Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Daken Akihiro was a lot of things. He had done a lot of things. He had been raised to kill, and he had killed. Hell, he was even killing right that very moment. Normally he wasn't even a team player, but AIM had gotten on his nerves as of late, and plenty of others too. It was bad enough that they did the experiments they did, but stealing tech from Weapon X? That was a big mistake.

Sabretooth stood at the end of the hallway, sneering at yet another corpse at his feet. "Never did tell me how your tattoos stay with your healing factor."

"And I never will," Daken smirked, walking past him to Mystique's side. Their assassin was reading over the data files to ensure nothing was left behind, prepared to erase everything as soon as they left. Daken was also watching to make sure she did, and didn't. The information was fairly useful after all, and they both knew it. It was a nice game they played, that they all played. It was interesting to see who would come out on top...Both literally and figuratively. "Is that all of them?"

"No," she stated stonily, gesturing to the screen. "Apparently, they've already been experimenting with adamantium, mutant DNA, and more. They've made the 'ultimate weapon' down on the sixth floor. Unfortunately, much of the data's either been locked or lost. So, either you gentlemen need to interrogate some of the people here-" Victor cleared his throat, gesturing to the bodies in the hallway and Mystique pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a deep breath, trying to remain patient. "Or...We go investigate and get rid of the damn thing."

Victor groaned, his eyes rolling, "I swear, if it's another Deadpool clone with laser vision and transportation abilities, I'm going to blow this base."

"We're going to do that anyway," Daken reminded him.

"Fine, I'll nuke it," Victor growled. "I just need to kill something right now."

Victor Creed was occasionally enjoyable company. Daken and Victor sometimes had lunch and talked about ways to kick Logan's ass. And Mystique...Was far more than interesting. Daken had never met someone who was so much like him. Though they would likely always be playing mind games, it was a thrill to be around both of them, primarily her of course. Still, they were probably going to fight soon, not just whatever this thing was, but each other as well. It was every person for themselves after all, so no hard feelings.

At the door, the three of them were somewhat intrigued to find a door that was a blend of adamantium and vibranium. Just how someone made that was a major question on their minds, but it would have to be answered at a later date. Listening closely, Daken grimaced when he could barely hear a heartbeat inside. It was so quiet and calm, he almost could've sworn that whoever was in there was small as a puppy. He shared a look with Sabretooth, who was equally confused.

"Victor? Daken?"

"Are you sure there weren't any other details about what is in there?" Victor asked. "It sounds...Small?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Whatever it is, it's locked behind adamantium, and vibranium, and was labeled as extremely dangerous. So does size really matter?"

Sabretooth grinned, waggling his eyebrows, and Mystique elbowed him harshly in the groin, causing the man to buckle over in pain. One may have super healing, but that doesn't mean they don't feel pain. Daken narrowed his gaze, listening closely. There was a sudden noise inside, and footsteps approaching the door. Daken silently had Mystique halt her attempts to hack into the door, and knelt down so that he was level with whatever lay on the other side. Maybe they would burst through and, in his younger sister's words, 'eat his face off', but Daken had the strangest urge to place his hand on the cold metal. His palm touched it, and there was a dull thump and slight heat seeping through to him.

His eyes widened as the heartbeat became clearer, and he recognized what kind it was. "Mystique, Raven...Get down here, and place your hand where mine is."

Tentative, she did as he said, and her reaction was similar to his. Sabretooth quickly gathered what was happening. "Shit, that's a kid in there?"

"Two, maybe three years old at most by the size?" Mystique murmured. "I know how quickly kids grow. But, they could be like Laura? Maybe there's some accelerated aging?"

Daken was a lot of things, but hell, he had changed hadn't he? Maybe it was Laura and Gabby who'd had a hand in it. In his beginnings, he had killed his adopted brother out of rage and jealousy, and he'd regretted because his father, his true father, committed suicide because of that action. And now? Now Daken was going to help this goddamned kid he'd never even seen. What was this world coming to?

Sighing, he returned his hand to the door, thinking. "All right, if you can hear me, I'm coming to get you-"

The warmth left, and there was light scampering streaking across the ground in the other room. It stretched from the floor, up the wall, and onto the ceiling. Sabretooth cursed, causing the supposed child to stop, and retreat back into their little hole, away from them. Mystique glared at Victor. Speaking in a soft tone, she called out, "C'mon sweetie, we won't hurt you. You're safe now."

There was one hesitant clink, followed by another, and another. Then, there was a massive scent of fear, something only Sabretooth and Daken could smell. No, the scent was projected at them, warning them. Sabretooth roared, turning behind them to chase after gunmen while Daken grabbed Mystique, getting her around the corner. A hail of bullets was directed upwards, and a shadow fell from the ceiling, a harsh crash echoing in the halls. The shape didn't move for a moment, but when it did, it was slow, and it traversed backwards to avoid the impending doom while a soldier moved to claim them. Mystique ran forward, undercutting him and reaching for the kid, whose long hair cover their face. They were even smaller than Daken thought, their body able to fit in one of Mystique's arms.

She was frowning when the two returned to him, the child strangely unafraid, more curious than anything else. "She's got super healing. All her scrapes sealed up on the way here. Her ankle's probably going to take a bit."

To show him, Mystique gingerly showed him the blue and purple spotted joint. The child's expression twisted, and a growl burst out from their throat, not unlike a hound warning one away. Their small teeth revealed canines that were sharp enough to tear flesh from bone. Victor joined them, having hastily wiped away a majority of the blood, likely not wanting to scare the child too much. He likely didn't need to, since the kid probably already went through who knew what.

"Hey sweetheart. You remind me of my own daughter. Her name is Clarice."

Daken blinked. "You have a daughter?"

"She's adopted, but yes," Sabretooth grinned proudly. "Want to see pictures?"

Feeling awkward, both he and Mystique said no. How was he so sure this thing, er, child, was a girl anyways? Daken booped the kid's nose, who wrinkled it in irritation. "Now, who the hell are you made from?"

As he was pulling his hand back, tiny claws burst forth from her wrists and knuckles, causing them to bleed profusely. That wasn't what startled him. What did startle him, was the fact of how those claws were positioned. They weren't the three in a row like Logan's, nor positioned like two in the middle like Laura's and Gabby's. Nope, they were two on top, and one in the wrist. Just. Like. His.

Daken was a lot of things, but he was certainly NOT a father.

.

..

...

"Fuck."

Chapter Text

"Congratulations, it's a girl."

Daken had the profound urge to stab Victor...Repeatedly. Across from him sat the apparent two-year old, as Mystique could gather from the partially destroyed files, as she was silently playing with blocks. They had given her a damned haircut, with scissors not claws thank you very much, and put her in at least some tasteful clothing. Well, tasteful for a toddler. He narrowed his eyes at her, thinking of various paths he could take.

The simplest thing would be to dispose of her, so that no one would use her against him, but unfortunately, he'd actually grown some sense of morality, even as a sociopath. Damn it. He could also dump her with the Xavier Institute, who could help her hone her powers and give her better protection than he might, but it also had the tendency of exploding every other month. Laura and Gabby? They were constantly on the run, dealing with SHIELD, the Avengers, The Hand, etcetera. Leaving her with his on/off allies that he could semi-trust and had some idea how to raise a child?

...That would be Victor, Mystique, Fantomex, and/or Deadpool, and none of those were palatable options.

At his groan, the child peered up, tilting her head. Her pheromones sent him a silent worrying signal, a question if one had to interpret it. So far, it seemed to be her only method of truly communicating beyond growls or hissing. If Daken dared to admit it, he might say it, well, concerned him a little. He had almost forgotten what 'normal' children were supposed to be like, and while she wasn't exactly normal, she should still follow some stages of development.

He replied by thinking calmly, and her own scent calmed, whereupon she returned to her very important task of constructing some sort of building with the wooden blocks. Victor burst out laughing then, and Daken scowled. "And what's so funny this time?"

"Sorry, it's just...Well, you guys really do keep it in the family. I mean, Laura stabbed Logan the first time she met him, and so did you. Just now, she stabbed you when you two first met. Seems like a bit of a familial tradition, doesn't it?"

"I'm not her father."

Mystique clucked, "Technically you are. She's not entirely your clone. She is genetically half yours, and half of someone else's. So, she is truly your daughter. That probably explains why we didn't recognize her at first as yours, besides her being practically a baby and female."

"Who's the mother?"

Mystique sighed, glancing at the toddler who was quickly, and understandably, becoming bored with the blocks. She had made a series of towers and walls with them, a fortress of sorts. It really was hard to keep them distracted for long. "The files are too corrupted to get that. I can get a lead, but it might take some time. For now, Victor, play 'Clink' with her again? Not sure why she finds that so entertaining. I'd get bored of that, but it's probably similar to toilet paper tubes for other kids."

Victor Creed didn't seem to mind as he sat before the kid, his sharply pointed claws unsheathing before her. Most would be utterly terrified, but her? She sat up and squinted, pursing her lips for a moment. Creed stopped her, putting numbing cream on her knuckles and wrist, and then letting her push her claws out. She was obviously still confused at it, but relieved that it didn't hurt so much. The bone claws were tiny, maybe five inches each on the outside. In an odd way, they were like cat's claws, and Sabretooth grinned as he held out his hands, letting her practice 'clinking' her claws against his in a form of Red Hands, but with what would normally be deadly weapons. 

A vein was twitching in Daken's forehead, agitated by the repetition of sound. Please, someone stab him. Mystique watched the two, leaning towards Daken. "I had a son with Victor once. He was an asshole. He was born a human so we left him to a life of peace, but he came to hate us, assuming we abandoned him. He plotted the genocide of all mutants. You and I have seen that kind of thing happen before, and it's repeatable when parents, whether the parents believe it or not, aren't involved even the slightest in their child's life."

"Just because I'm her biological, non-consensual, donor, doesn't make me her father," Daken stated coolly. "I don't owe her anything."

"Fair enough, but she is going to ask questions, and she'll need answers. If you leave her with nothing, then she might end up like my son, or even like you," Mystique said. "She might not remember these moments, but your life will still impact hers. Just, think about it?"

Since when did Mystique go soft? Then again, everyone had shades instead of being painted in black and white, and Mystique was a rainbow of whatever she chose.

Daken raked a hair through his mane, thinking deeply. He had so many plans, too many, and none of them involved her. He had been so careful not to have kids, unlike Logan who had to have God knows how many over the centuries he's existed. And now, there was this little brat just complicating things. Normally he'd be able to overcome and adapt to anything thrown his way, but this? He was screwed, in more ways than one.

The child had finished her clinking game, tired and rubbing her eyes. Seeing them, she reminded him of Gabby, if only a little. But, her eyes and so many of her features looked more like his than Logan's or Laura's. The girl looked more like Daken, or Itsu. She had darker skin, and rounder features, but the latter was more likely a result of her youth than anything else. Mystique picked up the child as she let out a silent yawn, bouncing the kid on her hip.

"Sleepy, huh? Someone needs her nap."

The girl only seemed confused, and Sabretooth's expression, along with his clenched fists, showed his anger at that. That's right, she was being grown and trained as a weapon. Nothing of her childhood was going to be normal if they hadn't intervened. She probably never experienced that. And...Her powers, they weren't supposed to activate until either puberty, or under extreme conditions. For her to have them this early was more than alarming.

Mystique lay her down in a makeshift crib, and the kid was, yet again, blinking in alarm at the squishiness and softness of the mattress, but lay down in a fetal position, nuzzling into the covers and quickly falling asleep as if her life depended on it. Perhaps in her mind, it did. 

"We can't just keep her."

Daken made a choice. "The best place at the moment would be the Xavier Institute. She's safer there, the educational programs are relatively decent, and they'll be able to help her hone her abilities."

Sabretooth humphed, clearly not pleased with the decision, but not choosing to argue. "Can someone give her a damned name already? Something besides nicknames or 'kid'? It's really staring to get on my nerves."

When Daken started to ask Mystique for advice, she shook her head. "Oh no, she's yours. You get to name her."

