… Raven (Rachel Roth)
The Queens apartment was dead silent when the portal closed behind them.
Comforting, almost welcoming.
Raven didn't like many places — didn't like many people, either — but this little, dim apartment she shared with Aidan and, for now, Robin, was the closest thing to a home she'd had since ending up in this world. And today, more than ever, she needed that.
Correction: he needed it.
Aidan walked in and, before she could even say a word, threw himself onto the couch like a tired kid. Or a wounded soldier. Or a needy idiot.
A needy, cocky idiot who dropped his head right into her lap the second she sat down, letting out an exhausted sigh like the universe weighed more than his shoulders could handle.
"Finally", he muttered, turning his head to press his cheek against her leg, as if testing the softness.
Raven raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Robin, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watched the scene with an expression caught somewhere between boredom and amusement.
"I'll leave the lovebirds alone", she said, her tone playful before disappearing down the hall and closing the bedroom door with a soft click.
Aidan didn't move.
Raven ran her fingers through his hair. Slow, almost mechanical. Like muscle memory, not affection.
But it was.
"You're not gonna ask what happened?" he said, eyes still closed.
"Don't need to", she replied. "You came back in one piece, and everyone who matters is still alive."
He gave a small, humorless laugh.
She kept running her fingers through his hair, eyes fixed on some random spot on the wall.
Truth was, she'd thought of a dozen things to say — comforting words, sarcastic ones, even annoyed ones. But none of them matched what she saw in him right now.
Aidan was a lot of things.
Shallow, dramatic, with an ego bigger than the whole damn apartment. He acted like he knew exactly what he was doing, always smiling like everything was part of some brilliant plan.
But she knew the truth.
She knew it was just a front. That he usually didn't even think about his next move. That deep down — way down — there was still a part of him stubborn enough, and dumb enough, to believe he could do whatever he wanted and walk away untouched.
"None of what happened was your fault", she said firmly. More to cut through the silence than to protect his ego.
"I know that", Aidan replied, but his tone was different.
He wasn't defending himself. He wasn't wallowing.
He was accepting it.
"But I was naïve", he went on, sliding an arm around her waist like it was the only anchor he had left… or maybe just taking advantage of the moment. "I ignored what kind of world we're in. Forgot that to them, anything different is enough reason to hunt you down. And being stronger than them just means they shoot first."
Raven didn't answer right away.
She understood better than anyone else on that jet. Better than Ororo, Jean, even Charles.
Because she'd been through it, too — knowing that every step forward felt like a threat to others, and that any sign of weakness could be a death sentence.
"Then learn fast, idiot", she finally said, her hand still in his hair but her voice firm. "You don't have room for naïveté anymore."
He smiled, almost despite himself.
"You're terrible at comforting people."
"And you're terrible at pretending you don't care."
The pause between them stretched for a few seconds.
Until Raven raised an eyebrow, feeling his hand slide somewhere it definitely shouldn't be.
"Get your hand off my ass, pervert."
"My heart's hurting, Raven", he said in the most overdramatic tone imaginable, without moving an inch. "Don't I deserve some spiritual relief?"
"Idiot", she shot back, rolling her eyes. But the truth was, she didn't push his hand away. Just stayed there, pretending to be mad as usual. "Go to sleep. Your heart heals with rest."
"Let's sleep together."
That was all he said before sitting up and, with surprising smoothness for someone so exhausted, scooping her up into his arms.
Raven protested — well, pretended to. Her hands lightly pushed at his chest, her feet still brushing the floor for half a second before she gave in. She let out an indignant sigh that fooled exactly no one.
"You don't need to carry me. I can float, remember?"
"Yeah, but that kills the romance", he replied with a grin, walking toward the bedroom like he hadn't blown up secret bases just a few hours ago.
They reached the bed, and he practically collapsed onto it with her, both of them sinking into the mattress as Aidan pressed himself against her like an oversized, clingy cat. He buried his face in her chest with a content sigh and left his weight there like he never planned to move again.
"You're unbearable", Raven said, her voice muffled by his hair. "Clingy, spoiled, needy. A clinical case."
"Yes, Miss Roth. All true, and yet you still put up with me."
"Maybe I'm just waiting for the right chance to smother you with a pillow."
"Fair, but at least I'd die happy."
Raven let out a quiet laugh — the kind that only happened when she was with him. When no one else was watching.
They stayed like that for a while. His breath against her skin. The dark room with the distant sounds of the city filtering through the window.
She ran her fingers through his hair, twirling the strands with a gentler touch than she'd like to admit. And when he finally lifted his head to meet her gaze, those intense blue eyes locked onto hers.
