[Third Person Pov]
Jean, having finished her quiet conversation with Professor Xavier, turned back toward the group and cleared her throat slightly to draw their attention. "The other part of the team is already on their way to pick us up," she explained calmly. "The Professor sent them out as soon as we disappeared from Cerebro's radar. They should be arriving shortly."
"Are we really going to keep dragging this luggage around with us everywhere?" Felicia asked dryly, motioning her thumb toward Cain. Cain immediately shot her a sharp glare, clearly unimpressed by being referred to that way.
"For the meantime, yes," Scott replied, never taking his eyes off Cain. His posture remained tense, shoulders squared as if ready for anything. "The Professor will decide what to do with him once we're back."
"I don't want to alarm anyone," Gwen said, her tone cautious as her eyes scanned their surroundings, "but we're starting to draw a lot of attention."
The group collectively glanced around and quickly realized she was right. Having exited the Mirror Dimension in the middle of the city, they were now standing in full public view. Civilians had slowed to a stop, some openly staring, others already pulling out their phones. A few were taking photos, while several more were actively recording videos, whispering excitedly among themselves.
"Just smile and wave, boys," Peter said cheerfully, lifting both hands and giving an exaggerated royal wave. "Smile and wave."
Peter—and the rest of the Spider-Family—were far more accustomed to public attention, cameras, and unwanted fame. The same couldn't be said for the X-Men, who shifted uncomfortably. Years of secrecy and caution made this level of exposure deeply unsettling for them.
Thankfully, the moment didn't last long.
A thunderous roar cut through the air as the X-Men jet screamed overhead. The aircraft hovered low, its engines rumbling so powerfully that several nearby pedestrians stumbled backward from the sheer force of the wind.
The jet's rear hatch slowly opened, revealing a young woman standing confidently at the edge. She wore a green-and-yellow X-Men uniform, her brown hair streaked with two bold white fringes that framed her face.
"Well, what are y'all waitin' for, folks?!" she shouted, her Southern accent thick and unmistakable. "An invitation?! Get in already!"
Standing beside her was a boy with a distinctly devilish appearance—blue skin, wild hair, yellow eyes, and a long, pointed tail swaying behind him. With a sharp pop, he vanished in a puff of faint mist, only to reappear instantly beside Colossus and Cain.
Before either of them could react, he grabbed hold of them both and teleported again, the same popping sound echoing as they vanished inside the jet.
"Cool," Harry muttered in awe.
"Very cool," Peter agreed at the exact same time.
"We can teleport too, you know," Gwen added casually. With a flick of her wrist, she opened a glowing portal that led directly into the interior of the plane. One by one, everyone stepped through, emerging inside where the rest of the X-Men were already waiting.
"Oh, come on!" Nightcrawler exclaimed, his thick German accent immediately noticeable. "I vanted to show off and make—vat iz it you call it—a good first impression!"
"I already think you're cool, my man," Peter said as he passed through the portal, flashing Nightcrawler a thumbs-up.
Nightcrawler turned toward the others with an excited grin, practically glowing as he exclaimed, "Did you hear that?! The Spider-Man thinks I'm cool!"
"Yeah, good for you, Kurt," a short girl with brunette hair tied into a ponytail said flatly, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
"Sorry for ruining your performance," Gwen said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly as she closed the portal behind her.
"It iz fine," Kurt replied, trying to play it off with a shrug. "As the Americans say, ze river flowz under ze bridge."
He paused, frowned, and muttered to himself, "Wait… that izn't right…"
Gwen snickered, then smirked as she corrected him in German. "(I think the phrase you're looking for is 'water under the bridge.')"
Kurt's eyes immediately sparkled with delight.
"(You know how to speak German?!)" he exclaimed.
"(We all do)," the entire Spider-Family replied in unison.
Kurt let out an excited, joyful noise that he didn't even try to suppress.
Meanwhile, Scott made his way toward the cockpit where Beast was already seated at the controls. The large, blue-furred man glanced over and handed Scott a spare headset. Scott accepted it and took the seat beside him, finally allowing himself to relax—just a little—as the jet prepared to take off.
"If everyone would please take their seats and strap themselves in," Beast announced, his voice refined and articulate despite his imposing, blue-furred appearance. He adjusted a few controls with practiced ease. "We are about to enter terminal velocity."