Looking at her, he realized she didn't just remind him of himself or Itsu. He remembered when she warned them back in the base of danger, that deep down inside, even as young as she was, she held some honor in her. He hoped she would keep that with her. He hoped, she wouldn't be like him. He instead hoped, she would be like, even if only a little, like the most honorable person he'd ever known.

"Akiko. Her name, is Akiko."

After his father.

Chapter Text

"Don't know about you, but I could use a drink."

One would think the most immature person in the room would be the toddler. Instead, it was the adults who were screaming, yelling, and fighting. Mystique observed the youth as she watched Daken mock Sabretooth, subtly (not so subtly in her opinion) into a fight. The child's eye movements dashed back and forth, back and forth over and over again, confusion in her features. Mystique briefly wondered if Akiko, as Daken dubbed her, would ever smile. Shivering, she hoped the girl wouldn't smile like her father.

However, best way to prevent that, by preventing her from mimicking her parents as best as possible and NOT learning through examples. Putting the matching hat to the girl's outfit on, Mystique picked up the tot, grinning as wonder appeared on the kid's face when Mystique shifted. "C'mon, let's go have some fun while 'Daddy' works out some problems."

Akiko blinked, then pouted, touching Mystique's hair with a frown. Oh, this again. "Sorry kiddo, not playing that game with you."

She wasn't a toy for anyone's entertainment, thank you very much, not even this little one with her big eyes and chubby cheeks and how the ever loving fuck was this cherub-looking of an angel Daken's offspring?! Akiko was still disappointed, but didn't seem to push, instead sitting calmly on Mystique's hip. The shapeshifter left a note for the two guys, and left the hotel, brightening at the child's calm turning into awe and...

Huh, she could smile, and she had dimples too. And her smile wasn't creepy either, nor charming. It just, was. Nothing secretive nor skeevy, just a normal, adorable smile.

Mystique found herself smiling too as they walked into sunlight, having almost forgotten what it was like to hold someone so small. It was also oddly nice that fewer people catcalled her or looked at her as a toy with her baby weapon at her side. Made her almost, almost, want to keep Daken's child to herself. Finding themselves a small Italian Vista, she chose something small and relatively bland to go for Akiko, not wanting to push the latter considering the limited diet she'd had. After all, she'd need to be eased into everything. It was already a lot for the kid to take in so many sights and sounds around her and-

Shit, that's right. This child had enhanced senses like her daddy. Her ability to smell and see and hear were stronger than Mystique's. What if she'd truly made things worse for the toddler? So far Akiko wasn't troubled, only excited and smiling, but how quickly could that change? And what if she got too agitated or scared? Look how easily she got frustrated with Daken. Maybe this whole thing was a big mistake. Their only saving grace might be that this was a meal they were taking home, and not dining with at the location.

Pausing at the exit, she got a free coloring book and some crayons, and a small purchase of wine to help prepare her for the mess awaiting her back at their hotel. Arriving there, she ignored the men's glares and tossed them the food and wine, setting Akiko down back on the floor with crayons and the book while explaining to her what some of the items inside were. Akiko's eyes were practically sparkling, even though she probably had no clue what anything being said to her meant.

To her surprise, Akiko's true joy appeared when Mystique shifted back to her original form, where the kid not only gave the brightest, happiest smile imaginable, but one could almost have imagined a whisper of a giggle from her as she hugged a lock of Mystique's crimson hair. 

Oh...That's why the child was frowning earlier.

She missed Mystique.

Chapter Text

What does it say when one needs to learn about how to take care of kids from some of the most deadly, horrific people in the world?

"Daken, your kid is one of the most well behaved toddlers I've ever seen. I don't know what your problem is."

The newly made, and in denial, father's eye twitched. "She's covered in pasta sauce...Her outfit is completely ruined."

Akiko didn't look bothered in the slightest despite a piece of spaghetti somehow having gotten stuck in her recently, nicely, cut hair. Mystique was merrily humming a tune as she wiped the child's face, and Sabretooth was cleaning up the dishes, ignoring Daken's scowl. "Oh, quit being a little prick and help out already. We need to brush her teeth and get her into the bath. Raven, can you set up an outfit, or should I?"

She was actually considering her options. Oh dear God, Daken was going to go nuts. His mind was breaking. "Hmm, considering she has claws and I don't have super-healing, it might be better if you cleaned her up, Victor. I'll set up everything out here."

Sabretooth grinned, picking up the sloppy creature and bouncing her on his hip, "C'mon squirt, you heard Auntie Raven."

Akiko wasn't really interested in anything in particular. She was just looking at Victor's claws again, likely wanting to play 'Clink' again.

For some reason, this was one of those rare instances that Victor was a quick study, and Daken wasn't, as the former picked up on what she wanted long before the latter did. "Sorry kid, we need to clean up first. Then play, okay? Hey, Daken, you're helping out."

"...What?"

"Grab a couple of towels, and that free tooth brush and paper cup the hotel gave away. Get ready for war."

Daken was not pleased by this idea.

Several Minutes Later...

He was soaked, utterly soaked, and miraculously, Akiko had remained dry. That, and she had managed to climb up the walls up to the ceiling to avoid them, her pheromones telling them to back off. Sabretooth had his hands on his hips, sighing.

"Yep, she's your kid, all right."

Daken stabbed Victor's thigh, making sure not to leave too much blood visible to traumatize Akiko more than she probably already had been. It was still freaky to hear Victor shout things like "shit-take mushrooms!" or Fu-nky chicken!". When the fuck did the Sabretooth that Daken knew censor himself?! "Well, at least we have some idea of how she escaped her enclosure back at AIM, and why they had to invest so much to keep her contained."

Victor was growling at him, "You son of a...*sigh* Yeah, she's a tricky one, that's for sure. Thankfully, my Clarice was a transporter, so I have some clue about how to deal with this."

Wait, what? "All right, who is Clarice, besides being your adopted daughter?"

The asshole brightened, excited to finally be able to brag about his little brat. "She's a member of the X-Men. Goes by Blink."

Well, that explained a lot. "So, what's your big idea?"

Sabretooth smirked, twirling his finger around to silently tell Daken to turn his back to the girl while Sabretooth took out a small cookie on the counter. He pretended to talk to Daken about some random stuff and as they waited, Akiko slowly, cautiously crawled down, sitting on the counter and nibbling on the treat. That's when Sabretooth gently, but firmly, put her on his knee, and began to brush her teeth. She managed to bite him once or twice, but once Sabretooth was done, she was just confused since it was over quickly. Both men almost, almost, laughed by how she twisted to look around, sniffing a bit to search for danger, her expression showing her utterly confounded.

"Now for the fun part, bath time." Fuck. "You did fill the tub to the right temperature I said, right? One hundred degrees fahrenheit?"

Daken scowled, tapping his fingers on the marble next to him. "Yes."

"Good. Time to get her undressed and into the tub. Ooh, do we have bubble bath? Kids love those."

Please, kill him. 

Eventually setting the child in the tub, Akiko's wide eyes searched the shampoo-made bubbles as she patted the water. She did it even more as she heard the sound, her claws unsheathing to make more noises that she liked, unfortunately staining the water crimson. Victor groaned in disappointment, but still handed Daken some baby shampoo, forcing the latter to lather Akiko's mane.

It was, softer than he expected. Thinner too. He did get it in her eyes once, and she stabbed him for that, pouting angrily, but he did his best to be patient, careful as he went. Sabretooth gave him instructions, and Daken was internally screaming in fury the entire time. Then came the most mind boggling part. Akiko got up with bubbles and reached for Daken's mohawk, trying to wash his hair too.

"No."

"..."

What was with the eyes? "No."

"..."

"...No..."

The eyes were getting more sparkly. How? She wasn't emitting any pheromones and there wasn't anything listed about secondary mutations.

"...No?"

"..."

She sat back down, clearly distraught. Daken removed the stopper and got a towel, ignoring Sabretooth as he left the room. Looking back at Akiko, he paused, sighing.

He didn't say a damn thing a few minutes later, and was grateful inwardly when no one mentioned the bubbles in his disorganized mass of what was of a mohawk. Although, he did get a couple of irritatingly happy expressions when he was found tucking the little brat into her makeshift crib.

Damn it.

Chapter Text

Victor remembered finding Clarice Ferguson underneath the rubble when he and the X-Men battled Apocalypse. She had been afraid of her powers, of how easily she could kill, and of what those things had done to her. Yet she hadn't quite understood just how strong she had been in the face of those adversities, or why Victor was so proud of her. Of why he didn't mind comforting her at night when those memories came back to haunt her when she was younger.

He wasn't a very good father to Graydon or any of his other kids, but he at least hoped he was a decent one to her.

So maybe it was just experience that alerted him to the fact that Akiko was whimpering in her sleep that night, likely from whatever she had gone through from AIM. He was drawn to the noise, glad they had been thoughtful enough to get a baby monitor. At the same time, her pheromones were strong enough that they didn't really need one either. Her fear was far stronger in that moment than when she had warned them of danger in the facility. It was disturbing how she wasn't scared of bullets, of him, but she was scared of her dreams, of whatever happened back in that place. Poor little kid.

Creed was pleasantly surprised to find that Daken had already arrived in the room though, uncertainty in his silent gaze as he peered down at the child in the small, makeshift crib. She was tossing and turning, her whimpers painful to hear, her features tightened with whatever was happening in her mind. Her father was clenching and unclenching his fists by his sides, the veins visible and knuckles whitening.

That was right, had he even held her yet? He may have helped feed her, clean her, dress her, but hold her? It was understandable why he might not. She was never his choice. No one should be forced to have a child, especially if that child was given or created without their say in the matter. However, that doesn't mean the child should be kept in the dark about the fact that they did come from someone. They were not at fault, and they aren't to blame, and hopefully, the parent doesn't blame them either.

Victor thought of Graydon. He was never particularly close to his and Mystique's son, but maybe if he had cared a little more, than maybe things might've been better. Maybe if...

No, it doesn't do well to dwell on maybes or what could have beens. There was here, and the future. And here, was Daken and his, at least, biological daughter. If he wouldn't hold her, someone would.

So, when Daken tentative and shaking as he reached inside to cup her into his arms against his chest, Victor couldn't help but grin. She was so small in comparison to Daken, to all of them. It was almost unbelievable, especially when she snuggled further into her father's warmth, her breathing easing while her scent changed, almost matching his. Daken's expression was conflicted, and Creed couldn't decipher what was on his mind as the former's went through a flurry of emotions.

What he did know, was for a moment, there was a expression of nostalgia mixed with pain and guilt.

...

..

.

Had there been a time Daken had held a baby before?

Chapter Text

She didn't know who these people were. They were weird, but kind of funny, except for the one with pointy hair. He was really grumpy, and reminded her of the people from the only place she only known. No, that wasn't exactly true. He may always be mad, but, he never hurt her, and, he was kind of nice? Even if he did put her in weird, colorful clothing. He seemed to really like that kind of stuff.

The cranky one also felt familiar, and she had been drawn to him since they first met. It wasn't just how he smelled or the way he changed his scent like she did. It was, something she couldn't describe. She knew him. She didn't know how, but she did, even though they never met before.

And the others? The big one was a bit scary, 'cause he bit and tore those mean people apart like that one person did her favorite pillow once when she clung to it, but he was also gentle with her. He also liked playing games, and making noises with his nails with her. It felt good being around him. And the lady? She was really pretty, like one of those stones on a woman's metal circle she saw once. It was full of colors too, and the way she spoke didn't feel like it was painful, as if she was going to make traps or courses to run through. There were still games, but they were enjoyable. You could make things instead of tearing them apart.

The child didn't like how roughly the grumpy one could touch her sometimes, but she was started to understand that he didn't know how to touch her like the others did. He was trying to be nice. So, maybe she should be nice too? He didn't like it when she wanted to put the bubbles in his hair, but let her anyways. Maybe she should do something else? He liked pretty things? Should she make something pretty for him? She didn't know how to make a pretty outfit though. Oh, the lady got her paper and those colorful sticks. Could that work?

...