Raven didn't have to think about it.
She leaned toward him naturally, like it wasn't something they'd both been expecting for a long time.
She kissed him.
Aidan didn't say a word — which was a miracle in itself. He just kissed her back, pulling her closer without any rush.
And the kiss didn't stop there.
The firm pull of Aidan's hands drawing Raven nearer became two, then three, a silent chain of moments where words stopped mattering.
He pulled her onto his lap, his body pressed against hers in a mix of urgency and tenderness.
His hands slid down her back, slowly lifting her shirt as if he wanted to memorize every inch of her skin.
Raven didn't back away — in fact, she deepened the kiss, hooking one leg around his waist and digging her fingers into his shoulders.
The sighs grew quieter, the breaths shorter. The heat between them built, along with the tension that had been there since the day they met.
Raven could already feel him hard beneath her. This was exactly the kind of moment that could easily tip over into something more if she let it.
But she didn't.
With one last lingering kiss, Raven pulled back, keeping her hand on Aidan's chest.
"That's enough", she said, her voice low and still a bit rough. "You need to sleep."
He bit his lip, frustrated and sulky as always, but didn't push it.
He never did with her.
"You've got a special talent for ruining my best moments, you know that?"
"I'm efficient."
"Cruel too."
She shrugged.
"Go to bed, drama queen."
Aidan rolled to the side, letting out an exaggerated sigh like the world had lost all meaning. But before settling down, he leaned back in and rested his head on her chest, curling into her again like he was an inevitable extension of Raven herself.
"You're my official pillow now."
She sighed, running her fingers slowly through his hair, and for a while, everything was quiet.
His breathing gradually slowed, his muscles relaxed, until finally, he fell asleep.
Raven stayed there, holding him, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
… Nico Robin
Robin woke to the faint morning light cutting through the curtains like a lazy dagger. Sitting upright in bed, back straight, eyes already fully alert — because unlike most, she wasn't the type to need time to wake up. She was the type who woke ready to run, fight, or read a philosophical treatise, depending on the day.
The silence in the apartment last night had been… unexpected.
She'd assumed the room next door — where Raven and Aidan had disappeared into right after coming back — would be, let's say, audibly active.
But as the night dragged on and the silence stayed the same, Robin had to reconsider. No bed creaking. No stray moans. Not even a breath out of rhythm.
She'd even thought about using her powers to take a quick peek like she usually did, but the survival instinct that had kept Robin alive far longer than any archaeologist had the right to live whispered "No".
The kind of "no" that came with a mental image of Raven snapping her spine with solid shadow while Aidan grinned and asked if she wanted to join.
Robin dropped the idea.
Instead, she slipped on the black shirt Aidan had left on the chair — he never seemed to remember to put things away — and went to make tea.
But what really caught her attention that morning wasn't the silence — it was the clarity.
It was as if every piece of basic information about this world had been cataloged overnight. Technical terms, transportation systems, government structures, historical concepts, technologies… all there. Not like she'd read a book, but like she'd always known it.
An artificial familiarity, yet real.
Robin raised the mug slowly, staring at her reflection in the liquid.
"This is new."
There was logic to it, of course. Ever since Aidan had marked her with that strange stamp, she'd known it wasn't just a symbolic link. The small, discreet tattoo right above her pelvis — a spot that required either absurd trust or a very specific situation to notice — was proof enough.
And Robin wasn't naive.
He called it a contract, but contracts always had fine print. She just chose not to ask — because at that moment, having an anchor in this new world was worth more than an instruction manual. The alternative was going back to being a lone fugitive with a target on her back, or a wanderer in an unfamiliar world with someone even worse than the Marines hunting her.
At least here, there was no Navy. The World Government would never reach her.
And Robin could, finally, be something close to… a free person.
As much as her new "captain" allowed, anyway.
She took a slow sip of tea, still processing everything — when she noticed it.
The reflection in the microwave door.
Eyes… a bit brighter. Skin… a bit smoother. The fine lines around her mouth and eyes… subtly softened. Nothing dramatic. But for someone like her, trained to notice details to survive, it was impossible to miss.
"I'm younger?"
The thought came out quietly, without panic — just a thoughtful kind of surprise.
An update, maybe. A side effect of the stamp? A perk from some ability tied to the "contract"?
Robin smiled softly, turning back to the window as the steam from her tea curled lazily upward.
Of course there were side effects. Of course Aidan hadn't mentioned them. And of course she'd accept it in the end.
After all, it's not every day a woman gets to start rewriting her story… in a body a few years younger.
