it. April probably did with Danni and Dorian. Vicky didn’t. Percy likely didn’t. Andy maybe, but she doubted. The games were cute suggestions even if it was painfully obvious why Gideon suggested Spin the Bottle. There had to be a game they could play that was your typical sleepover fare while also being mindful of people’s comfort levels. After all, she didn’t want to make people more uncomfortable given….recent events. And then it hit her. It was perfect.

”Girls, Gays, and Theys, those are cute suggestions, but I have something better in mind. We can even set up some ground rules to make things more comfy for everyone, but you can’t beat a classic. I am talking Fuck, Marry, Kill,” Sabine said, with a devilish grin.

She had played this game before back in school in France, but she knew from endless high school romance movies that it was a classic for a reason. ”We can start it off simple. Or, as simple as it can be. So let’s do…..Doctor Strange, Vision, and Captain Marvel. I’ll go first since I got the ball rolling. I would Fuck Captain Marvel because, obviously. Marry Doctor Strange, it wouldn’t be boring, and kill Vision because…well that’s the only option I have and he sort of freaks me out a bit. Who’s next?”

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The moment Gideon suggested Spin the Bottle, Dorian's eyes went wide with panic.
Not only was he extremely taken by Percy, but Danni was his brother, the rest were all girls, one of which was April who was his best friend. It'd be weird to kiss any of them except for Percy. Before he could speak up, April had already begun to combat that idea. Thankfully, though she did suggest they get other games to play and while Dorian could phase down to grab a few, he mostly played VR games which he figured the rest of the cast wouldn't exactly want to play after the whole Arcade deal. ”Oh Mafia's fun! Or One Night Werewolf, or maybe even Secret Ultron.”,He finally chimed in, adding on to games similar to Percy's suggestion.

He really wanted everyone to have a good time. It seemed a lot had happened to Leah and Sabine, April had a breakdown again, Vicky seemed weirder than usual after she shut down earlier, and Andy had gone off with his father. So much had happened in such a quick amount of time…he just wanted the night before their big competition to be perfect. Lucky for them, they had a Sabine. She seemed to know how to rally everyone's attention and start a game with no fuss. Although…as soon as she spoke the three names, Dorian became visibly uncomfortable. His fingers reached for the Cotton Candy colored Kandi bracelet on his wrist and tugged at the elastic within. ” ‘ow am I supposed to choose? Ones my mentor, t'e ot'ers…well let's just say Visions is complicated, and well I guess i ‘ave no issues with Marvel ‘cept she's a girl.”

He couldn't marry or fuck his father's colleague's, especially not one who mentored him and one who was the father of his old flame. That'd be weird right? And what if Pa found out? Dorian gasped. What if Strange found out? He'd be upset regardless of the answer. ”Fuck Marvel, Marry Viz, Kill Strange.” Dorian finally blurted out.

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Andy was in a good mood, which was wild considering she had been broken up with just a few hours ago. (Yes, she had been considering breaking up with Zari first, but it had felt out of no where coming from Zari.) Still in pj's, though a different set now, a short sleeved top and shorts and no gloves. Andy never wore such things. This was the most skin any of them had seen on her at any one time.

Andy had caught Gideon's look. She might have been the only one. Her cheeks warmed. The idea of kissing someone other than Zari had been foreign to her for months. Not just because they had been dating, but also because her touch had been dangerous. Now that she was free of all of that kissing someone other than stiff Zari sounded interesting. Andy let herself appreciate Gideon, as she did she thought about all of their interactions. They had been on the same original team together and Gideon had flirted with her almost constantly, but Andy had mostly ignored it. With the new sense of freedom she was interested in her. However, the game ideas shifted. At least it was to one Andy knew about.

She hummed thinking over the choices. Of the three Vision was the most complicated, he was in a weird way her ex-brother-in-law. The other two she had little personal ties to. Captain Marvel was the easiest, she'd have sex with her no issue. Andy tapped her chin. Doctor Strange and Vision she didn't have much desire to marry or kill. "Eh, Fuck Captain Marvel," She said. "I suppose marry Doctor Strange and kill Vision." She gave a bit of a shrug. She picked it that way mostly because marrying her ex-brother-in-law seemed really gross.

