Marvel: The Journey

Storm had been busy writing in her diary when she heard somebody knock on the door.

"Hmm?" She stopped writing and glanced at the door.

* KNOCK *

* KNOCK *

"Ororo! Are you there?"

When she heard the familiar voice of Mystique, Storm placed the pen in the diary, closed it, and hid it safely in the drawer before closing it. Then, she stood up and walked toward the door.

Opening it, she saw the blonde-haired human appearance of Mystique and asked, "Raven? What are you doin—?"

However, Mystique interrupted before she could complete her sentence and pushed her inside before entering her room and closing the door behind her.

Storm was confused by her behavior and asked, "What're you doing?"

However, Mystique didn't reply. Instead, she narrowed her eyes at Storm and asked, "Are you in love with Starlance?"

"Wha—?" Storm was left dumbfounded after hearing her sudden question.

Mystique rolled her eyes and said, "Can I put it this way, then? Does your heart beat faster when you think of him?"

"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?!" Storm retorted in a hushed voice so no one outside would hear their conversation.

"Just tell me whether you love him or not." Mystique glared back at her in frustration.

"No!" Storm replied angrily, "I'm not in love with him!"

"What?!" Mystique was baffled by her reply.

Storm sighed and repeated, "I'm not in love with Starlance!"

"B-But, you constantly watch videos about him." Mystique's face contorted into disbelief as she continued, "You only read articles in the newspapers that have his name. When anybody talks about him, you reply enthusiastically with a big smile. Your classes somehow revolve around Starlance a-and.. and..."

Storm sighed and said, "It's not what it looks like, Raven."

"Huh?!"

"I've always been a fan of Starlance. Growing up in Egypt, I've heard numerous heroic stories about him and always wanted to be like him. After the whole thing with Apocalypse was over, I didn't know what to do, especially in the future. Of course, I became a teacher, but I didn't know what to do in the long term. Should I continue as a teacher? Or open up a business? Or do charity work? But then, I heard students discussing Starlance, and my childhood dream of becoming like him was reignited.

So, I did what every fan of Starlance would do. Of course, I also did it keeping in mind that people didn't trust me, and most, if not all, considered me a villain. Plus, his first impression of me wasn't what I desired. I wanted him to acknowledge me as a good person, as a hero, just like him. Not as an evil mutant that's hellbent on killing people just because they didn't want to worship her 'Master.'

So, it was like killing two birds with one stone.

I repeatedly watched videos about him to analyze his fights, moves, and speech patterns in detail and change them to become my own to distinguish myself from him without looking like a creepy stalker.

I wanted to find out what heroic characteristics he had that I lacked in mine. So, I read articles and took notes when I heard about how he treated people, good or bad, before recording their information.

I talk enthusiastically about him like a person is excited about their favorite game, manga, or anything else. And that's only so I can learn the mannerisms a hero should possess."

Mystique stared at her in disbelief and asked, "...That's it?"

"Yep.", Storm replied.

"Oh god!" Mystique's face blushed furiously in embarrassment as she murmured to herself, "T-Then... I-It was all in my head! I thought... I thought..."

She couldn't handle the embarrassment and quickly said before bolting toward the door, "I-I'm sorry for disturbing you!"

However, before she could open the door, her wrist was caught by Storm.

"Wha—?" Mystique blurted out while looking back at Storm but with her eyes stuck on the ground.

She thought, 'Oh god! Please! Let me go, Ororo! Let me go! I can't handle the embarrassment! My chest feels like it would explode!'

However, the words that came out of Storm's mouth calmed her down immensely.

"Umm... Raven? I wanted to ask some personal questions about Starlance since you are close with him." She asked timidly.

Mystique looked back at her in relief and bewilderment before replying, "O-Of course! A-Ask away!"

Storm let go of her wrist and pointed at the chairs beside her wooden table with a small bowl filled with chocolates and another small bottle filled with tea.

They sat opposite, and Mystique grabbed a chocolate from the bowl.

A few minutes later...

Storm's eyes were glowing brightly when she asked excitedly while jotting down the crucial pieces of information in her notepad and asked, "You sure I can do that?"

"Of course! The effect would be mind-blowing, I tell you!"

"Perfect!" She replied, giving Mystique the most genuine and radiant smile that could brighten up anyone's mood in seconds, "Thank you, Raven."

"You're welcome." She replied while throwing a chocolate in her mouth.

After jotting down the information in her notepad, Storm placed it aside and asked, "What about his house? I've never heard or seen anything about it."

"That's because," Mystique replied while eating the chocolate, "Nobody has seen it."

"What?!"

"Yep! Nobody, I mean, NOBODY has seen Starlance's house."

"H-How's that possible?"

"Starlance isn't dumb. He knows that things can get ugly pretty quick. His location can be traced, and several attacks could be launched on his house or, worse, his family. So, he does a neat trick all the time. After a fight, he flies back to New York, where his home is thought to be and vanishes in the blink of an eye. Not only does he vanish, but no cameras anywhere can record him either."

"T-That's really handy and convenient!"

"It is."

Storm nodded and asked, "What about his family? Is he married? Does he have kids? A brother? Father? Mother? Sister? Have you met them?"

"I don't know about his family. But..." Mystique slyly smiled and replied, "I know he's... single!"

"WHAT?!" Storm shouted and almost jumped out of her chair.

"Muhahahaha!" Mystique let out a villainous laugh, clearly enjoying her reaction.

"How d-do you k-know that?" Storm asked her with a shocked expression.

"Well..." Mystique smiled proudly and replied, "I know something even more interesting."

"Yes?"

"Don't say yes as if it's something trivial. Heck! Just being aware that he's single and unmarried would cause riots among the female fans. No. What I'm gonna tell you is something much, much, much more shocking!"