It still took her a bit to fall asleep, but when she did, the ones who hurt her had come back. None of the nice ones were there. She was own her own once again. She should've known it was only a matter of time. The pain came again, the tiredness, but she shouldn't cry out. Don't make noise. Be strong. Don't let people see what's wrong. Just, just find a way out. Always be strong. Don't let them see-

There was a sudden warmth, and her first thought was of the warmth she had felt through the door of her prison. It was the warmth that had made her feel safe on the day she was freed, the one that belonged to the grumpy one. She knew his scent too. Nuzzling into him, she didn't want to let go, hoping she wouldn't have to go back to that place. She wanted to go back to the area with that yellow brightness in the blue space above, with the air that channeled coolly around her, with the one with the clinky games and the pretty lady and with him.

She wanted to be with the one that made her feel like she finally belonged.

Chapter Text

"Victor, why is Akiko chewing everything ?!"

Literally, the baby was trying to chew everything. She already got her grubby claws, actual claws, on his favorite loafers. Not to mention what she tried to do to his handbag. Well-behaved his ass. Creed was bawling with laughter while Mystique was cradling a pouting Akiko, the shapeshifer struggling with keeping the kid from gnawing on her own claws. They were due to leave in the next few minutes, and it was already going to be difficult carrying around the toddler while maintaining cover, but this? His patience had already been wearing thin, and now Daken just wanted to scream.

Mystique leaned over, getting one of the child's blocks, which the teary-eyed and sniffling as she chewed at the plastic. "I'm not sure. She's supposed to be too old to be teething."

"...Teething?" Daken groaned. "Dear Lord, she's going to be crying and whining the whole time we're traveling, isn't she?"

"Not necessarily," Victor murmured, breaking out of his wheezes. "In case you hadn't noticed, Akiko's disturbingly silent, even when she's hurting. Your daughter isn't like most."

Anger filled Daken in that moment. Maybe it was the pent up frustration, or everything just slamming into him at once.

In the back of his mind, he saw his father, his true one and the biological one. He saw Romulus, and Laura and Gabby. He saw the faces of so many he had killed and everything he had sacrificed in his path. He saw all the precautions he made to get what he wanted and in one simple action, a choice taken from him, there was a face among them he saw her. He punched Victor, the claws in his fists slipping as he slashed his temporary ally's face, finally, utterly losing his composure.

"She. is. NOT. MY. DAUGHTER!"

Breathing heavily, he didn't care in that moment if she saw him. He didn't care what she thought. He just needed to get out. Not even bothering to look at them, pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling, and told them he would be back as he took his pack with him, slamming the door. It felt like he could breathe at last when no one followed him. Raking his hand through his hair, he couldn't get rid of the image of Junichiro in his crib, Natsumi screaming at him, and Akihira, his true father, killing himself. God, Akiko, she looked like Itsu and she reminded him of Akihira and of Junichiro and...

He should've killed that kid when he had the chance. He'd had so many chances. Why hadn't he when he knew she was only going to cause him trouble? When she could be used against him? Why did he let her try to wash his hair? Why did he communicate with her through their pheromones? Why did he hold her like he did the night before?  Why did he even save her in the first place?

Sitting down in the hotel's dining area, he grabbed some wine, only getting angrier at himself for having lost self-control as he reflected. He was not Logan Howlett. He would not follow in that bastard's footsteps and...But he was, wasn't he? Logan had created so many children over two centuries, leaving them helpless, alone, and scared, vulnerable to everyone else's manipulations, all to be turned into someone's weapon. Daken peered into his own reflection within the glass, knowing it had happened even to him, for Romulus had used him as well. Akiko? She was a similar, if not just like the same boat as Laura and Gabby, but she had a better chance of having as close to a normal, happier childhood than any of them.

Opening his bag, Daken meant to get his phone, contact the Xavier Institute and possibly Laura, and paused. Inside, was a colorful, hideous, drawing with blobs of things he had no idea what they were. It was, what he assumed to be, art? It had to have been made by either a wild animal, or a child. Looking at it, he saw one or two holes that appeared to be claw marks, and he recalled that sometimes, Akiko sneezed and her claws uncontrollably popped out a little, much to her dismay. They planned on putting gloves on for her during the trip.

Was this atrocity, hers? How the hell did she get into his bag and-?

There was a sticky note on it, signed by Mystique, saying that it was a present from Akiko to Daken, and that she had worked hard to make one that looked like his outfits. Wait, what? He had to squint, and he realized she really had made what looked like him dressed like a model posing in his favorite outfits, with sparkles and something akin to hearts. He palmed his face, unable to stop a grin at the absurdity of the notion.

Daken Akihiro most certainly did not view himself as a father, he wasn't sure if he would ever want to be one, but he would at least try to get along with Akiko, and try to help her have a better future. He would not be his own father. He wouldn't abandon her, and he wouldn't make her feel alone or angry at the world. Or, at least he would do his best not to.

...

Standing before the door, it was one of the few times he actually felt afraid of something, and someone. Who knew he would ever be afraid to face a child, or whatever her reaction might be? Would she hate him, be afraid of him? His heart pounded, and no matter how calm he tried to be, he couldn't. Hand on the cool, hard wood, he sighed, pressing his forehead against it. Clenching his fist, he knew he had to be strong. Please, let him be strong enough to face her. Please...

There was a warmth then on the other side. It and the scent of a young child consumed all of his senses as he knelt, his hand meeting where he knew where hers was. Guilt, fear echoed from him, but to his surprise, there was no fear from her, no anger at all. Just, calm and something else he didn't recognize. The door opened then, and he felt the warmth embrace him as he caught a tiny body that his mind struggled to process. It was as if she would break under his grip with the simplest of actions, and yet, she could break him just as easily. It scared him, so much, but he found himself hugging her back.

He uttered words he never thought he'd bring himself to say.

"...Gomen'nasai."

I'm sorry.

Chapter Text

"Laura, I need you not to get angry."

She put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow, her face becoming more stern at the sight of Mystique and Victor. The trip across the states had already been stressful enough, but it wasn't as if they could take a plane or any other public transport, so traveling via an RV it was. That brought back some irritating memories, especially with Victor stringing along, but at the same time Daken was glad there was someone to help him parent Akiko because he had little to no clue how to take care of a toddler, especially one that was teething. Thank goodness she was easily distracted by Little Einsteins, but he was getting sick of the songs. At least he was learning a few things from Signing Time, and she was learning another way to communicate besides pheromones and hissing and growling.

It still troubled everyone that Akiko wasn't speaking, but there was a general consensus that while they would try to get her to talk, they wouldn't force her, and that she may need her own time.

Laura was still glaring at him. "Why would I be angry?"

He grinned, "Well, I have a bit of a surprise. Er, she was a bit of a surprise for me too."

Gabby popped up, Jonathan the Unstoppable in her arms. "'She'?"

Mystique exited the RV again, this time with a yawning Akiko, who was rubbing at eye. Laura paled while Gabby squealed, bouncing on her feet. Laura grit her teeth, leaning over. "Daken, is that what I think it is?"

"Her name's Akiko," he sighed. "No, I didn't make her. AIM did with Weapon X's technology. Logan doesn't know yet, nor anyone else outside our little group. I wanted to shoe you guys first since you're the ones I trust the most. Actually, I'm pretty sure you're the only ones I truly trust."

Understandably, Laura was speechless at first, staring at the little one as Mystique brought her over in the teddy bear pajamas that they dressed Akiko in. "How, how old is she?"

"A little over two years according to the files we managed to recover," Raven murmured, not minding when Akiko clung to her for support. The toddler's eyes were widening at the sight of Laura, Gabby, and Jonathan. Confusion filled her features at all three of them, her head dashing back and forth between Laura and Gabby. Her scent practically cried for help, likely because those two were so similar in appearance. Dear god, how would she react to twins? Oh no, how would she react to Jamie Madrox? "She's half Daken's, half someone else's. I tried to recover more of the files but, she really is his biological offspring."

Ever since his outburst a couple weeks ago, Mystique and Victor avoided calling Akiko his daughter, not wanting Daken to scare or hurt her. Victor hadn't looked at him the same since.

"You can't just come back and say you're sorry. That's not good enough."

Daken watched as Mystique helped Akiko settle into the RV. The toddler still had bags under her reddened eyes. She never made a noise, even when she cried. Never went to Sabretooth nor Mystique when she was hurting. He couldn't blame any of them for being angry with them, not when he was angry with himself. He just couldn't understand why someone so young wasn't angry. If she was, she was damned good at hiding it.

"...I know."

"So why'd you come back?"

He leaned against the wall, exhaustion crawling and digging into him. "I, I don't know what I'm doing, but I don't want to leave her alone, not to be used like others."

Victor still hadn't met his eyes. "Like others did us?"

Daken remained silent, but Victor didn't.

"You're going to listen, whether you like it or not, because I hate talking about this, but it needs to be said. The reason I took Clarice in was because she'd been through hell and back, and I saw everything in her that I could've been. With her, I saw me, and I saw in myself my father. Pops? Well, I guess we both have daddy issues. Locked me up in a basement, beat me, pried out my nails, name it." He paused. "When I saw you slam that door, when you hit me like that, with that expression, I saw him. You don't have to have her if you don't want to. You can walk away. She's a good kid. I can take her in, like I did Clarice. I've settled down for a while before. It was hard, but I did it, and you can have your regular life back while pretending she never existed."

Victor was offering to never be a part of Akiko's life again? To never have to know her, to never see her grow up, nor have her used against Daken. They would be totally separate. It might hurt at first, but Daken was accustomed to pain. Arguably, Akiko wouldn't even remember this with her being so young. It would be the perfect time instead of hanging on. All it would take, was a little push.

"What do you say?"

He saw her, falling asleep on Mystique's shoulder, thumb in her mouth. A large part of him honestly found that kind of disgusting, and another... 

"Victor, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need your help," he sighed. Creed finally gave him a passing glance. "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I do know that I don't want to hurt her, and I don't want to lose her either. I, I can't say I love her, I'm not entirely sure if I ever can, but I do want her to be safe, and I want her to be happy. So, please, teach me how to do this? Teach me how to be better when it comes to her."

Sabretooth looked considerate, inclining his head in agreement. "If you ever hurt her, I'll do the same thing to you that I did to him."

Daken wouldn't say he'd gotten better, but there was less stress and tension at the very least. A very nervous and shy Akiko was frowning at the strange people and animal near her, and reached not for Mystique, but for him in that moment. Carefully, he took her, rubbing her back and murmuring soft, comforting words to her in Japanese, telling her it was safe and that she had nothing to be afraid of. The sight more than startled his audience.

"Anybody got a crucifix?"

Patience, patience. He could do this. There was no need to throttle nor stab anyone. Just hold the baby, and be patient. "I'm not possessed, I'm trying to be a relatively decent parent...God that sounds horrific."

Gabby snorted, hesitantly walking up to the little one in his arms, and spoke in an unbelievably soft tone. "Hello there, Akiko. I'm your aunt Gabby. My friend here is Jonathan the Unstoppable. He can seem scary sometimes, but he's really soft and fluffy. Wanna pet him?"

Akiko blinked, holding onto Daken and looking up at him. He nodded, communicating in pheromones what he couldn't in words or facial expression. Laura and Gabby quickly picked up on what was happening, going on by what their surprised faces meant. Checking to make sure Akiko's gloves were on (they didn't need any accidental stabbing), he gently lowered her to see Jonathan, glad to see her brighten as Gabby showed her how to pet the wolverine.

There it was, that gaze of wonder with the hint of a giggle. Something more gratifying, was how she held the wolverine, snuggling into his warm fur. Daken couldn't help the small upward lift of his lips. 

Laura stood by Daken, leaning against him. She was probably the only one he didn't mind doing that. "Not used to seeing you like this."

"Creepy?"

"A little," she admitted. "How are you holding up?"

That was the first time someone asked him that. Looking at Akiko, he frowned, realizing in her own way, the child did so as well, but it wasn't quite the same. "...I'm lost, Laura. How was it with you and Gabby?"