Max Eisenhardt, Erik Lensherr, Magneto, the Master of Magnetism, Founder of Genosha, sighed as he rose to his feet, his knees creaking from the simple motion. These days he preferred to glide rather than walk, metal woven into the fabric of his clothing serving to support him, relieving the stress of gravity upon his system. He had told himself he would wait for the morning, but his messages had gone unanswered. There had been no response from his wayward son, Maximilian Gray, as to whether his daughter had spoken to him. Granted, he had inquired only ten minutes ago… but Magneto was not a patient man.

Not that he considered himself much of a man, having shed such a human vestige aside long ago.

He paused at the front doorstep of the Kingston-Gray house, eyeing the door knocker with irritation. He hated engaging with that thing. “Maximilian. Open up,” he said promptly, causing the knocker to strike against the door thrice with a wave of his hand. “It is urgent, young man.”

Andy heard the knock as she was passing from one room to another. She also recognized the voice. Quickly she went to the door. ”Hi, I think Max is in the living room.” Andy stumbled over her greeting, realizing she didn't know what to call him, Magneto, Eric, or even dad?

Magneto frowned at her sharply. “Did you speak with him?” he asked immediately, before his expression softened. He had missed her so. “I worry for your safety, my dear.”

“Ah, no. I'm sorry. Things got a little chaotic and James is not available. I know I should still but I was looking for a quiet time when I wouldn't be a bother.” Andy admitted. She stepped aside. “I suppose now works.”

His frown returned. She wanted to wait for when she would not be a bother…? “Andy, with what you told me, this is of the utmost urgency and importance. If I cannot convince you to care for your own wellbeing, then consider this - there are mutant children under this roof, ones who lack your strength and resilience. I do not doubt that you would return from the cold door of death - it is them who I fear would not. Come, let us find Maximilian and bring an end to your suffering.”

Andy froze, she hadn't thought about that. She suddenly felt incredibly guilty for it too. She should have said something before the whole seance thing. Since she hadn’t, now she had to deal with the consequences of that. “You're right.” She gestured in the direction she thought Max had gone to read.

Framed by the archway that lead into the living room, lay Maximilian Gray. His head resting on the armrest of a dark leather couch, his feet propped up atop the opposite arm rest, and a book precariously places on his face appearing to be only a quarter of the way read through. Ghostly Actions at a Distance: A Novice's Guide to Quantum Physics A book by Reed Richards. One arm was still lazily pressed against the corner of the book from where he had been holding it, the other limped off the side of the couch, grazing the rug beneath.

Magneto stared at his chosen son for a moment. Had it been Pietro, he would have been far less kind. What he did now was a mercy. Without even a gesture, pots from the nearby kitchen began to bounce up and down, creating a clatter that he was certain would wake the dead. “Maximilian,” he said firmly. “Wake up. I have need of you.”

Andy couldn’t contain the snort of laughter. The method of waking Max up was too funny. Part of her wanted to admonish Magneto for the action, but she had already laughed. There was no going back now. The rest of her hoped he would never have to wake her up in the same manner. That had to be terrifying to wake to.

Where Max once lay, was now a black hold for a brief moment. Another appeared into the hallway, a book in one hand, magic swirling in the other. He tried to say something akin to “Who goes there? What's happening” but the words were groggy, half asleep. His lips smacking several times before the magic dissipated from his hand and he used it to run the sleep away from his eyes. ”Erik, couldn't you simply…I don’t know, send a text? I've had a very long day and now need to learn Quantum Physics a top it all.”

Magneto’s eyes furrowed. He could have pointed out to Maximilian that he had, indeed, done such a thing. But he was a dramatic man, and thus, required dramatic actions. “Andy is at risk of killing each person in this home if you do not attend to her right now. I assume you have no wish for further blood on your hands - nor do we have the ability to resurrect our own without consequence. Attend to her. Now.”

Andy winced. Magneto was right. She had messed up by not saying something sooner. She quickly started filling Max in so he didn’t think she was murderous, on purpose. “I have been sleep walking. I,” She paused and took a breath and swallowed. “I killed someone while I did it. Also, I found out during registration that I am cursed. These things are hopefully connected.” She really hoped so anyway. There was the possibility that the curse was what had happened earlier in the day. Or it might be older than that.