Mystique waited a bit to add tension to the atmosphere and whispered while staring at her in the eyes, "He's a virgin!"

"GASP!!!"

The blood froze inside Storm's veins as astonishment flashed across her face.

"What! You don't believe me?"

She gasped again, whispering, "How...? How can he be a virgin? I can believe that he's single, but a virgin? Seriously?"

Mystique laughed loudly and replied, "Hahaha! I had the same reaction as you when I found out. It's truly shocking and unbelievable."

Storm fell back on her chair and processed the new piece of information. She raised her hand, began counting her fingers, and said, "Let's see... He's not married, he's not engaged, he's single, and... he's a virgin. I-Is that true?"

She didn't accept what Mystique had revealed a few minutes ago.

However, Mystique clarified it, "Trust me. He's really a virgin."

Storm gulped, and an outrageous thought popped into her mind, which she cleared immediately. She had to make sure, so she asked, "Maybe... Maybe he's only saving it for someone special? Maybe he's still not married or doesn't have a girlfriend because he's saving himself for the right one?"

"Hm... I haven't thought about it that way. That sounds reasonable, but I don't think so." Mystique replied while opening another chocolate from the bowl.

"Why?" Storm asked her with a confused expression.

"Because," Mystique grinned and said, "The entire time I've known him, he had numerous opportunities but didn't make a move."

"Opportunities? As in multiple opportunities?" Storm was dumbfounded again as more thoughts and conclusions popped into her mind, "Are you sure? Or maybe something was preventing him?"

Mystique burst into giggles and shook her head, "Hahahaha! That's some imagination you have there. Who's gonna stop Starlance? Another hero? A government or an agency? Other than those three options, I can't think of anything right now."

"Or maybe... He wasn't looking for one-night stands."

Mystique narrowed her brows and explained in a serious tone, "Ororo, you really don't know Starlance."

She paused and corrected herself, "At least you don't know the real him. He has a heart made of ice. There were several opportunities in the past where women had thrown themselves on him. Hell, even I had seen those incidents countless times. But he didn't take them. No matter who it was, he wouldn't reciprocate their affection and feelings toward him."

Seeing the confused face of Storm, she elaborated, "As in, if it was a gorgeous actress with a body most men would die for, or a model, or even a pop star. Doesn't matter who it is. He wouldn't hook up or date them, no matter what. Do you understand now?"

Storm was awed, yet confused about it, and was thinking deeply when Mystique's following words made her snap out of it.

"Do you want to be the one?" She grinned and teased her.

"U-Umm... Umm.." Storm's cheeks flushed as she stuttered, "W-What?"

"Come on, now. Stop acting dumb and take it seriously." Mystique stood up and slowly walked toward Storm, "Just imagine it, a world-famous superhero with perfect teeth, full, thick hair, toned abs, and the sexiest ass any woman has laid eyes on. Just imagining it could make any woman wet down there."

Her face was now an inch away from Storm. Her sly grin was plastered when she whispered, "Do you wanna fuck with him, Ororo? Do you wanna make him yours? Break his ice heart? Be the one to claim his 'virginity'?"

"Umm... Umm... T-That's not the case—"

Storm tried explaining herself but was shut up by Mystique, who whispered, "Be the woman to make him groan and pant under you in bed."

"N-No, I—"

"Be the one he loves. Be the woman he would take to bed after he returns from a dangerous mission. Be the woman he would marry, bear his children, and have a nice and peaceful life."

Storm had enough of her teasing, and with her face burning red in embarrassment and frustration, she pushed Mystique away and shouted, "Enough!!"

Mystique fell back on her chair with a laugh and asked, "Hahaha! Are you jealous or scared that some other woman might snatch him from you?"

Storm remained silent for a minute to clear her mind. Thinking about what Mystique said made her feel irritated, and she knew what this irritation meant. So, she inhaled a deep breath and confessed, "I-I... think I have a crush on him."

"Oh?" Mystique slyly smiled and asked, "Are you sure about that?"

Storm sighed and nodded, saying, "Yes, I know how I feel about him. I don't love him, but I feel irritated when I imagine another woman with him."

"Then, be the one. Date him. I have all the information." Mystique waved the bar of chocolate in front of Storm and asked, "If you don't snatch him now, he will become somebody else's."

"But..." Storm sighed sadly and said, "It's not possible with me. I can't be the one to date him."

"Why?"

"Because... Why would he want to date a villainous mutant like me? Why would he choose a monster like me?" Storm said and closed her eyes as tears threatened to escape from her eyes, "The first impression he must have had of me must have been the worst thing."

"Girl!" Mystique leaned back in the chair and sighed as her face turned gloomy, "You really don't know many things about yourself. Listen up!"

She glared at her, "You are NOT evil. You are NOT a villainous mutant. The moment that purple shit tried to possess you. You resisted. You didn't give in and become its servant like other horsemen did. If that doesn't show enough of your character and the good person you truly are, I don't know what can! Don't worry; you can't be like other evil mutants, and nobody can change your mind except you. Okay?"

Storm slowly nodded in reply. She wanted to agree with her, but the question was if Val would accept her or not?

Seeing her lost in thoughts, Mystique knew that the day wouldn't end soon with only a small discussion. So, she added, "Look. You are overthinking things."

She got up from her chair and patted her shoulders, saying, "Don't worry too much. Leave everything to me."

"Okay, but.." Storm asked, "Why do you want me to date him? I didn't ask for your help for that."

"Because... " Mystique grinned evilly and said, "I want to see his face when he realizes I was the one who set you two up and made him lose his 'virginity.'

Muhahahahaha!"