𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 || 𝐗-𝐌𝐄𝐍 ||

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗

˗ˏˋ꒰🃏꒱

The next day, Milo walked into Hank's lab, her heart still heavy with grief over Raven's death. She scanned the room but didn't see him at first.

"Hey, Mils," Hank's voice called out, pulling her attention. She turned to see him leaning against his workbench. For a brief moment, her eyes lit up, and a small smile appeared, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Hey, Dork," she replied, her voice soft but holding onto that bit of familiarity, trying to find solace in the routine.

"Do you wanna go to Genosha with me? I have a feeling that's where Jean went," Milo asked, noticing that Hank seemed a little too distracted, his gaze lingering on her for longer than usual.

"Earth to Hank," Milo teased, waving her hand in front of his face.

Hank blinked, snapping back to reality. "Yeah? What did you say?" he asked, clearly flustered.

Milo smirked, shaking her head slightly. "Genosha, Hank. I was asking if you wanted to come with me."

"I don't know, Mils," Hank hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. Milo's expression shifted slightly, and she shrugged, turning toward the door.

"Okay, fine. I guess I'll go by myself then," Milo said, already heading out of the lab.

Before she could take another step, Hank quickly grabbed her arm. "No! Wait—I'll go with you," he blurted out, his grip firm but gentle.

Milo paused, looking back at him with a surprised smile. "Really?" she asked, that rare spark of warmth crossing her face, a smile Hank hadn't seen since Raven's death.

He nodded, relieved to see her smile again. "Really."

"Do you just wanna go to Genosha to see Harper and Amelia?" Hank asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned against the workbench.

Milo paused, glancing away for a second before shrugging casually. "Um, maybe," she muttered, not meeting his eyes.

Hank nodded slowly, his mood noticeably shifting as he pushed off the bench. "Oh... okay," he said, his voice a little quieter now, the excitement from earlier fading.

"What? You think I can't have more than one reason for going? Harp—" Milo froze, realizing her slip. She had called Hank "Harper" by accident, the name of her missing friend. She bit her lip and looked away, suddenly feeling the weight of everything crashing down on her again.

Hank chuckled and shrugged it off. "Yeah, let's go," he said, stepping out of his lab with a nod.

Milo trailed behind him, her mind still clouded with thoughts of Raven, but she pushed them aside for now. "Alright," she murmured to herself, falling in step beside Hank as they made their way down the hall.

˗ˏˋ꒰🃏꒱

Scott rushed into Charles's office, finding Charles asleep on the sofa. "Charles? Charles!" Scott called out urgently.

Charles stirred, opening his eyes to see Scott standing over him. "Hey, Hank isn't in class, and Milo isn't in her room," Scott reported.