Max snapped the book closed and in the same instant it appeared atop the coffee table in the room next door. He took in a deep breath, made his way over towards the kitchen, poured himself a coffee, and then came right back before holding up a finger telling the pair to wait. After a long drink he finally spoke. ”Of course I will tend to her Erik, not only because you asked but because she's family. Andy, why didn't you come to me with this sooner? I could've helped you out alongside the teachers at Strange Academy right after the exam. But, since we're here now…let me take a look at this myself.” The necklace from before appeared once more around Max's neck. Stepping closer to exam Andy as he spoke both to her and the air around them. ”So you say there's a curse that's been placed on you? Any information on the how or who? Where it may have originated?”

Magneto settled slightly, as Max began to get to work on the matter of Andy’s curse. There was one person in particular who came to mind, someone who he would have been all too happy to pass judgment on once more. She was the reason his people had been denied their homes - again. The reason that so many had fallen, so many lives lost that Max, James, and the other one had had to snatch from the cold embrace of death. “I could wager a guess,” he said somewhat bitterly. “As I imagine you can as well.”

Andy raised an eyebrow at Max. Was he really asking her who was the most likely person to have cursed her? ”Three guess who and the first two don’t count.” She crossed her arms. ”There are like a dozen reasons why I didn’t say anything between finding out I was cursed and now. I was planning on talking to you about the sleep walking. I promised,” she paused and looked at Magneto. She still doesn’t know what to call him. ”That I would. However, between heading off to get registered, Zari breaking up with me, dinner with everyone, the seance and all that happened because that failed, I really didn’t have time to. Then you went off to ‘read’ and I didn’t want to bother you.” She was getting a bit more exasperated as she explained why she hadn’t had a moment to spare. Everything between Zari breaking up with her and dinner was sort of a blur too. Andy looked back to Magneto, ”Zari went home. I didn’t even get a chance to talk to her, she just said bye and left.” She shrugged. Since the two of them had discussed Zari a bit earlier she figured he wouldn’t be all that upset that Zari was gone. Andy took a deep breath. ”If the curse is not from what happened today with Selene, then I think it is from when she turned me into a vampire.”

Max had finally finished assessing the magics surrounding Andy. A tired sigh escaping him once more. ”Well, we'd all be spot on the money for who placed it most likely. It is a Vampiric Curse. Likely one placed by Selene herself when she turned you into a Vampire, actually its probably what turned you. Listen Andy, things are almost always hectic here in this household. I mean you've met my kids, and more importantly Casper. So don't hesitate to talk to me whenever you need something especially if its important. Youre never a bother you hear?” He gave her a stern look before looking towards Erik and then the door. ”You up for a bit of a walk? I don’t want to mess with this curse directly when I know another Sorcerer who can. Brother Voodoo is used to dealing with curses and breaking them. What's more New Orleans is, or was, no stranger to Vampires for a time. Something my colleague also has experience in. So if anyone could help break this curse it would be him.”

“If Selene should ever darken our doorsteps, she will know no end to the pain and agony that I will inflict upon her,” Magneto vowed. It was good that Selene couldn’t die. Death was not a suitable punishment for her.

Andy was half tempted to tell Magneto that Selene was in Max’s possession now. She decided instead to just say, ”Yeah, I’m fine with going for a bit of a walk.” She didn’t want to miss any of the fun planned for the rest of the night, but she also really wanted to get this fixed.

Max quickly shot Ben a text message saying ”Going out for a bit to deal with a curse that popped up. Keep an eye on the kids while in gone. Love you.” Before pocketing his phone. ”Alright then, luckily he both resides, and hangs around, nearby Bourbon Street. Which so happens to be where we live by. So it wont be far though…i should give him a heads up to meet us somewhere.” He grabbed his phone once more, sending a message to Brother Voodoo now. ”Meet us at the Court of Two Sisters. I need your help breaking a curse ASAP.”

Max’s phone buzzed almost immediately, with a red heart emoji from Ben, followed with a be careful.

Only seconds later, another reply came in - this time from Brother Voodoo. How bad? Omw. Usual bullshit?

