01. | chapter one
❝mutant and proud.❞
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Running around the Xavier mansion, Lydia was completely alone. It's not the most smartest decision to leave a ten-year-old child to roam a mansion by herself at night, but Charles knew that Lydia would be alright — she was extremely mature for her age. That, and she knew where Charles' secret stash of cookies were.
Lydia chased around a green puppy, one that she had created herself. Having the magic abilities that she possessed was great for whenever she was bored or lonely (which happened frequently when Charles was at University or Raven was off somewhere outside of the mansion as well) as she could just conjure up a toy or an animal and play with that.
Voices stopped Lydia from playing around and she ran towards the front door where Raven and Charles entered, looking to be in a heated argument.
"Mutant and proud," Raven kept mumbling, walking straight past Lydia.
Lydia watched the girl who was pretty much her sister walk away, before turning around to Charles with an eyebrow raised. "What's her problem?" She asked.
Charles rolled his eyes. "I flirted with a woman and Raven went off."
Lydia just shrugged. "Jealous."
The two of them walked towards Charles' study room so that he could study for his upcoming thesis for university while Raven brushed her teeth in the bathroom. Lydia sat down on the couch and let a little green light dance through her fingers as she let out a huff, bored once again.
"Mutant and proud," Raven spoke and then continued to brush her teeth. "Mutant and proud?"
Without looking up, Lydia said, "She's obviously proud of who she is."
Raven spat out her toothpaste and sighed. "If only."
Lydia got up off the couch and ran up to Raven, pulling her in for a hug. "I love who you are, Raven, abilities and all."
Raven hugged her back and kissed her head. "Thanks, Lyds." Lydia let go and walked back to the couch, sitting herself back down onto it. "Would you date me?" Raven suddenly asked Charles.
"Of course, I would," Charles spoke in an instant. "A young man would be lucky to have you. You are stunning."
"Looking like this?" Raven asked.
"Like....what?" Charles looked up at Raven, a confused expression on his face. "Blue?" Raven looked down at her feet. "You're my oldest friend—"
"I'm your only friend." Lydia cleared her throat. "Well, you only have two friends."
"And I thank you two for that," Charles chuckled lightly.
"Well?"
"I'm incapable of thinking of you that way. I feel responsible for you. Anything else would just feel wrong," Charles stood up from his desk and went to sit down beside Lydia.
"But what if you didn't know me?" Raven asked.
"Unfortunately, I do know you. God, I don't know what's gotten into you lately," Charles looked up at Raven. "You're awfully concerned with your looks."
"Girls tend to feel that way, Charlie," Lydia told him. "Especially in their teenage years."
Raven walked towards the couch and took a seat beside Lydia, then leant against her which caused Lydia to lean into Charles. "I'm being squashed," Lydia coughed.
Raven didn't respond or move herself away from the girl. "I'm sleepy. Will you read to me?" she asked.
"I can't. I have my thesis coming up. I have to study," Charles told her.
"You can always cheat," Lydia pointed out.
"Fine, read that. Your thesis always sends me right off," Raven closed her eyes.
Charles sighed and then cleared his throat. ""To Homo neanderthalensis, his mutant cousin, Homo sapiens, was an aberration. Peaceful cohabitation, if ever it existed, was short-lived. Records show, without exception, that the arrival of the mutated human species in any region was followed by the immediate extinction of their less-evolved kind"."
Charles looked down at the two girls leaning against him, only to find them both fast asleep. He shook his head with a small smile. "Unbelievable," he chuckled lightly before looking back down at his thesis to continue to study