Lucien stood outside ridian Towers with three teenagers who looked like they'd been through hell and back. Which, considering where he'd found them, wasn't far from the truth.
Daniel was a nervous-looking kid with brown hair who kept glancing around like he expected soone to jump out at them.
Illyana had blonde hair and carried herself with the kind of confidence that scread trouble, though Lucien could see sothing guarded in her eyes. And Laura... Laura looked like she was ready to fight anything that moved.
"We're taking the stairs," Lucien announced as they entered the building.
"Stairs?" Illyana raised an eyebrow. "What are we, peasants? There's a perfectly good elevator right there."
"I want to talk to you guys a bit," Lucien replied, heading toward the stairwell. "Get to know each other before we're all living together."
The stairwell was empty except for their footsteps echoing off the concrete walls, but Lucien figured they could use the ti.
"So," he said as they climbed, "why did you guys choose to co with instead of going to the X-n?"
Silence stretched between them for several flights. Finally, Daniel cleared his throat nervously.
"I-I guess I'll start," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "So, the place I used to live in was devastated during a fight between the X-n and Juggernaut. Half my neighborhood got flattened when they threw a building at each other."
He paused, gripping the handrail tighter. "So I kinda have trust issues with them. Plus, I heard that all the ss our kind is in right now is because of so inner fights among the X-n themselves."
Lucien nodded. "That's fair. Thanks for starting us off."
He looked at Illyana, who was examining her nails with exaggerated boredom. "Your turn."
"Well," she said with a shrug that was just a little too casual, "you said we'd be restricted a lot at the X-Mansion. I don't like restrictions."
For just a mont, her face went completely serious, like she was rembering sothing that made her want to disappear. Then she snapped back to her punk attitude so fast it was almost jarring.
"Yeah, that's it. Plus, you did save us, so I figure you're probably not gonna sell us out to the highest bidder or whatever."
Lucien assud it was trauma from her ti in the facility, but little did he know it was sothing far beyond that.
All eyes turned to Laura, who had been silent throughout the entire conversation. She growled lightly under her breath before speaking.
"Fine," she said, her voice carrying an edge that suggested she'd rather be anywhere else. "You beat up when I went crazy. That's why."
"That's it?" Daniel asked, surprised.
"And what the blonde said," Laura added with a slight snarl. "I don't like being restricted either. Cages are cages, even if they're pretty ones."
Illyana's head snapped up at being called 'the blonde,' her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Blonde? At least I'm not like a wild dog or sothing."
Laura's growl beca more pronounced, and for a mont, Lucien could swear he saw the visual of a bear with a smirk behind Illyana and a wolf baring its teeth behind Laura.
Daniel leaned closer to Lucien and whispered nervously, "Am I the only one who can see that?"
"Enough," Lucien said firmly before the situation could escalate. "We're gonna be living together, so don't start fighting on day one."
Both girls scoffed at each other and pointedly looked in opposite directions as they continued climbing.
"You'll really like Anna," Lucien said, trying to change the subject. "She's around your age, and we've been living together ever since we escaped from our facility."
"Anna?" Illyana's voice took on that arrogant tone again. "So are you guys a couple or sothing?"
The question hit Lucien like a physical blow. He opened his mouth, then closed it, his mind racing. Were they? They lived together, slept in the sa bed sotis, and trusted each other completely.
But they'd never actually talked about what they were beyond friends and fellow survivors.
"We're..." he started, then stopped. "It's complicated."
"Complicated how?" Illyana pressed with the persistence of soone who enjoyed making people uncomfortable. "Either you're together or you're not. It's not exactly rocket science."
Laura snorted. "Humans and their relationship drama. Just fight or mate and get it over with."
"Laura!"
"What? That's how it works in nature. All this talking about feelings is inefficient."
Illyana was grinning now, clearly enjoying Lucien's discomfort. "So you live together, escaped from prison together, and now you're collecting strays like us. Definitely sounds like a couple to ."
"It's not..." Lucien tried again, but honestly, when she put it like that, it did sound pretty relationship-like.
"You're blushing," Illyana pointed out with obvious glee. "Oh my god, you totally like her and haven't figured it out yet. This is precious."
"Can we please change the subject?" Lucien asked, feeling heat rise in his cheeks.
"Nope," Illyana replied cheerfully. "This is way more interesting than talking about our tragic backstories. Does she know you like her?"
"I never said I liked her."
"You didn't have to. Your face is doing all the talking."
Daniel nodded sagely. "She's right. You look like a tomato."
Even Laura was smirking now. "The wolf pack accepts this entertainnt."
"I hate all of you," Lucien muttered.
"No, you don't," Illyana sing-songed. "You love us already. Just like you love Anna, but won't admit it."
They'd reached their floor, and Lucien had never been more grateful to see a door in his life. But as they walked down the hallway toward his apartnt, he heard voices coming from the direction of Galacta's place.
"That's weird," he said, slowing down. "Anna should be..."
The door to apartnt 2B opened, and Anna stepped out, followed closely by Galacta. Both girls were laughing about sothing, looking more relaxed than Lucien had seen Anna in weeks.
"Oh," Anna said, spotting their group. "You're back! And you brought..." She trailed off, taking in the three teenagers behind Lucien.
"Company," Galacta finished, her dark eyes imdiately cataloging the newcors with the kind of attention that suggested she was analyzing them on multiple levels.
"Anna, Galacta," Lucien said, gesturing to each in turn, "et Daniel, Illyana, and Laura. They'll be staying with us for a while."
"Staying with us?" Anna's eyebrows rose slightly. "All three of them?"
"Yeah," Lucien replied. "We got a big apartnt, figured we could manage."
Illyana stepped forward with a grin that was equal parts charming and trouble. "So you're the mysterious Anna. I can see why Lucien's so smitten."
Anna blinked in surprise. "Smitten?"
"Oh yeah," Illyana continued, clearly enjoying herself. "He got all flustered when I asked if you two were dating. Started blushing and everything."
"Illyana," Lucien said through gritted teeth.
"What? I'm just making conversation." She looked at Anna with obvious interest. "So are you two together or what? Because he seems to think it's 'complicated.'"
Anna's cheeks turned pink, and she glanced at Lucien with an expression he couldn't quite read. "We... haven't really talked about it."
"Well, this is awkward," Daniel muttered.
Laura just looked bored. "Can we go inside? All this emotional stuff is making want to hit sothing."
Galacta had been watching the entire exchange with obvious amusent. "I like them already," she announced. "They're going to make things much more interesting around here."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Lucien said under his breath.
"Co on," Anna said, pulling out her keycard. "Let's get everyone settled in before the neighbors start complaining about all the noise in the hallway."
As they moved toward the apartnt door, Illyana fell into step beside Anna. "So, just between us girls," she said in a voice that was definitely not quiet enough, "how long have you been in love with him?"
Anna nearly dropped her keycard. "I... what... we're not..."
"Right," Illyana said with a knowing grin. "You are not. Got it... Trust you~"
Lucien was beginning to think that taking the stairs had been a terrible idea.
.....
POWER STONE GOAL: 700 ( 1 Extra Chapter)
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