"Scary," she said. "I was angry, hurt, confused. It's okay to be all those things. I also didn't know what to do with her, if I should keep her or not. Look at me, look at us. None of us are good, Daken. But those two? Taking in a kid doesn't mean having a second chance or redeeming ourselves, but it does mean using the worst of us, to make them into something better. I don't know, does that make sense?"

Akiko sneezed then, frowning and whimpering at her gloves, gnawing at the leather. Victor walked over, mindful as he removed them to put numbing cream on her knuckles where the bone claws were bleeding. The memory of Akihira on that dark night so long ago seared into him, the memory of his claws having pierced through his skin for the first time. Daken could never wash that away, and he would never try to, but seeing her there?

Hesitant, he joined her, squatting down, inhaling as he unsheathed his own claws, smiling awkwardly. "...Clink?"

She brightened, making her own claws come out further to tap his. He and Victor taught Laura and Gabby the game too, all having to be extra careful due to their adamantium claws, but having some semblance of fun nonetheless. Later, in the cabin that Laura and Gabby had "borrowed" from Logan, they placed hide and seek with Akiko, who the former two learned not only had Daken's ability to conceal his scent, but could also climb walls.

Gabby laughed, "I dub thee, 'Spider-Fluff'!"

"No."

"Aw."

Akiko also tried to chew on a stuffed pelican, but thankfully Gabby and Laura stopped her in time, giving her a large turkey bone instead much to Daken's annoyance (she was NOT a puppy goddamnit). Finally, she and Gabby had a movie marathon, where he and Laura had to tuck them into bed afterwards. Akiko's small fingers held on tightly, not wanting to let go even when she was unconscious. He focused, making her calmer with his own scent.

Laura whispered, "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to seeing that."

"What?"

"You using your pheromones like that. You normally use those to manipulate or influence people for your own reasons. Here? You're communicating with her, telling her everything's all right. It's, kind of sweet."

He didn't say anything in reply, feeling lost once more as Laura left the room. This was not him, but, he wanted to try. He needed to try. Daken brushed Akiko's hair out of her face, and acted out of impulse, pressing his forehead to hers. 

"Oyasuminasai, Akiko."

Goodnight, Akiko.

Chapter Text

Daken was terrified, for Gabby was introducing Akiko to maple syrup, one of the stickiest, gooiest substances on Earth. He might never say it out loud, but he did care about his sister, he cared about them both more than he really should, but why did they cause him such pain?

Akiko sat there, wrinkling her nose at the pancakes covered in the horrid substance with strawberries sitting atop them. He thought for a moment, frowning as he remembered that she might not like sweet things. Still, she should at least try it. Pursing his lips, he sighed, reaching over and slicing off a portion. He was going to regret this. Taking a bite, he smiled, showing her it wasn't that bad. She blinked, searching around for something, and to his astonishment, she picked up a fork. Clearly struggling at first, brows furrowed, she attempted to mimic his hand position, accidentally stabbing herself in the process. Daken barely refrained himself from chuckling, knowing it wouldn't do well to laugh when she was trying so hard.

He sat closer, pausing just before placing his hands over hers, waiting for her to give him permission. She stared at him, and reached back, putting her hands in his. He adjusted her grip, murmuring instructions even though he doubted she could understand a word he said. Determined as he let her go, she stabbed her meal ferociously with a loud clank, but then stopped, seeing how he neatly began cutting his own food, attempting to do the same. She ended up doing something akin to sawing it, much to her disappointment.

"Don't worry, you're just starting out. I've been doing this for a long time," he smirked, teasing her, just a little.

Gabby snorted. "Yeah, you're what? A hundred? Oh my God, you're literally her 'old man'. There are so many jokes we can use with this."

Shit. Unlike the others, there was no way he was going to stab Gabby. Maybe he could use everyone else as catharsis though. "Don't you dare."

"Glarb."

A knife clattered onto the floor, echoing in the kitchen, and Daken turned to look at Akiko, who was starting to look disgusted at her food, evidently not liking the sweetness of the maple syrup. Victor stood up from his seat. "Did she just...Make a noise? A baby noise?"

"Holy shit."

"Language!" Victor and Gabby scolded, before the latter shouted, "Jinx!"

Victor groaned, handing her a juice box. Mystique gave them both an offended scoff, rolling her eyes.

Meanwhile, Akiko began trembling, covering her mouth as she realized what she did, fear coming off her in waves. Daken knelt before her, doing his best to calm her. "Hey, it's okay. You can make noise or say things you want to. We've just never heard you before. You sound pretty...We'd like to hear more, if you'd like to?"

She kind of sounded like Pikachu in all honesty. It was a cute of pretty, but still, he wasn't entirely lying, and it was nice to hear her. Akiko was still unsure, but at least she wasn't as afraid as before. He squeezed her hand, sitting down again as he gave her a glass of milk to wash down her food. She signed 'full', she didn't know sign language completely, but she knew some basic things like 'please' and 'thank you' or 'help', and they cleaned up. She wanted to clean dishes, where Laura and Gabby let her, the toddler needing to stand on one of the coffee tables to reach the counter.

Sabretooth smiled then, for the first time since their fight back in the hotel. "Didn't expect that from you, helping her like that. Either of those times. Might be why she lowered her guard enough to slip up."

"She still doesn't trust us though, does she?"

Mystique shook her head. "It might not be as simple as that. After all, you trust Laura and Gabrielle, but that doesn't mean you feel comfortable being entirely vulnerable with them, am I right?"

Daken turned his gaze to what might be the three most important people in his life, for better or worse. 

...

He really shouldn't have been surprised when Gabby insisted that he and Akiko stayed for another day, wanting to spend more time with her 'niece and/or cousin'. The family tree was confusing at this point considering the whole clone thing. He reluctantly allowed it, and was a little shocked to learn Victor wanted to stick around. Mystique had to go though, off to her own business as per usual. It was expected for everyone to go on their own paths eventually, even Daken. Still, there was something peaceful about seeing his little sister and Akiko playing in the grass and trees. He knew he shouldn't dwell on the past or what could've been, but, it felt nice, seeing all of it, seeing this.

The two had just fallen into a leaf pile, Akiko sneezing as a crinkling frond tickled her nose. She waved it off and Gabby laughed, Jonathan leaping in to roll in with them, causing an even bigger mess. He licked her flushed cheeks, causing some of the leaves to stick to her face. Daken could also see that there were plenty broken off in her hair.

Bath time was going to be hectic.

She toddled out then, towards him, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Sighing, Daken walked over, meeting her halfway, placing her on his hip and picking out some of the fragments.

"Had fun, kid?" Akiko nodded, and it was then that Daken realized that she understood him. He didn't know before if she knew what he was saying, but now he did. He swallowed, deciding to try something. "...Akiko, can you look at me?"

She blearily blinked, as she looked up at him. His dau...Akiko, Akiko recognized her name. He'd never say it out loud, but his heart fluttered, if only a little, at the realization. He smiled, truly smiled, as he touched his forehead to hers. His chest lightened even more as she held him, head against his shoulder. Who knew? She might've just been tired and needed someone to lean on. In any case, he couldn't help but feel glad she had chosen him.

"...Thank you."

Chapter Text

A lot of things, mainly people, ticked off Daken. Some of said things and people, regrettably, were ones that either Laura, or mainly Gabby, tolerated or loved. So, he really should have expected it when one of those things made an appearance at the cabin. This one though? This asshole really took the cake.

"Sorry for being late, kiddo. I've been having a hard few weeks and-" The mercenary in red looked at Gabby, who had Akiko across from her as they were drawing. Daken never knew how it worked, but the whites of his mask widened. "Holy moly, is that a baby?!"

He bounded across the room, squealing as he slid across the floor, chin in his hands.

"Hi there, sweetheart. What's your name?" Akiko was terrified, her scent strong with fear, but much to Daken's pride, she growled at the one she started to perceive as a threat, bearing her canines at him. Deadpool began to back away, hands up as a white flag. "Whoa, okay. I see there's some personal boundaries. Sorry. Anyways, brought that tech you needed for Jonathan's translator."

Gabby beamed, taking a chip from him and slipping it into Jonathan's collar. The wolverine yawned, stretching with his claws scraping the floor. "Hungry. Need food."

Akiko jumped, startled as she gaped at Jonathan. Eyes dashing between Jonathan, Gabby, and Daken, some of her facial features twitched, trying to conceive what just happened. Her face and scent practically screamed, 'What the fuck?' Gabby touched Akiko's shoulder sympathetically. "Sorry, this world's gonna get a lot crazier for you. We'll try to ease you into though."

Deadpool sat a short ways away. "So, sister?"

"Nah, it's, complicated. Let's just say relative."

He got a bit closer, squinting. "How are you so sure? The more I look at her, the more she doesn't quite look like-"

*SNIKT*

"...Ow. Oh, uh, that's how."

Daken was so proud. He walked over, giving her a cookie and meticulously cleaning her claws. "Careful, you don't know what he's carrying." When she only looked more confused, he simplified. "He might have things that can make you sick."

That satisfied her. Dimming language down was going to be frustrating, but well, she was a toddler. Her grasp on linguistics wasn't that proficient yet. Wade was staring at Akiko's claws, counting the number and peering at Daken. "...After all the times you mocked Logan for not being careful-"

"AIM," Daken and Gabby said at the same time. He handed her a juice box before she could say 'jinx'. "They stole Weapon X tech and some of my DNA, making her. Victor, Raven, and I discovered her about a month ago. We're taking her to the Xavier Institute."

Might as well get it out of the way. After all, the bastard had already seen her. Daken had expected insults, more teasing or jokes, but instead he realized Deadpool was just watching Daken as the latter placed numbing cream on Akiko's knuckles, easing her into retracting her claws once more. Wade, the Merc with a Mouth, was disturbingly quiet. There was something about the mercenary that Daken couldn't quite place at first. Deadpool looked, thoughtful, fondness emanating from him.

Wilson snorted. "Never thought you of all people would make a beautiful baby like that."

That was an interesting backhanded compliment. "I could say the same to you."

Gabby cleared her throat, trying to clear the tension. "Er, who wants peanut butter and jelly?"

"I would!" Deadpool tried to answer enthusiastically. "Grape please."

She left them then, Akiko in Daken's lap as he practiced signing with her. She was getting better at it every day. "...Can we make a pact?"

"We don't need to. I don't hurt kids, you know that."

Akiko signed, asking if Daken was hurt. He made a small smile, and assured her he was fine. She didn't believe him, but didn't ask further. He snorted, ruffling her hair, which annoyed her, causing her to bat at him, and for him to snicker a little. Wade was in disbelief at the sight, but visibly gaped, even with the mask, when Akiko sneezed, not only causing her claws to pop out, but a high-pitched noise to come out. Oh no, a grin was appearing on Deadpool's mask.

"Was that-? Oh my God, she's Pikachu! Wait, say 'Pika Pika'! I'll even show you how!"

Deadpool began making all sorts of noises like the electric cartoon rat did, and Akiko, Daken didn't know someone so young could be disgusted and in disbelief at the same time. Did she get it from him? He sure hoped not. Out of nowhere, she grabbed Deadpool by the nose, and he cried out a slew of names and phrases that Daken knew Akiko wouldn't understand, was grateful that she was too young to comprehend. She snatched off his mask then, not even bothering to look at Deadpool's true face as she began playing with the dirty thing.

"Akiko, don't-" She looked upwards, and crawled up the wall, far away from either Deadpool's or Daken's reach. Up in the rafters, she began examining it, and Daken recognized that she was contemplating whether or not to teethe it. Nope, nope, nope! That thing was filthy and covered in who knew what! He doubted even Wade Wilson knew what was on or in it! "Wade, we need to get that mask back. Now."

"As much as I'd normally agree, what's wrong with her having it?"

"She's teething. She'll chew on it."

"Fuck."

Daken had to think quickly. Dashing into the kitchen, he grabbed another pack of cookies, and called Victor for help. Creed peeked around the corner, where Daken waved him over. Thankfully upon seeing Akiko up high, Victor quickly gathered what the situation was. "Shiitake mushrooms."

Deadpool did a double take at Victor. "What dimension did I just step into?"

