𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐝𝐞 || 𝐗-𝐌𝐄𝐍 ||

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟔

˗ˏˋ꒰🃏꒱

The next morning, Milo couldn't shake the memory of Jean's kiss. The fact that she had kissed her back gnawed at her insides, making her feel queasy. She dressed quickly, barely pausing to think, and headed downstairs in hopes of finding some clarity—or at least a distraction.

As she hurried down the hallway, she felt someone grab her arm and pull her into a room. Reacting on instinct, Milo spun around, her claws extending with a swift snikt, ready to strike—only to stop inches from Asher's face.

"Asher!" Milo gasped, her heart pounding in her chest as she quickly retracted her claws. "What the hell?"

Asher held up his hands defensively, his face pale. "Whoa, whoa, easy! It's just me," he said, still eyeing her claws warily.

Milo took a step back, trying to calm her racing pulse. "You can't just sneak up on me like that!" she snapped, though the anger was more at herself than him.

Milo retracted her claws, her body still tense from the sudden adrenaline. As she scanned the room, her eyes landed on familiar faces—Harper, Margo, and Andi—all standing in various states of concern.

"Thank God. Asher, close the door," Milo told Asher, who nodded and quickly shut the door behind him.

"Are you okay, Lo?" Harper asked, her voice laced with concern, watching as Milo walked over to the bed and flopped down face-first.

Milo groaned into the mattress before turning her head to face them. "I did something bad last night, like... really bad."

The group exchanged confused glances, curiosity filling the room.

"Did you finally break up with Hank?" Harper asked cautiously.

Milo shot upright, her head whipping around to glare at Harper. "No! It's not that!" she snapped, exasperation clear in her tone.

Harper raised her hands defensively, eyes wide. "Okay, okay, not Hank! Then what was it?"

Milo sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair as she sat on the edge of the bed. She felt the weight of the previous night pressing down on her chest. "It's... Jean," she admitted, her voice quieter now.

Asher leaned against the door, his arms crossed, watching her with a mix of curiosity and concern. "Jean? What about her?"

Milo hesitated for a moment before blurting it out. "We kissed. Like... I kissed Jean. And she kissed me back. It wasn't just a mistake. I don't know why I let it happen, but—"

Harper's eyes widened in shock, and she exchanged a glance with Margo, who raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Andi, sitting in the corner of the room, looked equally surprised.

"You... kissed Jean?" Harper asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "Like, Jean Grey? The same Jean who's always in your head?"

"No, a different Jean—yes, that Jean," Milo muttered, running a hand through her hair.

Harper's eyes widened as she glanced at the others in the room, their expressions mirroring her own shock. Then she looked back at Milo, unsure how to respond at first.

"You mean Jean Jean?" Harper asked slowly, still trying to process it.

Milo nodded, groaning as she flopped back onto the bed. "Yeah, that Jean," she repeated, voice muffled by the pillow.

Harper blinked, looking at Asher, Margo, and Andi, all of them just as speechless.

"How did you end up kissing Jean?" Asher asked, his eyes narrowing as he watched Milo, who kept her face buried in the pillow, muttering something incoherent.

Harper, sensing the need for clarity, moved over and gently pulled Milo up like she would a little kid. Milo sighed, sitting up and finally glancing over at Asher.

"We were drunk," she admitted, her voice quiet.

Asher crossed his arms, not quite satisfied. "That still doesn't explain how it escalated into kissing Jean."

Milo groaned, rubbing her forehead. "I don't know, alright? One minute, we were talking, the next... it just happened. I didn't even think."

 She paused, shaking her head. "I was missing Hank, frustrated, and Jean was just there. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I miss Peter, but you don't see me getting drunk and kissing someone—" Asher started, but his sentence was cut short by a swift smack on the arm from Andi.

"What? I'm just saying," Asher added, raising his hands defensively as he looked at Andi, who rolled their eyes at him.

"That's not the point," Andi shot back. "You're not helping."

Milo let out a groan, sinking back into the bed. "Thanks for that, Asher," she muttered sarcastically, her voice muffled by the pillow again.

"Sorry," Asher shrugged, though he still didn't quite get why it was such a big deal.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Asher walked over and opened it to see Storm standing in the hallway.

"Milo, Harper. Charles wants to see you in the lab," Storm informed them, her tone calm but urgent.

Milo exchanged a quick glance with Harper, and the two nodded, getting up from their spots. They mumbled their goodbyes to the others before following Storm down the hall

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