… Ororo Munroe (Storm)
Ororo moved through the mansion's halls with her usual grace, but every step seemed to echo in the tense silence hanging over the place. The walls, so used to the laughter of students, the hum of powers being trained, voices debating strategies or learning something new… now felt like they were watching.
Ever since they'd returned from the last mission — or confrontation, depending on who you asked — no one had been looking at each other the same way.
Scott was shut down. Jean, withdrawn. Logan even grumpier than usual. And the rest of the students… well, they just watched from a distance, measuring every move, as if they could sense something inside the mansion had cracked in a way you couldn't see.
Ororo was supposed to be a guide now. One of the adults. The teacher.
But even she found it hard to fake authority while that lingering doubt still gnawed at the back of her mind.
Had Aidan done horrible things?
Possibly.
But what if she had been in his place? If it had been her students — the ones she swore to protect — kidnapped? Humiliated? Used as bait?
She caught herself picturing the storm she would've unleashed and the destruction she would've left behind.
And the image didn't scare her.
She was lost in that thought when voices cut through the hallway.
"Professor?" Jubilee called, hurrying over with her usual restless stride. Kitty followed right behind, and Rogue trailed further back, arms crossed like she didn't want to admit she was curious too.
"You look different", Kitty said, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Like… younger?"
Ororo blinked. Her steady gaze faltered for a second. She raised an eyebrow, trying to keep her tone calm.
"Young as in… rested?"
Jubilee didn't hesitate. "No. Like… smoother skin, brighter face. Like you just took a five-year vacation all at once."
Ororo gave a short, nasal laugh. Was this their idea of cheering her up?
"You're exaggerating."
"She's not", Rogue finally spoke, leaning against the wall with narrowed eyes. "She's dead serious."
That was enough to confirm something was actually off.
Ororo turned away, finally glancing toward the window beside her.
Something was different.
The doubt became certainty when she stepped into the hallway bathroom. The mirror stared back with the image of someone five — maybe almost ten — years younger. Same white hair. Same firm posture. But time… time had rolled back in ways almost imperceptible.
But to her, they screamed.
"How…?" she whispered to herself, fingertips brushing the side of her face.
And then the answer came.
Not with logic. Not with proof.
But with instinct.
The same feeling that comes before thunder. That warns you of a shift in the wind before a single cloud forms.
Aidan.
What the hell was that idiot up to now?
… Aidan Quinn
Waking up with Raven curled against my chest is, officially, the best antidote for any guilt I pretend not to have. A gentle — and slightly sarcastic — reminder that, despite the chaos, I was still winning. Or at least, hadn't lost anything that really mattered.
So what did I do?
Spent credits like it was therapy.
[You captured Nico Robin (T6) - One Piece]
Credits earned: 30.
The 72 hours were finally up, and Robin's capture was official.
And with an extra 22 credits for the defense compatibility bonus between [Trace] and [Stress], my total jumped to 52.
And, being the responsible person I am (heh), I immediately started setting everything up for a perfect integration.
First up is [Paper Trail].
Nothing's more irritating than bureaucracy. This perk fixes that. Now Robin's got an ID, a passport, a college degree (history, of course), a fake work history, and a bank account with a decent balance. She's even technically already paid taxes.
Impressive? Yes.
Creepy? Also yes.
But the important thing was — it worked.
I also grabbed [Grail Knowledge]. Because as brilliant as she is, I didn't want to see her picking a fight with the microwave. Now she knows exactly how to use a coffee machine, what "unstable Wi-Fi" means, and the difference between laundry detergent and fabric softener.
Welcome to the 21st century.
And since I was already in a generous mood, I went ahead and grabbed [Talent Sharing {Money}] — just to make sure she had financial sense. Robin strikes me as the type who'd invest in the stock market for fun and dismantle the banking system if she felt like it. So it only felt right to hand over the keys.
Naturally, Raven and every current and future girl in my crew gets access to the same perk, along with [Psychic].
Now, if you think I stopped there…
Of course not.
[Everlasting].
Because after days of chasing, bleeding, explosions, and Charles Xavier's lectures, nothing felt more fair than buying eternal youth like it was a milkshake.
The perk's simple: If you're over 25, your body resets. If you're under, you keep aging until you hit that point, then stop.
Aging? Gone.
Wrinkles? Never heard of them.
Emotional responsibility about time? Denied.
I could say it was a strategic move, that I thought long-term about its impact in future conflicts.
But no.
I bought it out of pure indulgence.
Because in that moment, lying there with Raven still asleep and Robin in the kitchen, I just wanted a reminder that I could — and did — do whatever I wanted.
And, honestly, that made me feel a hell of a lot better than any victory against Hydra or Trask.
Nothing like curing an existential crisis with magical consumerism.