"One where I've had kids and where Daken just found out he had one," Victor deadpanned. "C'mon, we've got a Spider-Fluff to catch."

"Stop calling her that!" Daken yelped, his voice actually cracking.

Dear lord, what was wrong with him? "Spider-Fluff? Oh, wait til I tell Spidey!"

"No!" Victor and Daken grunted, raising up the steps to get as close as they could to Akiko, who was still playing with Deadpool's mask. Crap, she put it on. When they got that little brat, she was getting a bath from Hell. "That's it, we're getting her a leash."

Daken raised an eyebrow. "What was that you said about her being one of the most well behaved kids you've ever encountered?"

"Most kids can't climb walls or scale ceilings!" Victor protested, gesticulating at the sight before them. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Akiko...Come here, sweetheart."

She sat up, blinking at them through the mask. How did that mask work? Akiko started to move towards them, and to their terror, leapt across a large space right into Daken's arms, nearly giving him a heart attack. He let out a torrent of cursing in Japanese under his breath, seeing that she had taken off Deadpool's mask and was calmly handing it back to him. Wade wheezed, thanking her as he put it back on...

And ended up having a pile of cookies land on his head. Victor burst out laughing, and Daken found the little munchkin snacking on one of the treats, nonchalant about the whole thing. Deadpool narrowed his eyes. "Why? Just...Why?"

She tilted her head, touching her knuckles, pointing to him, then signing 'sorry', and then pointing to the cookies. Victor only began laughing some more, and while Daken grew somber, he was also a little happier that she had a conscious enough to know when she might've done something wrong, and tried to apologize, even if the method was unorthodox. Wade paused, knelt down, and pulled up the bottom portion of his mask to show her he was eating one of the treats. She smiled then, giggling.

"...Holy chimichangas, that's cute."

Chapter Text

"Wait, you've been getting parenting tips from who now?"

Why was this asshole still here? Daken focused on the road ahead, biting the inside of his cheek. It was a disgusting kind of habit that he would lecture others about or even make fun of for, but he found himself doing. Now he was starting to understand why they did it though. It was a form of self restraint. He was trying not to maim Deadpool with Akiko in the back, playing with Gabby, Jonathan, and Victor in the back. It looked like they were practicing signs and that Victor and Gabby were whispering something to Akiko, the latter utterly focused on something. Laura sat next to Daken, keeping an extra eye out while Deadpool was ready if something happened. Who knew if AIM or someone else tried to come after them?

"Victor and Mystique...And Laura. Why? Are you saying I should get advice from you? You're away from Eleanor half the time."

Wade grimaced. "I'm trying to keep her safe. Are you going to do the same?"

Daken's knuckles tightened on the steering wheel. "Yes, that's why I'm taking her to the Xavier Institute."

Laura remained quiet, and neutral. She was one of the people he wanted to know the thoughts of. As for Deadpool, he didn't need to, the man just voiced everything without anyone needing to prompt him. Wilson folded his arms, leaning back against the wall. "I still visit Ellie. Will you?"

Would he?  Was there a point to it? To any of this? To letting her get close? He was trying to help her, to teach her how to be better, just as he was trying to be better, but that didn't mean he wanted to get too close. Problem was, it was getting harder every day, and he knew she was starting to want to be around him despite her growing independence. "...I'll check in on her from time to time."

"What do you consider her to be?" Laura asked at last.

Akiko, she was not his...She wasn't his...Fuck.

Daken pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated he couldn't finish that sentence, even in the barriers of his mind. "I want to say she's a burden, but, she's not. Not really. She'll definitely make things harder, but not a burden."

"I didn't ask for what she wasn't, I asked for what she was."

He swallowed, turning onto another freeway. They were only a couple miles from the Institute. He would be saying goodbye soon. He would be leaving her with Xavier, and Logan and...God, when did this begin to hurt? And she didn't even know what he was going to do, did she? How was she going to react? Would she hate him? Would she be filled with rage just like him or Laura? Daken never answered his sister, gritting his teeth.

He was such a coward.

...

There it was, the Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach. The new name was better than its former, "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters". It looked like the place had been rebuilt, again. Standing before the brick building, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Fantomex visiting Evan Sabahnur, also known as Genesis. The Dark Wolverine couldn't help but wonder if all members of Weapon X were slowly becoming parents. Who was next? Deathstrike? Now there was a haunting thought.

The other assassin stilled, stonily glaring before perking up, waving pleasantly at Deadpool before playfully flipping him off. Daken wasn't quite sure what their relationship was, but he suspected Deadpool and the Frenchman had an on/off thing, albeit where the thief was more annoyed by Deadpool than anything else. Evan waved at Deadpool too, frowning at Daken.

Daken rolled his eyes, calling out, "Dropping off, not picking up!"

He wasn't there to make the kid into Apocalypse, or to become a Horsemen, so there was no need to worry over that. However, he wasn't that shocked to find himself surrounded by a number of the X-Men, many of whom were armed and/or had their powers ready to use upon him. Raising an eyebrow, he leaned over to incline his head at Charles Xavier, who was, as expected to be, suspicious.

"Charlie."

"...Akihiro."

Ah, so the underlying hostilities begin. Clearing his throat, Daken sighed. "Look, I'm not here to fight, or maim, or kill anyone. I really am here to just drop someone off. A, new student, so to speak. And no, she's not a spy, little to young to do that in any case."

Great, even Kurt was doubting him. Daken couldn't blame the fuzzy blue elf. "And who vould zat be?"

"You know, for someone who's lived in the United States all these years, you would think you'd learn how to get an American accent by now," Daken deadpanned, not even bothered when a Bamf smacked him in the face with a tail. Be patient. Be patient. Just, do it for her. Do it for her. Fuck, at the thought he could even feel his expression soften a little, and knew that it startled everyone else too. "Look, I'm, I'm here to ask a favor, okay? There's this kid Victor, Mystique, and I found a while back. She was made by AIM using Weapon X tech, and her powers were already activated. She's back in the RV, and she needs help."

Xavier rolled foreward. "Of course we'll help, whether or not you asked. The question is, why do you ask for this help?"

"Because, of where her powers came from," Daken murmured, eyes falling downward. "Like I said, she's made from Weapon X technology. You could say that she's a bit like Laura. In fact, Laura and Gabby are with her now-"

"WE LOST THE BABY!"

Daken slowly turned around, sending his youngest sister a death glare. Be patient. Be patient. "You. What?"

Somewhere in the Xavier Institute...

"What, is that?"

Broo looked upwards, squinting through his glasses. "I believe that's a toddler hanging from the ceiling."

"Shouldn't we be worried about that?" Idie Okonkwo asked, tiptoeing closer underneath said toddler in case she fell.

"I'm going to get a teacher," Trevor sighed. He paused, glancing back. "That kid, is really familiar, which doesn't make sense since we've never met her, and she doesn't know any of us and OH GOD I THINK SHE'S GONNA JUMP!"

Sure enough, the toddler jumped onto the head of a pink-mohawked boy, starting to play with his curly locks. He yelped, trying to remove the little monster, but only had luck when she was picked up by another kid with a mohawk, this one with being separated into three sections, and belonging to a kid with a purple-hued skin color. The toddler's eyes widened, and she reached forward excitedly, trying to grab his hair too.

"She, really likes mohawks, huh?"

Broo hesitantly stepped over, unsure about whether or not to get closer. He was delighted to find out she wasn't afraid in the slightest, but also terrified to find out she wasn't afraid in the slightest when she tried to cling to him, frustrated when Kid Gladiator didn't let go. She pouted, clearly disappointed. That's when she twisted and bit Kid in the hand. "Aw, that's kind of cute. Huh, she has some cool canines. Think she's a werewolf?"

"Relative of Wolfsbane?" Odie suggested.

"This kid looks Japanese, and Wolfsbane's Irish. I doubt it."

"Ever of heard of mixed families?"

The little girl was bored, and glanced at the pink-haired one, eyes sparkling at his locks once more. He flinched, moving away. "Um, how about I just read her mind, or we do the smart thing and get, oh I don't know, a bloody teacher?"

"Hopefully not bloody," Idie snorted. "Then again knowing some of them..."

The kid sneezed then, the squeak catching all of their attention, as did the blood collecting and blooming through her leather gloves. A couple of the kids there screamed, ending up with Idie holding a bleeding toddler (they removed the gloves to see wounds on her hands), where she was applying cold, Broo babbling out medical information and statistics, and the guys separating by either running off doing who knew what, or getting help.

Broo whimpered, "Idie, when I imagined you holding a baby with me, it wasn't quite like this."

"...What?"

Chapter Text

“We’re looking for a baby!?” Shadowcat cried out.

Daken raked a hand through his hair, desperately trying to maintain what little sanity he had left, which was difficult since he didn’t think he had much of any in the first place. “Like I said, her case is similar to Laura’s, okay? Gabby, what happened and where did you see her last?”

“We were watching Signing Time and she was practicing the sign for frog and…Oh crap. I think she might’ve seen Toad outside.”

 Said Toad froze and he held his hands up in the air. “Whoa, I haven’t seen any baby around here, okay?”

Jamie Madrox groaned. “All right, what are her abilities, and where could she have gone? I can multiply and set up a perimeter?”

Daken twitched, remembering how the toddler initially reacted to Laura and Gabrielle. “Akiko…Has superhealing, three retractable claws, pheromone control, and possibly telepathy immunity.”

“…”

The stares and clearing of throats made it obvious that it was understood who the parent was. Nightcrawler cleared his throat, shrugging while rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Er, zat, explains a lot? Um, congrats?”

Daken didn’t even bother to react to that statement. “We’re not entirely sure what she went through down there. Akiko is capable of speech, but she’s never said a word, and prefers to either communicate through pheromones, sign language, or other gestures. Just be aware of that if you try to talk with or to her.”

Victor nodded. “She also doesn’t like sweet things. She’ll go after granola or raisin cookies, but nothing too strong when it comes to flavors. We suspect that’s because she’s still adjusting her taste buds, and possibly other senses.”

There were a few winces here and there. Xavier grimaced. “Anything else?”

Gabby smiled, “She’s a Spider-Fluff!”

“No she’s not,” Daken and Victor disagreed.

“But she climbs up walls and the ceilings!”

“Oh dear lord,” Gambit groaned, palming his face.

“And she’s teething! She’s got sharp canines so she needs to wear them down every once in a while. She bites and her claws pop out when she sneezes,” Gabby snickered. Daken buried his face in his hands.

Daken buried his face in his hands. He was going to die. He wasn't ashamed of Akiko, but just, why? Wagner was inching closer, a dumb smile on his dumb face. Daken snikted and gestured at him. "Say anything, and you'll be shish-kabobed."

"Oh, you almost forgot the best part!" Deadpool called out from the RV. Oh shit, no. Please no. "She sounds like Pikachu when she sneezes!"

The Dark Wolverine's knuckles cracked, and he sauntered towards Deadpool in a very timely manner, irked by the mercenary's words. "If you say one more thing about Akiko-"

"Um, we need a physical description? You know, besides 'baby'?" Rogue coughed, clearing her throat. 

He needed to stab someone. Daken really needed to stab someone. Inhaling, he focused. "Akiko, is approximately three feet tall, has a single-side ponytail, blue jeans, a light brown jacket, a light pink sweater with a flower print - daisies to be exact - and light brown socks. She also has light brown leather boots and gloves, the latter of which is supposed to help conceal her claws for when she's out in public, and she's become accustomed to putting them on herself."

They really needed to stop looking at him like that. Jubilee pursed her lips, "What is it with your family and leather?"

"Hey, leather goes with everything!" Gabby protested. "Plus, yellow rain overcoat with shorts and sunglasses, really?"

"Shut up!"

Daken grinned, glad that Gabby had some idea how fashion worked. Kurt stepped between them. "Guys, ve have a lost child to locate. Perhaps ve should get started on zat?"

...

"Don't keep ice on her wounds for more than twenty minutes else she'll get hypothermia and ice burn-" Broo started before being interrupted by Idie.

"Why did she even start bleeding in the first place!? Don't tell me she bleeds every time she sneezes!?"

