The sliding doors to the medbay hissed open with practiced ease as Professor Charles Xavier entered, his wheelchair gliding silently across the tiled floor. Beast glanced up from his terminal, nodding once. Adrian, lying propped up in a reinforced medical bed, looked up with weary, amused eyes.
"Ah, the man himself," Adrian muttered. "Didn't think the big boss would come to check in on the bloody mess."
"It is in my nature to be thorough," Charles replied with a small smile. "Especially when someone claims to know about Logan's past."
Adrian snorted, wincing from the effort. "Still can't believe that worked. You guys really respond fast to name-drops."
Beast cleared his throat. "He was hemorrhaging internally when Kurt found him. Not just hurt—shredded. Without your warning to get there fast, he wouldn't have made it."
Xavier folded his hands. "That said, I came here not only to talk to you, Adrian. I came to offer something more." He paused. "The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters exists to help people like you. Mutants, metahumans, those whose gifts place them outside normal society."
"You're offering me a seat in Hogwarts for super kids," Adrian said, raising a brow.
Xavier chuckled. "In a way. But more importantly, training. Safety. Guidance."
Adrian's expression softened, but not completely. "I appreciate it. Really. But I can't stay. Too much personal things going on outside. Too many things I need to follow. People I have to protect."
"Then let me at least offer training. A few weeks, perhaps? Learn to control your abilities so they don't control or overwhelmed you."
Adrian nodded. "Training I can do. That, I need."
Charles leaned in slightly. "May I access your mind? A brief glimpse might help me understand how your power functions."
Adrian's entire body tensed. "No offense, Professor, but... no. Too many secrets tangled up in there. Some not even mine to tell."
Xavier didn't push. He gave a knowing nod. "Consent is essential. I won't ask again."
The Professor turned to Beast. "Keep monitoring his condition. Notify me if there are any... changes."
With that, Charles exited, the doors closing behind him. Adrian exhaled deeply.
"So," Adrian said, turning his attention to Beast, "Am I gonna explode anytime soon?"
Beast adjusted his glasses and swiveled back to his terminal. "Unlikely. In fact, your physiology is remarkable. Your cells are processing energy with incredible efficiency. It's almost as if... your body has adapted to store and convert energy through an internal network of vibranium microfilaments."
"Cool," Adrian said. "Still don't trust hospitals, though."
"Then it's good you're here. Rest. Heal."
One Week Later
Adrian stretched his back as he finally stepped out of the medical bay. A week of enforced rest was both a blessing and torture. The students gave him a few curious glances as he entered the cafeteria, especially with Peter waving him over.
"Yo! You're up!" Peter called, sitting with a group of students. A girl with pink hair blinked at Adrian.
"Wait, you're the guy Nightcrawler brought in? The one who tanked bullets?"
"I guess that's my thing now," Adrian said, sitting down. "Bullet sponge."
The kids chuckled. Peter leaned in. "Everyone here's been asking me about you. And also about me. They think I'm a mutant."
"Well, you are a genius and you're hanging out with a bunch of mutants," Adrian teased.
"Yeah, but they're cool with it," Peter said. "No judgment. It's... nice."
A few more students came over, striking up conversations. They were fascinated by Peter's intellect, and his open-mindedness quickly won them over. Adrian watched, quietly impressed.
Later that afternoon, Adrian found Logan in the kitchen.
"That smells like diabetes in a pan," Adrian muttered.
Logan flipped another pancake onto an ever-growing stack. "You want some or you wanna keep making snarky remarks?"
"Both." Adrian grabbed a plate. "And maybe a talk."
Logan tossed a pancake at him, which Adrian caught with the plate just in time.
"What do you want, kid?"
"Training," Adrian said, serious now. "The kind that hurts. I need to be ready. Next time I go down, I want it to be on my terms."
Logan raised an eyebrow. "You think you can handle that?"
Adrian answered by flexing his arm—the skin turning metallic and shining like tempered steel Adrian giving a confident smile of course.
Training Room, Later That Evening
Logan stood in the center of the training mat, arms folded. Adrian walked forward, dressed in reinforced gear, cracking his neck.
"Alright, show me what you got."
Adrian activated One For All 7%, muscle lines sparking with barely-contained power. Logan noted the surge with a grunt.
Adrian vanished.
Permeation let him phase through the ground and reappear behind Logan, swinging.
But Logan blocked with his forearm.
"Cheap shot."
Adrian flew up suddenly using Float, then dropped straight down, fists coated in Hardening, aiming for a seismic blow. Logan sidestepped just in time, claws out now.
Adrian dropped a Smokescreen, filling the room with dense fog.
"Gonna have to do better than that, bub."
A Warp Gate opened behind Logan.
Adrian launched through it, fists crackling with 7%One For All energy, and landed a powerful punch to Logan's ribs that actually made the mutant slide back.
Logan grinned.
"You really are full of surprises."
They went back and forth for another ten minutes—claws against quirk. Adrian's High Specs let him predict Logan's movement just enough to dodge deathblows, but Logan's experience was clear.
Finally, both stood panting, sweat dripping.
"That all you got?" Logan asked.
Adrian smiled. "Today? Yeah. But tomorrow? I'll have more."
Logan smirked. "Good answer. Training starts at dawn."
Adrian nodded, his breath steadying. For the first time in weeks, he felt something solid under his feet.
Not just survival.
Growth.