Andy pulled out her own phone and sent a text to Dorian, ”Going to deal with something. I’ll explain later. With your dad, and mine.” She figured at least one of the others should know she was stepping out so they didn’t panic when they couldn’t find her. She’d explain to Dorian later why, after it was fixed and he wouldn’t have to worry about it.

”Ready when you are.”

Max shot back a response as he made his way out, placing a hat on his head from the hat rack beside the door, an entire outfit following suit. His usual yellow long coat swaying in the breeze as he exited the home. ”A bit higher than the usual bs, but nothing we cant handle.”

Leaving the spacious yard of the Kingston-Gray Estate and making their way down the brick streets of New Orleans, Music blared and the night life had already began to bloom. Somehow livelier than the day time, lights lined the buildings as others had already begun to drink. He led them to a now closed restaurant, one he liked to frequent for breakfast when no one was in the mood for cooking. ”Voodoo should be here any minute. If anyone can help you Andy, its him.” Max said as he gave them both a look of reassurance.

Gotcha. You owe me a stiff drink, Gray, when the night is over.

Magneto refused to sit, hovering a few inches above the ground as he surveyed the restaurant, mentally cataloging every piece of metal within a mile of them. It was an exercise he did to quiet his mind, to reassure himself that he was prepared, no matter what happened. They were dealing with a curse Selene had placed on his child. He wanted to be prepared for anything. “Is this his establishment?” Magneto asked.

Stepping into sight as if he’d been there all along, a tall man dressed in linen, his hair held in locks, greeted them with a nod. As his gaze fell on Andy, his nose wrinkled. “Eww. That curse is rancid, lil miss.”

”You’re telling me,” Andy said, she had somehow kept herself from jumping at Voodoo’s arrival. ”I’d appreciate not having to deal with it anymore.” Andy did not want to go into how much of her life had been upended because of it. ”Max said you’d be able to take care of it.” It wasn’t a question, but there was hope in her voice. Hope that Max was right and that this was the end of it.

Brother Voodoo nodded. “I can. If you’ll step in with me, miss, I’ll get this taken care of. Closed practice - so gramps will have to wait outside. Gray too.”

”He's my dad, not grandfather.” Andy defended, but nodded. She glanced at Max for reassurance, even though he had brought her here, would he object.

Max nodded and motioned for her to follow him in. He trusted Brother Voodoo, and understood that not all of his magicks could be shown to others. It's why he chose this location, away from prying eyes and with a fully stocked kitchen should he need any last minute supplies to help remove the thing. ”You’re in good hands Andy.” He reassured her before using his magic to create a pair of chairs, table, and a metal chess board. ”Might take a while Erik, old magic usually does. So, care for a game or two?”

Andy nodded and straightened her shoulders, lifting her chin, she followed Brother Voodoo. Hopefully, soon she’d be free, she’d be able to hug people, to touch them again. Zari had been the one person who had seemed unaffected by her touch and she was gone. If this didn’t get fixed she’d never touch someone again and that was something she didn’t think she could handle.

Magneto raised an eyebrow. There was no greater way to spend the hours than a game of chess. “We shall see if your skills have improved, then,” he agreed, a jolt of nervousness moving through him as Andy left his sight. He took a seat at the table, and with just the movement of his eyes, he advanced his pawn forward, before settling back and waiting to see how Max responded.

Four games later, Brother Voodoo reemerged with Andy, wiping a bit of what looked like dust off of his shoulders. “Got it out. You’re all good, miss.”

Max stood up from his chair as soon as Andy came into view. Watching as dust blew off of Brother Voodoo. ”See? Nothing you couldn't handle. For your efforts –” He swirled his hand as a bottle of alcohol appeared within his grasp, handing it over to Voodoo. ” The best bottle of Mamajuana you can get. Straight from the Dominican Republic.”

Andy looked over her shoulder at Brother Voodoo, ”Thank you,” she said sincerely. Then she went over to Magneto and hugged him, she let her cheek touch his. Her first hug unafraid of hurting someone in six months.

“It’s my pleasure,” Voodoo told Andy, as he accepted the bottle from Max. He then nodded to everyone, and took a step forward and simply disappeared, as if he’d never been there at all.