Quentin returned, anxious around the toddler who tackled him. "It's okay. I've called Dr. McCoy and he'll be here ASAP. We just gotta keep the ice there and he'll take a look."

The girl was struggling against Broo and Idie's hold, frustrated by their actions. Quentin frowned, sighing as he bent forward. "Okay you little brat, knock it off. We're trying to help you so just hang tight and-"

*SNIKT*

Clawed burst through ice, and a death glare was directed at Idie and Quentin, along with a growl. There was something tangible in the air, something that made them want to back away, and they did so against their very will. Quentin gaped, and Broo's glasses fell off. Idie wheezed, "The hell? Did Logan have another kid?"

"Not to my knowledge."

It was Beast, Dr. McCoy who had entered the room, grimly watching the girl from a distance. He knelt, cautious. "Hello, little one. My name is Henry. You don't need to be afraid of me. What's your name?"

She tensely stood up a little more, still wary, but moved her fingers in a pattern. "My. Name. A-K-I-K-O. It's nice to meet you."

McCoy smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Akiko. Did you come here with someone? Or are you alone?"

Akiko glanced at the children, but began to sign anyways. "I came here with my...I came here with my father. He does not like name of father. I like his name. I love my father. I know he has to leave tomorrow. I will say goodbye, and he will be happy. He is happy, and I try to be happy."

The professor blinked, his expression softening both in sorrow and thoughtfulness. "Who is your father?"

"...My father is-"

There was a loud crash, and Akiko jumped into the air, frightened, and dashed across the ceiling, away from the kids. Away she went, covering her ears after landing and dashing to a maze, pulling her knees to her chest. She didn't look up, unable and unwilling to face the reality around her. It was a short while later, that footsteps echoed in the area, entering the green. She had disguised her scent, making herself more difficult to track. However, the person who found her, wasn't anyone she had expected at all.

It was a man in leather, dark blue jeans, a cigar in his mouth, fluffy, spiky hair, and large sideburns. He was familiar, and not at the same time. He looked at her as if he had never encountered someone before, unsure what to say or do. As for Akiko? Well, she had already been stressed, scared, and tired. So, she did the first thing that was instinctual.

*SNIKT*

"God fucking damn it!...Wait a second."

Chapter Text

James "Logan" Howlett was a lot of things. He had done a lot of things he wasn't proud of. He was the best at what he did, and what he did, he hated to do. Those sins he would never be able to wash away, and he never wanted it on anyone else, especially those close to him. It was why he tried to teach Laura to go on another path. It was why he was grateful when she in turn helped Gabby, his granddaughter, learn how to be her own person. And Daken? His son? Logan failed him, and the guilt burned more than the kid would ever know. Logan was tired, and had taken a break from teaching, having just returned to take a stroll in the gardens. He hadn't expected to hear someone crying, or to find the source of the crying to belong to a child with his son's, Itsu's, eyes. Worse yet, for the, literal, bloody brat to stab him.

Logan yelped, holding his leg and opening his eyes just in time to see the wounds heal, and that the toddler was running away. Red still glinted off of her three claws, that were most certainly not configured like his own. However, those claws, and her facial features were more than familiar enough for him to know that the little girl he had spotted wasn't a clone or child of his. He cursed, fear spreading through him as he chased after the three-foot child, not wanting to lose her. She was fast, but he was determined.

"C'mon kid, I'm not here to hurt you," he grunted, finding himself at the center of the maze. There was no scent, no tracks.  Breathing heavily, wide-eyed, he peered over and under the hedges, searching desperately. "Please, I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you to trust me. I've already lost so many."

He stared at his hands, seeing the blood that he could never get rid of even if no one else could see it. He saw the blood of the children he'd been tricked into killing by the Red Hand. He saw the blood of Laura, and Daken, and Gabby. He saw the monster he'd become. He was tired, so damned tired. Falling to his knees, he whispered, "Please, please stop running. Please just, please hear me out?"

Don't run again.

The crunch of a leaf made him turn around, and there she was, hesitatingly peeking around the corner, ready to bolt at any second. He made a step towards her, and she growled, baring her teeth. Logan stopped, sighing as he sat down. "It's okay. I'm willing to wait, for as long as it takes."

She really did look like his son. She looked like Itsu. Hell, she resembled Laura and Gabby in some ways. Logan couldn't help but wonder if she looked like him in some way, and he prayed not. That last bit would be unfortunate. He was an ugly motherfucker. The little girl sniffed, and he winced, seeing that she only wore one sock, the other foot dirty and scratched. The scratches were healing though, and he sighed, regretting that she got that from him.  That, and...

Her claws were still out, prepared to strike. He couldn't blame her. Poor kid was scared, scared of him. Fuck. She started moving closer, tensing and pausing every once in a while. He offered his hand, and she shakily moved hers in a pattern. Shit.

"Sorry sweetheart. I don't speak Sign Language."

She pursed her lips, saddened. Then brightened, finally smiling a little. A scent came from her, and Logan realized the girl was more like his son than he initially thought. "Huh, you really are somethin' aren't ya?"

...

Daken was pissed. On one hand, he was kind of proud Akiko, had evaded so many people, and honestly a great deal of chaos, but on the other, she should’ve done it either with him, with his knowledge, or under safer circumstances. NOT when he didn’t know where she was, where she could get injured, or without any hint of trustworthy supervision. If he was like this, what was he going to do when it was time to say goodbye? And how was he going to tell her?

 A hand fell upon his shoulder, and he found the fuzzy blue elf smiling at him. "Don't vorry, ve'll find her."

"...Seriously, get rid of that accent."

Kurt sighed, "I von't. My 'accent' is part of who I am. To deny it, is to deny my true self."

Akihiro considered his words. "Why do you spend time with us so much? Around Logan, and his spawn?"

"You're an interesting bunch. Very lost, and yet, not," Wagner stated. "I t'ink, ze same goes for your daughter. Akiko, vas it?"

A tightness filled Daken's chest. It took a moment that felt like forever, and he uttered in the quietest, softest tone he could ever remember, "Yes, her name is Akiko."

"Zat's a pretty name. Vat's it mean?"

Daken's jaw clenched. "'Bright child'. She, was named after the most honorable man I've ever known. His name was Akihira. Their names both mean 'bright', or 'light'."

The sun was setting, and as he felt it's warmth, Daken thought of the sunsets he spent with Akihira, the days where they played and his father had taught him the meaning of honor, of decency. How much had he forgotten? How much of those precious moments had he forgotten? It all hurt so much.

"The name, 'Aki'? It can also mean 'hope', or 'love' pending the kanji." Akihira was everything Daken wasn't, and Daken hoped that the same would be with Akiko. "Xavier asked what Akiko was to me. Now you know."

Laura was right, that small soul wouldn't be his redemption, or his saving grace. He would never be redeemed, and his sins would never disappear, but God, he wanted to see that she at least had a chance. He wanted her to live a life without his choices, his mistakes. Just, please, let him find her.

"Daken! They found her!" Victor called out.

Akihiro didn't even have to turn when a small form crashed into his legs, clinging onto him. Knowing her touch, her scent, her warmth, he twisted, picking her up, and held her close. Nuzzling her close, he blocked out the rest of the world. He would let himself get angry later, but in those few seconds, he just grateful she was there with him. What he didn't expect, was the smallest sound that came from her. It sent his world tumbling under him.

"Daisuki , Chichi."

...

..

.

I love you,  Father.

Chapter Text

Daken slowly peeled back, staring at his daughter's identical eyes as she stilled, looking up at him nervously, pale and nervous. She began to sign 'sorry', obviously worried he would be angry, but he held her arms, and pressed his forehead to hers.

"...Akiko, I'm not angry at you for that, I'm not sure I will ever be at this point, but I am rather annoyed that you disappeared on me," he sighed. He saw her bare foot, grimacing as he picked her up once more, hissing as he felt the chill there. "Let's get you into some proper clothes, and then we'll talk, understood?"

Wide-eyed, she nodded, curling against him with fistfuls of his shirt. He hesitated. "By the way, daughter, when did you start practicing talking? That can't be the first time you've spoken."

The fingers grew tighter, and he pet her hair, comforting her best he could, that he knew how as he tried using his pheromones like he did in their earlier days. Yet, she wasn't afraid of him. Instead, it sounded like she was trying something. He heard her throat. It was crackling, and she was clearly in pain, likely from disuse. He stopped her from forcing herself, smiling softly and signing that it was okay. She frowned but nodded.

"I talked in cage. Not well, but I talked. I did not know what people talked or know. They hurt me, and I stopped. Scared.  Aunt L-A-U-R-A and G-A-B-B-Y help study Japanese. I practice at night. I'm bad. I want practice more. I want my first words to be good gift to you...I love you."

Obviously, her sign language was still rudimentary at best, but those basic phrases and words were enough to convey a great deal more than ones normally said out loud. She had been working hard, practicing, for him. Carrying her to the RV, he helped her get dressed into warmer, drier clothing. Akiko had given him two gifts now, which was arguably more than anyone had. The first was a horrid drawing of him as a model which he ended up keeping folded in his wallet, and the other, was that her first spoken words to him was saying that she loved him, and called him her father. He honestly didn't believe it, he doubted she understood what love meant when he only knew it as a system of chemical responses the brain created and nothing else, but...She was making this hard.

Akiko, his daughter, loved him. And he was supposed to say goodbye. "...Akiko, I-"

"I know," she whispered hoarsely, smiling sadly. "Ya, ya hafta g-go."

She had covered her scent, but unlike Daken, she hadn't mastered the art of lying. She didn't know how to disguise her body language or her voice. He could read her sorrow and pain easily. Then again, how did he not know that she knew? How did she know? How much did she know? And, did he really have to go? Yes, yes, of course he had to. It was the best, safest course for everyone. He swallowed, feeling her tiny hand in his. "How did you-?"

"I heard you and L-A-U-R-A and Kitty and Cookie talk. You are loud."

"Wait, Kitty and Cookie?"

"V-I-C-T-O-R and W-A-D-E. My hands hurt fingerspelling."

Able to since no one else was there, Daken snickered, glad that Akiko did so with him. "Wait till Victor hears that one. Are you sure you don't want to call Wade 'pig' or something else?"

"He is cookie."

"All right." Daken frowned. "What do you know about this place Akiko?"

She shrugged, her legs kicking back and forth. "This is a nice cage, not bad? The people are fun and silly. The house is big. They can make fire and rain. I want to say more. I don't know the signs. I do not know how to write."

He sighed, "Fair enough. Akiko, this isn't a cage, despite the jokes you may hear. It's not like the place you were in. It's a place of learning, of studying. It's called a school. The people here will help you learn how to control your claws, and how to talk to people."

Akiko bit her bottom lip. He snorted, telling her that it was a bad habit, and she stopped. "Why do you not teach me?"

"I don't know how to teach you everything and, Akiko, I am not a very nice person. I am not even a decent person," he admitted, unable to meet her eyes. "I've hurt people, killed them, not because I've needed to but because I wanted to. You're going to see and hear that I do a lot of bad things, things that you shouldn't do. I don't want you to be me. I want you to be you."

This time, her expression was completely neutral as she absorbed his words, trying to understand what he said. He inhaled, continuing. "Akiko, there's a man here, and his name is Logan. He's, he's your grandfather. He's not a good man either, but while I hate to admit it, he is a decent one, and a man I have some respect for."

"What does that mean?"

"Respect means, that someone or something has earned a sense of admiration or good feelings from someone else. That you understand and are willing to say that you like some pieces of. You can respect someone for their bravery, their kindness, or even their cleverness, even if you don't like other parts of them."

She nodded. "A grandpa is a parent's parent. Who's parent is Logan?"

Daken's hand tightened around hers. "He is, my blood one."

"You were made from him like I was made from you?"

He winced. "Something like that. The story is, very strange. I had another father, one who took me in when Logan didn't know I was born. My father, he was named Akihira-"

'"Light'. Like me?"

"Yep," he chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Exactly. That, among other things. Listen, I am going to ask your grandfather to watch over you while I'm gone. He has claws too. I got them from him and so did Laura and Gabby. You got them from me. I will still visit, and I'm going to see if I can find a way to contact you in other ways."

