Lucan's eyes ran across the metal, sterile room, he sat tensely on an uncomfortable chair. His wings loosely hung at his side, pooling on the ground below like a cloak.
He was surrounded by a small group, Wolverine, leaning back against a wall on the far side of the room, Cyclops who stood by the door, and a woman, she was dark skinned and wore a white lab coat, her thick curly hair pulled back away from her face.
"Doctor Reyes," she introduced herself bluntly as she put on clear gloves with a sharp snap that made Lucan tense. "We need to get that wing put back into place, take some blood—"
Lucan stood, his metal chair smacking against the wall behind him with an echoing rattle that interrupted the doctor. Wolverine felt himself frown, his eyes narrowing
"No" he said, his voice firm and steady, rolling his shoulders back in discomfort. "No one is touching my wings"
Reyes didn't flinch, she only crossed her arms over the white lab coat. "Well then you won't be flying anytime soon,"
Lucan shook his head and tried to explain. "They can heal, they've healed from worse."
Reyes gave him a stern look that made Lucan feel like a child. "Yes, but have they been healing correctly? We just need to check, otherwise you might permanently damage them," she tried to explain.
Lucan shook his head, he was stubborn. "They can grow back after being cut off," he stressed. "If something's out of place, it will pop right back."
With a sigh Reyes nodded, a resigned look on her face, she wasn't going to get to do a check up on those wings, not yet. But she did pick up on something he'd said, Logan and Scott had clearly also noticed by the tense look that sprouted on their faces.
"So your wings," Reyes began, her tone far more gentle than before. "Have they been cut off before?"
Lucan clenched his jaw, he'd said too much.
He didn't even realise he'd clued them in, not until Reyes mentioned it. The teenager stayed silent, his back twinging uncomfortably as he felt all eyes on him.
Cyclops pursed his lips, he'd noticed the slip of the tongue but the silence, and the look in the boy's eyes confirmed it.
Reyes nodded at the silence, she'd have to note this all down, make sure he got some more help. "Okay, we can talk about that another time?" She offered.
Lucan only nodded, but he knew they were never talking about that, not willingly at least.
Reyes hummed "Well, we do need to take some blood, are you alright with that?"
Lucan eyed the needle and shrugged. "I don't mind"
Reyes nodded, quickly pulling a chair over and gently grabbing Lucan's pale arm, wiped it with a sanitation wipe and tried to insert the needle.
She sighed when instead of piercing the skin, it bent.
Without missing a beat, Reyes stood and grabbed an assortment of specialised needles, designed for mutant physiology. After several failed attempts, and a little gruff assistance from Wolverine, they finally had a small vial filled to the brim with Lucan's blood.
"What's the blood even for?" Lucan asked, curiosity suddenly running through him as he watched Reyes place the sample into some sort of machine.
Cyclops spoke up this time "Helps us find out what exactly your powers are."
Lucan blinked, giving Cyclops a blank stare. "Mine are uh…pretty obvious, no?"
Cyclops had a faint smile tug at his lips. "Not exactly, you could have anything going on inside, lots of mutants do" he explained.
Before Lucan could respond, Reyes spoke up. "The tests help us understand how your mutation works, how it changes you and let's us predict how it might grow and change with you"
Lucan hummed idly, his focus shifting as the door to the room opened with a mechanical whir.
In came a bald man, on a mechanical, sleek wheelchair. Lucan recognised him, it was-
"Lucan, it's a pleasure to meet you" Charles Xavier said, a kind smile on his face. "I'm-"
"Charles Xavier" Lucan interrupted.
Charles gave the teenager an amused smile "I'm glad introductions are out of the way" the older man clapped his hands together lightly. "Welcome to the school, I can give you a tour if you'd like?"
Lucan spent a moment thinking before he nodded.
"But maybe, we should get you some clothes first" Charles said as he eyed the boy, only wearing ratty sweatpants.
Lucan shrugged "No point, my wings will just get in the way"
"Ah don't you worry, we've got a teacher here with a very similar mutation" Charles revealed, Lucan pausing in shock.
"Someone else with wings?" Lucan asked, a predatory glint shining in his amber eyes. His wings fluttered as if readying themselves, the idea of someone sharing in his mutation…
It was a challenge,
Charles smiled "Yes, now come, I'll grab you some attire." He said as he started to wheel away.
Lucan followed, but his mind was elsewhere.
The skies were his.
—-
The winged teenager followed besides Xavier, his newly clothed form drawing quiet glances as he strode through the school's polished wooden halls. He wore a dark top that clung to his form like a second skin. On the back of the top were two, thin slits that allowed his wings free access.
He moved silently, his bare feet flexing powerfully with each step. He felt more connected to the ground barefoot, ready to take off at any moment.
Lucan's eyes shot around the passing students like a pinball, it wasn't rare to see someone with a very visible mutation. But a lot of the students just looked…normal.
That only made Lucan's feathers flutter, he stood out, and he liked that. The eyes of the students stuck on him like glue, drawn to his wings, his face and his bare feet.
Xavier suddenly spoke up "This hall is for the classrooms, but I assume you'll want to get settled first, let me show you to your room."
Lucan nodded, following Xavier down a quieter corridor, the noise of the busy halls fading behind them as they turned a corner. Soon they reached a sturdy door with the number 66 engraved into the wood.
"This is your space" Xavier said as he opened the door, revealing a room with surprisingly high ceilings, plain walls and a small bed, hidden away in the far corner. A large window pointed out towards the front garden of the large mansion. "Do with it, what you will"
Lucan walked inside, his eyes quickly scanning the space. The ceilings were high enough for him to spread his wings without scraping the plaster.
Good.
He walked to the window, big enough to climb out of if he needed to. He took in the large garden below, filled with students, some of them using their abilities in the open.
But it was calm.
Too calm.
"You'll find fresh clothes in wardrobe" Xavier said, "You'll also find a class schedule on the bed" Lucan glanced over, and found a piece of laminated paper with his new schedule printed on it laid on the bed.
A moment of silence passed, Lucan slowly taking in the new environment.
Xavier broke the silence, "I hope you can find a home here"
Lucan's gaze drifted from the paper back to Xavier. "We'll see"
—-
"Charles" Hank called, a furrow deepening in his blue, furry brow as he stepped in Xavier's office, clutching a folder in one of his hands.
Charles looked up from his desk "You've finished analysis on the newest sample?" He guessed.
Hanks eyes flicked down to the folder, shaking his head in confusion as he dropped it onto Charles desk. "Finished? I've just begun by the looks of it."
"Oh?" Charles asked, intrigued.
Hank flipped the folder, so it faced Charles and tapped a clawed finger against a chart. "There are markers here I can't trace to any known mutant genome, they're…well, they're unique and that's putting it lightly,"
Charles hummed, his sharp eyes quickly assessing the graphs and notes. "Do you think it's dangerous?" He finally asked.
"I think," Hank started slowly, "It's worth keeping an eye on"
Charles slowly nodded, his mind whirring. "Definitely worth keeping an eye on" he murmured, more to himself than anyone.