Magneto didn’t notice, however. He was too busy embracing his daughter for the first time in too long. He hugged her back tightly. And very softly, he swore a vow in his native German, that he would never allow any harm to come to her again. “You’re safe, now, Andy.” Forever.

Andy didn’t speak German, she didn’t know what he said, but that was okay. After a moment she pulled away from the hug and looked at Max. She was smiling, for now she wasn’t scared. ”I’m ready to go back to your place.” She removed her gloves, and tucked them away. She might not need them anymore, but they could still be useful. ”I’m sure the others are wondering what is going on.” She had promised Dorian she’d explain, but maybe she’d just start with a hug.

Upon returning to the house Andy said goodbye to Magneto and then ran to find the others. Without saying anything she tackled Dorian into a hug. ”Guess what.”

Dorian was shocked to get a hug from Andy, but that didn't stop him from giving one in return. Squeezing her tight as he pulled back slightly with a quizzical look on his face. ”What?”

Andy held up her hand, showing the gloveless hand and wiggling her fingers. ”The whole vampire thing was a curse by my mom and your dad took me to see Brother Voodoo and he got rid of it.”

”Wha? Ah…No fair! Pa never let's me meet Brot'er Voodoo!” Dorian gasped before fully taking in what Andy had said. He pulled back, gripping her arms and looking at her with wide eyed astonishment. ”Wait! You can touch?!” He asked before pulling her in for a tighter hug, likely knocking all the air out of her lungs.

Andy giggled, and nodded her head. ”I can,” she said with what little air was left in her lungs. When he loosened his grip she said, ”You’re my second hug. The first went to my dad.”

Dorian tried not to be offended that he was her second hug. It made sense Erik would be the first…but still. ” ‘ow long do you t'ink before anyone notices you aren't wearin’ your gloves?” He teased. It'd be like a fun sleepover game. See how many hints Andy could drop before someone finally figured it out.

Andy grinned. ”Oh, this will be fun. I want to change clothes though. I’ve been repressed in full length clothing for far too long.”

Max chimed in, a smile on his face at the idea of what he was about to suggest. ”Sounds to me like someone needs a whole new wardrobe.”

Andy wanted to protest. Wanted to say that wasn’t needed. She certainly wasn’t going to get rid of her jacket. A lot of her gear was set up for the powerset she liked that being her lightning. But she also was ready for a new wardrobe. She did want to change things. Not because she was changing who she was, but because everything she owned was barely something she was happy to wear. It had been a point of contention with Dorian, Danni and Sabine. So she wanted to defend her clothing. But Max could give her a whole new wardrobe without compromising her style. She wouldn’t lose herself. She would just be leaving what she didn’t want anymore behind. So she nodded. ”Please, if you don’t mind.”

In her lab in Los Angeles, Dr. Dominika Novikova’s life was in shambles. She’d been sleeping here for the past few weeks, avoiding the haunted ruins of her home. Her wife - soon to be ex-wife - could remain there. Dominika had no interest. Both of her children were out of the house, and they’d find out soon enough - perhaps sooner than she had hoped. Diana was in crisis, and so was Percy. She’d spent the last few hours making phone calls and strategies for her daughter, and in the back of her mind, working the problem that her son was facing. Dominika had sent Max some reading recommendations, and now that she’d had a chance to look through her own personal Zotero library, she was ready….

… with absolutely fucking nothing.

She couldn’t fix this with a snap of her fingers. And she wasn’t sure the wizard could either.

Dominika pulled out her phone and shot off a text to Max, letting him know she was ready to portal over - whenever he was.

Max's phone vibrated, as he pulled it out of his pocket he saw the message from Dominika. A long exhausted sigh leaving him. Fuck. He threw his head back onto his pillow that he'd reclaimed for the couch. The day had been exhausting already. He was glad to have his kids back home, but to have 6 others on top of them and already have a telepathic incident within the home, all the cursed things that happened at the exams, on top of an actual curse placed on a friend…the last thing he needed was to add Quantum Entanglement into that mix with his son. He'd tried reading the book Dom had suggested, but it wasn't exactly a subject you can learn in an afternoon.