Her tiny hand squeezed around his, not as clammy as it was before. Her voice was still quiet, still broken, and still fighting to break through. "A-Am I s-still your d-daughter?"

Embracing her, he swore, "Always."

...

When was the last time Logan had seen his son? Was that even his son? It sure didn't look like him. It was so hard to tell with the small bundle in his arms, that soft expression changing everything in his features to the point where it was almost frightening. Well, it almost was up to the point where Daken's eyes met his.

"Father."

"...Son."

The glare's tensity grew, but Daken said nothing, merely walking past him with resolution in his gait. As for the child, she only glanced in recognition and curiosity, unaware of whatever grudge may lay between them. Inside, he, Charles, Daken, and a good number of the X-Men sat in the main room. Kurt and Gambit sat down in front of the girl, with the latter taking out some cards and showing her a few tricks. As for Kurt? There were Bamfs joining in on the performance, keeping the toddler entertained while the adults talked. Yet, Logan had the feeling that the child was capable of multitasking. She had already shown she was capable of a great deal of things, so he wouldn't doubt it.

"Father, this is Akiko, my daughter," Daken murmured, eyes on her. "She was made by AIM using Weapon X technology and samples of my DNA along with the sample of an unknown woman's. Mystique, to my knowledge, had been looking into the possible identity, but at this point and time it's not relevant to the task at hand. Akiko's immediate needs are."

His son had been serious before, but something about this was different. It most likely had to do with the intent and focus of what the topic was about. "She needs somewhere to stay, and someone to stay with."

It wasn't a question, and everyone knew it. "Yes. I'm asking that you take her in and, that I can visit her, and/or make calls to ask about her welfare. Video calls would be preferable, but phone calls are also doable."

Gambit scowled, "Are we really going to do this? He's a criminal!" The ex-thief got looks that made him shrink. "Hey, I didn't nearly cause a mass genocide!"

"Ya sure about that, sugar?" Rogue grumbled. "None of our hands are the cleanest."

"Still doesn't excuse the fact of what Daken's done, and what he's continuing to do-"

*SNIKT*

A claw had gone through one of his cards, and a toddler was snarling at him, giving Gambit a death glare. Said claw was a single one, right by the middle knuckle. Daken gawked. "AKIKO! Where did you learn that!?"

She blinked, gesturing to Logan. Logan raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't-!"

"Yes you did!" Cyclops yelped. "You flipped me off earlier!"

There were multiple clapping noises as people face-palmed. Daken pinched the bridge of his nose. "Victor, I'm considering taking you up on your offer."

Akiko wasn't paying attention anymore, struggling with figuring out how to remove the playing card from her claw. She ended up getting the other claws to pop out, and blood to spill on the floor. Beast clucked his tongue, quickly aiding her and asking for Kurt to transport them to the medical bay. Daken shifted on his feet, clearly antsy that Akiko had been taken anywhere he wasn't. Logan managed to hold back a snort, but not a small grin as he watched his boy. Daken was a father now. An actual father worrying over his own kid. Who would've thought?

"What're you looking at, old man?"

Logan beamed, "Just thinking of how much you've grown up I suppose."

"I grew up without you."

Silence echoed in the room, neither man looking at the other. Members of the X-Men left the room, one by one with the exception of Charles Xavier. Neither father nor son particularly cared about him though. The professor already knew their secrets, their past and what was taken from them in any case. Logan shut his eyes. "Akihiro-"

"Daken," his son grunted. "I'm called Daken."

"You're not a mongrel, and you're not a bastard," Logan said. "I'm not giving up on you, you know that."

Daken exhaled. "I have, and you will, but, I will ask that you not throw her away. There's very few people I care about, Father. Two of them you already know. This is the third, and you will treat her well, else I will make your life far worse than it already is."

Logan found himself unable to stop his lips from turning upwards. "I'm proud of you."

"For what?"

Akiko toddled into the room, giggling as she returned to her father's side, his attention consumed by her. Logan didn't even mind at all. "For becoming the man I was never brave enough to be."

Chapter Text

"That crazy pest mauled my hair!"

Kubark sniggered, "Oh come on, she only fluffed it a little. Besides, you heard Logan, they have her contained and under contro-"

*BAMF*

A plume of blue, sulferic smoke filled the room, as did two very fuzzy and furry figures. Broo, wiped his glasses clean and Quentin pouted. "I hate it when they do that."

His annoyance quickly turned into fear, yelping and leaping away when he saw the little monster in Kurt's arms, who in turn merely blinked when she saw him. Broo gasped, seeing the blood on her hands. "Oh dear."

Beast chuckled. "Don't worry, she has super healing. Problem is she needs to be trained for her other abilities, one of which she needs a little help with right now. Keep an eye on her while I get my kit, will you? Akiko, behave. Kurt, go ask Laura and Gabrielle if she is to avoid anything when it comes to medication or allergies?"

"Understood."

There was another poof, and Beast left. Idie waved her arms, "Isn't it a bad idea to leave a child unsupervised!?"

"She's not unsupervised, she's with you," Beast said, turning around the corner, and leaving the teens with the toddler.

Quentin cursed, still holding his hair. "That son of a-"

Sorry.  Broo translated for her, and Akiko continued. "I was scared. My father is leaving me here. I want to learn more here. I  was scared and your hair was nice. It looks nice, like father's. It's like home. I will not touch again. That was bad. I was bad. I am sorry."

Quentin frowned, and groaned, "Fine, I'll accept it for now. So, Akiko's the name?"

"Yes. I am a M-U-T-A-N-T. Are you one too?"

"Duh, everyone here is kid," Quentin snorted.

He was elbow by Idie, who scooted onto the bed where Akiko was. "Hello Akiko, I'm Idie. The guy you pounced over there is Quentin, this is Broo and Kubark, and the one over there who's hiding is Trevor. So, are you going to be a student here?"

"My father says I'm going to be learning here. Is that what a 'S-T-U-D-I-N-T does?"

Broo corrected her spelling and Akiko quickly practiced the it so she would get it right. She was also much happier when Broo showed her the correct sign. There was still a lot she needed to learn.

"Yep. There aren't many kids your age here, but the one I'm most familiar with is Shogo, Shogo Lee. He's nice and likes making art. What about you?"

Akiko blushed, eyes drifting to the floor as she kicked her legs back and forth. "I make drawings. I do not think I make good art."

"Art is always subjective," Broo disagreed, sweating a little when he realized he confused her with the term he chose. "Er, art is something everyone sees differently. What someone may dislike is something someone else may adore. What someone may consider horrible, another might see as the most beautiful to grace the stars. Take me for example-"

"You're pretty,"   Akiko said, causing him to stutter. "I like your eyes and teeth. They are nice. They are clean and shiny."

When he didn't translate, the others asked what was wrong, all except Quentin who could read his mind. "So, she likes my hair, and your eyes and teeth? Pfft, you are one weird kid."

"You are pretty . Angry, and pretty."

She beamed when he stuttered, pouting and looking away, grumbling. Idie laughed, "You just say whatever's on your mind, huh kid?"

"Lying is bad. I tell truth."

"I miss it when we all thought things were so simple," Idie sighed, leaning on her elbow. "So, super-healing's your special power? Why'd you bleed when you sneezed earlier then-?"

*SNIKT*

"...Oh fuck."

"LANGUAGE!" McCoy shouted from the other room, making it obvious he could hear them from where he was.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Quentin retaliated, flipping the teaching off the whole time, causing Akiko to giggle. He grinned. "Hey, I'll teach you all the fun stuff here."

Idie hugged Akiko. "Oh no you don't. We're gonna help this kid grow up right. That family's already been through hell and back and...Oh crap, her powers were activated this early? How?"

Akiko signed, "Hurt."

When Broo translated, Quentin's humor quickly vanished. "Shit, I'm sorry."

"You should be." In the hallway was a girl with green eyes, pink skin, and dark hair that shone violet in the light. There were darker shades of pink triangles over her eyes, and she approached Akiko with a smile. "Hi, Akiko. My father, Mr. Creed or Victor as you might know him, told me about you. He said he told you about me? I'm Blink, but you might know me as-"

"Cl-Clarice," Akiko uttered brokenly in a hoarse voice. It was rough and high-pitched, but there was joy in there. Clarice's eyes widened, but she beamed, glad to meet the toddler at last. "C-Clarice!"

Clarice held out her arms, and Akiko leapt forward, glad to know someone a little familiar, even if they hadn't directly met before.

Everything was going to be okay.

Chapter Text

Victor was a lot a things, he had been a lot of things, and will always be a lot of things. He had slaughtered more faces than he could remembered, abandoned more in need than he could place, and yet, despite everything he took joy in, every despicable thing he loved and that others' hated him for, there was something, someone he loved. Others wouldn't understand, and he wouldn't expect them to, especially since he didn't quite understand it himself, but he loved his daughter. For all he cared, the world could hate him, they could bloody him, they could take away everything he was, but if they touched her, he would destroy everything that they were, just like he did his own father.

"Mr. Creed! It's so good to see you again!"

Victor laughed, picking Clarice up and swinging her around. "It's good to see you too, sweetheart. How have you been?"

"Good, although the lunch here still sucks," she snorted. "I ran into Akiko earlier. I thought you said she couldn't talk?"

She talked? "No, I said she had difficulty speaking, which is why she preferred to sign. She spoke to you?"

"She said my name, but nothing else. It sounded like it hurt for her to talk. We shouldn't push her too much," Blink stated, holding her chin in thought. "It's strange, she's a lot like Daken, and yet not. I can't tell if it's because of her youth or something else."

"You can't honestly expect for all children to be like their parents?"

She rolled her eyes at him, elbowing his side. "Of course not. It's just, I don't know, from what the other kids said she sounded more, wild? Was it just a momentarily lapse in judgement or what?"

Sabretooth glanced at his claws. "As anyone would know, fear and confusion tends to make us act out in the strangest of ways."

"Ah." She leaned against the wall next to him, her head tilted up. "Is he really leaving her here?"

"I did with you too."

Clarice shrugged. "You I can understand. I mean, we spent some time together in the camps and even here at the school before you had to go at least. But her? She's barely known him for what? A month? A month and a half? And then there's her age. How much is he going to miss out on? One day he'll be here and the next, she'll be more than half his height. That's how quickly kids grow, especially mutant kids."

That was true, there was a strange correlation that no one could explain about that. Victor grimaced. "What were you thinking back then, when I left?"

She winced. "I was scared that since we walked very different paths, that I might have to fight you one day, and that I didn't want to say goodbye."

Neither said anything after that for who knew how many minutes. It wasn't easy to change someone's nature, more so considering how long Sabretooth and Daken had been doing the things they had. They may have been trying to keep their own kids on a good path, but that didn't mean things were easy. In fact, they were painful. Power was like a drug for the parents, and the children couldn't always save them from the influence, no matter how much they tried. Who knew, someday maybe something would change, but it would be a long time coming.

"I'm sorry."

"I know," Clarice shrugged. "It doesn't make much of a difference though, does it?"

Victor's jaw clenched, and Clarice held his hand, the claws in his quickly retracting to prevent from hurting her. If he ever had them out around her, he wanted them to protect her, to shield her, never harm.

She was his little girl, now and always.

...

Wade watched as the students played out by the maze, tempted to take out his phone to record the chaos being made. But he wouldn't, he wouldn't compromise their safety like that, not when he had a habit of losing stuff so easily.

"Nice day out?"

Deadpool tilted his head to see Fantomex, shrugging as the asshole moved next to him, both watching as Akiko was introduced to Evan through Clarice. Evan appeared nervous, likely because he learned she was related to Daken, the one who tried to turn him into the next Apocalypse, but soon brightened as she gave him a flower, signing something that made him laugh. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"They're the next us, aren't they?"

Gabby joined in on the group, Jonathan playfully tackling Akiko before chasing Quentin, Kubark joining in on the destruction. "Why do you guys enjoy torturing me!?"

"Because you're an asshole!"

"LANGUAGE!"