Peter glanced around the interior of the jet, finally taking a moment to properly register the X-Men who were present. He already recognized several of them—Rogue, Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, and Beast, of course. His gaze lingered briefly on the man with large, white feathered wings folded neatly against his back.
"Yeah… that's definitely Angel," Peter thought.
"So basically, we wasted our time coming to get you," Angel said with mild annoyance, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. "You guys weren't even in any real danger."
"Nope," Jean replied calmly as she fastened her seatbelt and leaned back, completely unbothered. "Thanks to Spider-Man and his team, we managed to take Juggernaut down fairly easily."
"Hm," Angel hummed, his attention drifting as he turned his head slightly.
His eyes landed on Felicia, who was seated beside him, relaxed and leaning comfortably against her seat. He studied her for a moment before a smooth, charismatic smile spread across his face. Extending his hand, he spoke with easy confidence.
"Nice to meet you. Most people call me Angel. What can I call you?"
"Taken," Felicia replied without hesitation. She still shook his hand—polite, but firm.
Jean immediately covered her mouth, and Rogue leaned closer to her as the two of them burst into quiet snickering.
"Aww, better luck next time, sugar," Rogue teased, her Southern drawl thick as she continued giggling.
"I wasn't even hitting on her," Angel muttered, his cheeks flushing as embarrassment crept in.
"Yeah, right," Kitty added, grinning as she happily joined in on the teasing.
Angel turned back to Felicia quickly, clearly flustered. "Just to be clear—I really wasn't hitting on you."
Felicia lifted her chin just slightly, a confident smirk tugging at her lips. "I wouldn't have blamed you if you were."
Lizzy, Gwen, and MJ all rolled their eyes in perfect synchronization, shaking their heads in shared exasperation.
"Come on, Angel," Scott said from the pilot seat without even turning around. "These are our guests. Try not to embarrass us or give us a bad reputation by being rude."
"I wasn't trying to be rude!" Angel protested, throwing his hands up. "And I wasn't hitting on her! It was just a greeting—I was being friendly!"
The rest of the jet ride passed in an atmosphere of laughter and lighthearted teasing. Introductions were exchanged casually as everyone began to relax. Those who had participated in the battle eagerly recounted how they had worked together to take Juggernaut down, drawing wide-eyed reactions and excited commentary from both Kurt and Kitty.
Before long, the jet descended toward Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, hovering briefly above the basketball court. Students scattered across the grounds quickly moved aside as the aircraft lowered smoothly onto the landing platform.
Waiting below was Professor Charles Xavier himself, seated in his wheelchair. He was being pushed forward by Bobby Drake—better known as Iceman—who was currently fully encased in ice, his X-Men uniform shimmering beneath the frozen exterior.
Even the Professor was dressed in his uniform as the jet's hatch opened and the Spider-Family emerged alongside the X-Men.
"By the way," Kurt said eagerly as he walked down the ramp beside Spider-Man, "could I maybe get your autograph?"
Thunderous applause erupted across the school grounds. Students cheered from the yard, balconies, and even open windows.
"Spider-Man! I'm your biggest fan!"
"Sign my shirt, please!"
"Ghost-Spider, can I take a picture with you?!"
"Nightwing!"
"Firestar!"
"What about us…?" MJ muttered under her breath, folding her arms and pouting. "Why isn't anyone shouting for us?"
"Because we're redundant," Felicia replied bluntly.
"Ouch…" MJ whispered, clearly wounded.
"Spider-Man… Ghost-Spider… Scarlet-Spider… Spider-Kat… Nightwing… Firestar…" Professor Xavier greeted each of them in turn before pausing and looking thoughtfully at Aria. "And forgive me, but I don't believe I know you."
"Arachnid," Aria said, bowing politely.
"Lady Arachnid," Xavier corrected warmly with a small smile. "I officially welcome you all to my school."
"Thank you for having us, Professor," Peter said, extending his hand. Xavier accepted it, and the two shared a firm, respectful handshake.
"Lady Arachnid…" Aria repeated, puffing out her chest proudly. "I like that. I always thought just 'Arachnid' sounded kind of plain, but Lady Arachnid is so much better."
She struck a dramatic pose. "From now on, I shall be known as Lady Arachnid!"
Xavier chuckled softly, nodding approvingly. "I'm glad the addition pleases you."
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