With another sigh he sat up on the couch, placing the book to his side, and opened a portal for Dom to enter through.

Dominika stepped through a moment later, pausing for a moment as she took in Max. He looked like she felt - like absolute shit. “I’d offer you something strong, but I’m not sure it would help,” she said dryly. Drowning herself in a bottle at the end of the night sounded like a good plan, even if she doubted the alcohol would dull the thoughts racing through her mind. “Where are the kids?”

”Its a dry house I'm afraid.” Max replied as he closed the portal behind her. Standing up from the couch and nodding towards the outside. ” Full house I'm afraid. The others are upstairs but I had Ben and the boys wait out back for us so we could have a bit of privacy. Don't need their business being told to every kid at Margaret Carter now.”

She grimaced in sympathy. A full house and a dry house? She wouldn’t have been able to stand it. Although today she found herself accepting things as part of her reality that were otherwise unimaginable. Before she moved towards the outside, though, she hesitated for a moment. “I don’t have a solve for this - not yet,” she then admitted, shame flooding her. “But I will find one,” she promised.

Max gave her a tired smile. A look of understanding deep within his eyes. He could bend reality to his whim, but even he wasn't able to “fix” this. And what parent wouldn’t do anything for their kids? ”We can't solve all of our kids' problems for them. But…we can give them the tools needed to fix their own mistakes, learn, and be better. I actually took inspiration on how to solve this little matter from you and another kid who's here tonight. We may not be able to solve this entanglement, but we can dampen it. Suppress it. Maybe further down the road you and I can find a way to single out the entanglement so that is the only piece being suppressed.”

Dominika raised an eyebrow. “You want to put collars on our children,” she surmised. It was… an extreme measure. And there were certain safeguards that would need to be put in place. But it would be hypocritical of her to not see the merit - she had a power herself that could not be controlled, forcing her to wear quartz glasses to avoid directly gazing on another living soul.

”They won't be collars, nothing so obvious as to mark them. But measures must be taken to ensure this entanglement doesn't develop further. They can look like friendship bracelets if anything. No one would question or suspect a thing. Danni's already made some for his friends this year so it's not out of the ordinary.”

She was silent for a moment. She had her suspicions as to exactly how her son and his boyfriend had become entangled, but the school hadn’t called them with an explanation - just the disclosure. Did she trust Max Gray to put a device on her only son? “They have to be able to remove them by themselves - nothing that locks,” she stipulated. “And I need to be able to look you in the eye to know if I can trust you to put that on my son.”

Max smiled. He knew she was just being protective over her son. He'd do the same thing if the positions were reversed. ”Dom, you're more than welcome to use your powers on me. I have no intention of harming your son, neither does my son. The bracelets will be like your usual ones we'd have made as kids. An elastic banding underneath to allow for easy removal with colorized beads to match their personal aesthetics. It'll even have each others names on them so it appears to others they simply gifted them to each other tonight as a step in their relationship. I may not be an expert in Quantum Physics, but I know my way around how kids think.”

“Thank you,” Dominika then paused. When she was younger, she would have to ask for someone to help her put the glasses back on - the images would be so overwhelming, staring into infinite possibility. Now that she was older, with kids of her own, she had a higher success rate at forcing herself to close her eyes - roughly 48%. She took a breath, before removed her glasses, and she saw Max.

A minute later, she staggered backwards, forcing the lenses back over her eyes. She panted slightly, catching her breath. “Alright. Let’s talk to the little Romeos.”

”Guess I cant be that bad then.” He asked playfully before nodding to the direction they needed to go.

“No worse than Wanda,” she smirked slightly. “Although some interesting fashion choices…”

Max lead Dominika through the hallways of the house, exiting past a checkered tile floor that was the patio and past the stained glass door into their backyard. A firepit was off to their right, chairs encircled it as the light from the fire colored the faces of those already present with a warm glow. Dorian appeared nervous, despite knowing this wasn't something they could've possibly known about. Max made his way over and took the seat across from the boys.

Percy sat there stiffly, the only signs that he was still alive being the slow ride and fall of his chest, and the shredded mess the bed of his left thumb had become as he attempted to self soothe. He hadn’t seen his mothers since Thanksgiving. And it shouldn’t have terrified him for them to come, given that the entanglement didn’t concern him. But… his moms could be intense. And he didn’t have a framework as to how they’d react to this beyond one word: extreme.

His mother Maria wasn’t there though. That made things harder. Both his mothers were difficult to read, but one was better at reading him than the other - better at reading anyone. And secretly the one that he preferred. He couldn’t bear Dominika being disappointed in him - or angry with Dorian.

“You must be Dorian,” Dominika said, as she took a seat next to Max. And then, having almost forgotten, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small photograph. “I’ve never met one of my children’s boyfriends before, so I thought I would start off on the right foot and give you this.”

Percy’s eyes flared.

His mother handed Dorian a baby photo.

What was she playing at?

“Mother, that isn’t why you came all this way,” Percy scoffed. “Not with Diana hospitalized.”

”But Perce you look so cuuuuute!” Dorian cooed as he examined the photo. Though why she gave him it he wasn't exactly sure. ”I uh…I dont ‘ave a gift for you t'ough… to be ‘onest I wasn't expectin’ to meet you until t'e ‘olidays.” He said sheepishly.

Max cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow at Dom. ”Now that pleasantries have been had, I think it may be best we move on to why we are all here. Especially since the boys should be sleeping soon. They have a big contest tomorrow.”

Dominika knew what she was doing. She knew she struggled with people. And she knew that Percy’s boyfriend probably would not like her very much after this conversation. She was blunt, direct, and harsh - qualities that were not generally prized. A little bribe would hopefully offset that. “You two have entangled on a quantum level. I cannot reverse it yet, but I will. I have my theories as to how it happened. And it is important that it does not continue to happen, so… The fix,” Dominika paused. “Is of your father’s design. We will suppress it by suppressing its origin - the mixing of your abilities.”

Somehow, Percy became even stiffer. His heart rate accelerated. Were they about to be forbidden from seeing each other? That was unacceptable. Were they going to be instructed to abide by abstinence? Also unacceptable. His eyebrows furrowed as his face settled into a glare. “Absolutely not,” he huffed. “You will not keep me from him.”

Dorian's hand went to Percy's in an instant. Squeezing it tightly. There was no way his father would suggest such a thing right? Right? They couldn't keep them apart, how would they? Dorian wouldn't leave the school and he doubted Percy would either. Even if he did his powers were teleportation, so they could meet up. Or he could steal a sling ring from the Academy down the road!

Max shook his head. In all these years he'd have thought Dom would've moved past her almost emotionless tact when handling situations. ”No one is forbidding anyone from seeing each other. What your mother is attempting to allude to is that in order for your powers to not further entangle each other. They'll need to be dampened. An extra layer of protection if you will.”

“Yes, an extra layer,” Dominika emphasized. “Not the sole layer.” She hadn’t had this conversation with Percy. She mentally added it to the agenda - after solving the entanglement and seeing her daughter through treatment.

The anger in Percy’s body went straight to his face as heat. ”Non fecimus… fecimus… Quidnam accurate significatis per "protectionem"? Quoddam genus chirothecae quanticae?”

Ah. He was flustered, and by the sounds of it Dom hadn't had the talk yet. Luckily they had Casper, his diagrams, and untold amounts of stories. ”Attenuator potentiae. Facultatem tuam utendi viribus tuis supprimere poterit. Aliquid discretum quod alii non in dubium vocabunt si id in te viderint. Nunc curabo ut unumquodque tibi clavem imponam. Itaque cum simul esse cupitis, simpliciter attenuatores permutate et accendentur. Simile est commutationi armillarum Taylor Swift. Kandi, si recte memini.”

Percy couldn’t get any redder. Max knew?? No one knew about that. He felt the subtle weight of the bracelet Danni had made for him under his sleeve. Had Danni figured it out and told Max? He breathed in quickly, his brain glitching. “Quomodo scivisti me Taylor Swift amare?” he whispered, horrified.

”Secreto meo respondebo. Oculum Odinis possideo, viribus magni Agamotti fabricatum. Itaque veritatem prorsus video. Nihil ab oculis meis se celat, nihil nimis parvum praetermittitur. Praesertim Swiftie.”