"You're not bloody freakin' Captain America! Quit it!"

"...A-ass-?"

An aura of darkness filled the grassy area, and all realized it came from Daken's glare. Deadpool coughed out a laugh while Fantomex dropped his jaw. "The hell just happened?"

"Daken's a dad now."

Fantomex looked towards Evan, his gaze softening. "Huh, I think we're all becoming parents, aren't we? Freaky how psychopaths and homicidal maniacs can help make kids like them. "

"Not really," Deadpool murmured. "Look at the shit that made us. We know the darkest parts of life. We protect them from it, make sure they know what we are, isn't right. That's why they're better. It's why they're not us. It's why they're-"

"Heroes? Even if only to us?" Wade said nothing. "Ellie might have the X-gene, right? Are you gonna send her here some day?"

Wilson lifted his head to see the kids ahead again as they practiced using their powers, playing tag and rolling around the field. "I've thought about it, and I think it might be best. Just worried I guess. Don't want her to get my powers, my problems."

"There's only so much we can do Wade. For now, just try to teach them the right thing, and be there for them when they need us."

Chapter Text

"Why the hell is he here?"

Daken smirked, winking. "Miss me, Snowflake?"

Bobby scowled, folding his arms as he leaned against the wall, a draft of frozen mist emanating from him as he grit his teeth. Akiko's head turned, moving back and forth as she tried to figure out what was going on. "Father, you make people angry."

"That's just my specialty, honey," he said proudly. "So, what did you think of the other kids?"

"E-V-A-N was scared, and he was nicer when I gift him flower."  Her signing was getting better, but was still extremely simplistic. There was a lot she needed to learn, in more ways than one. "I like aunt G-A-B-B-Y. I want play more. B-R-O-O makes S-T-U-D-Y-I-N-G fun. Q-U-I-R-E silly. I-D-I-E  nice. C-L-A-R-I-C-E feels safe."

Daken's smirk eased as he picked up his daughter, placing her onto his hip. "I'm glad."

He once believed power was all he had, or all he needed. Now? He was starting to question that, even if just a little. Akiko suddenly stiffened, and he glanced at her worriedly, sending his pheromones in question. She was in obvious physical discomfort and, oh. He sighed. "Hey, Snowflake? Give me an ice ball?"

Drake raised an eyebrow and Daken narrowed his eyes, gesturing to Akiko who was starting to nibble on her leather gloves. Drake realized what was happening, even if he was throroughly confused. Making and handing over a chunk of ice, Drake watched as Akiko took it, frowning when she signed something quickly before munching on it. "Chewing on ice is a horrible habit by the way."

"She's teething," Daken explained. "Her...Baby canines are supposed to come out soon. They're sore. This is one of the few times I'm willing to tolerate that kind of thing-"

*CRACK*

A tooth plopped onto the floor, and a rather sharp one at that. Akiko surprisingly sighed in relief while her gums began to seal right before their eyes, even if she was still sucking on the ice, which was now covered in blood. Drake shuddered. "Uh, is that gonna happen every time?"

"I, don't know?" Daken mumbled, carefully bending down to pick up Akiko's tooth so that he wouldn't drop it or her.

Seeing the points on both sides, he could understand why she was so agitated and felt the need to chew things. The edges were starting to prick his digits, cutting into his flesh. Was that what all her baby teeth were doing? For hours, days on end? Is that why she looked so much happier that it was out? Hell, with the ice on her mostly gone wound, Akiko practically looked like she was in utter bliss. He couldn't blame her. How hadn't he understood that earlier? He remembered his initial reaction to learning that she was teething then. He had let his anger, stress get the best of him. He slammed the door on her, and even thought about-

"She. is. NOT. MY. DAUGHTER!"

"Chichi?"

Daken held her closer. How was him leaving her here any different from how he left her back then? She knew much more than he thought back then, and here she likely knew and understood more than he suspected. What did she think of him? It wasn't as if he could just ask her, right? She called him 'father' again, and he inhaled, regaining some semblance of composure.

"Sorry, sweetie, just worried I guess. Are you all right?"

She nodded, her ice almost gone. She twisted the ends of her index fingers at one another and pointed to her teeth, a frown on her face. Right, her mouth was still going to be a little sore where she lost her tooth. He asked Drake for another piece of ice, and then took her to the medical ward, where McCoy place her tooth in a container for the "tooth fairy". Akiko was skeptical of such a thing, but accepted it anyway, allowing Daken to clean up the blood on her clothing.

...Sorry. I'm messy.

He snorted. "So am I and everyone else here. We get better at being clean with practice, and some people are cleaner than others anyways. As long as you don't stink like your grandpa and keep yourself the healthy kind of clean, I don't mind."

Someone cleared their throat by the doorway, and Daken exhaled, telling himself to not get agitated as he saw Logan there. "Father."

"Son."

"Chichi?"

Daken smirked, "Akiko, what's the word for 'grandpa'?"

Logan scowled, "If you taught her something besides the actual Japanese translation I swear-"

"Jiji," she said proudly.

As Logan sighed in relief, Akiko then did the sign for grandpa, except where with grandpa you only made one extra movement to signal an extra generation over 'father', she made several extra to gesticulate his age. Daken never did specify if the word for grandpa was in Japanese after all. Broo, who was nearby, laughed loudly as one of the few who could understand the joke. Logan didn't understand, but he did understand that he was being made fun of.

"Really?"

"Yes," both father and daughter said at the same time, the former surprised at her answering in the first place. G-A-B-B-Y says you two are old. I add age.

Daken did not like this idea. "Honey, regardless, I am still your father, not your grandfather. Now Logan is your grandpa, so you can stab and make fun of him any time you-"

Akiko gave him a look. Holy crap, Akiko was giving her father a look, and it said she wasn't taking his shit. It practically screamed, "Really?" His daughter wasn't buying his BS and he was so proud. He beamed, ruffling her hair. She really was learning between right and wrong. 

"Atta girl. Seriously though, any step out of line, feel free to kick his butt."

That time, she didn't seem to disagree with her father as much. Logan groaned, gaining sympathy from Laura who pat his back. Gabby bounced forward and Akiko giggled, showing off her tooth to her youngest aunt. It looked like the whole 'Snikt Fam', as some of the X-Men had dubbed them, was there, including the newest member. Daken didn't know how to feel about any of it. He was just glad Laura and Gabby were there, else he might not have been able to maintain his sanity.

"Gabby, keep an eye on Akiko?"

"Sure. Come on Spider-Fluff! Let's go watch the others play Mutant Ball?"

"Eh?"

Logan cackled, "Oh, this is gonna be fun. Come on squirt, let's go kick some..." Daken and Laura glowered. "Er, butt. I was going to say butt."

"Sure you were, 'grandpa'," Gabby teased, pulling him outside as she picked up Akiko, both giggling the whole way.

Daken and Laura groaned. "Well, at least she's starting to become more comfortable here?"

"Not really," Daken murmured. "No matter how well she may be able to disguise her emotions when it comes to scent, you can I both know her body language is off. She just doesn't want me to be troubled when I go."

Laura inclined her head. "You don't have to go."

"...You once asked me, 'Why do you limit yourself?' You said that I cared about power, that it was something I already have, and that it was something easy for me, that I limit my heart. That, you believed I thought caring for others was more dangerous was than seeking power." He paused, meeting her eyes. "You were right, Laura. I do have a heart, and I'm a coward because, I'm not ready to face that fact, not entirely. I care about her, about you and Gabby, and maybe about Logan, just a little. I already had plans to leave before, but now? It's for very different reasons."

His sister touched his arm, and he flinched at first, not used to actually letting others touch him as if they cared for him back. Yet, she did, and he was willing to try. Since when had he been willing to do that?

"It's okay Daken. Just remember to return? She'll be waiting for you, and so will we."

Chapter Text

Laura Kinney, formerly known as X-23, was a lot of things. She was a clone, a killer, a sister, and most importantly, someone with a soul. It had taken her time to learn that, and she learned that through painful ways, but for her she was happy to learn she wasn't just a copy of someone else. She was her own person, just as Daken and Gabby and everyone else in their over complicated, melodramatic family. She loved them, and that was no secret, nor was the fact that she worried about her brother. He always held himself back in the most important aspects of himself. Over the years he had been growing all on his own, even before Akiko came into the picture, but maybe depending on each other for a common cause, coming to care about something or someone was what they all had needed. She herself was apparently step one according to Logan, then there was Gabby, and now?

There were endless possibilities in the multiverse, and she had seen worlds where Blink didn't exist nor Rogue nor other children of those belonging to those of Weapon X. The ones where they did though? The future tended to be a little bit brighter.

To the rest of the world her brother was hard to read, but to Laura Kinney, Daken Akihiro was an open book. At the moment, he was a wave of emotions as he watched their father trying to teach Akiko how to catch a baseball. So far they weren’t very successful. The toddler had gotten a ball to the nose the first time, Logan a large bruise on his forehead before his powers kicked in, and Akiko accidentally skewered it once.

Laura knew in the beginning of monitoring them, that Daken had been a little bit jealous, likely wondering what could’ve been. What would’ve been if Logan had been there, if he had either prevented Itsu from being killed, or had raised Daken in any other way? Would they too have played catch? Would Daken have ever met Laura or Gabby or Akiko? Would there be any of the animosity they had now linger in the slightest?

The truth was, there was a high chance neither Logan nor Daken would ever find true happiness in any universe. Ingrained in them was something that made them always want more instead of being satisfied with what they had. Admittedly, one could argue Logan had grown out of that, that others were the ones who always came in and tried to destroy his life. Yet, it had originally been his own actions that started some part of that reaction. With that, tragedy seemed to follow them everywhere, no matter how much they changed.

She hoped they would find some happiness here. That there was some peace in these few moments, and that for once, maybe they wouldn’t have to bath their hands in blood and hatred. That, they wouldn’t have to be the animals that everyone perceived them to be.

 Daken stood up, reluctantly instructing Logan how to apply the numbing cream to Akiko's knuckles and what to do when she was hurt. Logan took in every word, attentive to both his granddaughter's needs, and his son's. Laura smiled, glad to see them interacting for once without being murderous or actively trying to kill one another. This was an improvement. Then, something truly shocked her. Akiko, who was the truly mysterious one of the family at this point, bonked both of their heads with the ball, and toddled over to Laura, leaving father and son together, alone, with the ball. They looked at her, seeing her pouting face and folded arms.

She signed, "Show me. Play. Teach. Learn."

That little...She really was her father's daughter, but with very different motives. Laura smirked, watching as Logan and Daken stared at one another, hesitant as they each picked up leather mitts and stood several feet apart. They were visibly straining not to fight in front of Akiko, and she likely knew it, but she didn't show a damned thing. This kid was too clever for her own good sometimes. After a couple of minutes, Daken and Logan truly looked each other in the eye, and she saw them talking. That's all they were doing while playing catch, just talking. No arguing, no yelling, just talking. There was no anger, no hatred radiating off either of them. She was tempted to listen in, hear what they were saying, but decided whatever they were saying, wasn't for her ears.

...

"She's a lot like you, you know."

Logan tensed, tossing the ball back to his son. "I was going to say the same to you. I don't understand how she's like me. She's got your looks, brains too, thank God."

"She's got your spirit. She's trying to do the right thing, getting us alone, to talk to each other."

"It's working, isn't it?" Daken stayed silent, continuing the supposed meaningless task. It wouldn't be much of a task at all, but it was considering who they were, and who was watching. "What are you thinking about right now?"

His son glanced towards Akiko, and paused, sighing as he threw the ball to Logan once more, a little more forcefully this time. It stung, burning the flesh through the leather. It was a good thing they had bothered to wear the things at all, else things might've been messy. "You know those weeks I spent with the Fantastic Four?"

"If you're going to me about your time with Johnny Storm, I don't have any problem with that considering my own history, but there are some personal details of yours I don't want to know," Logan teased.

It was somewhat nice to catch his son off guard. The poor kid tripped, flushing and gaping. Then he grinned, regaining his stance. "I don't kiss and tell."

Logan raised an eyebrow, his own toss more gentle this time. Again, he didn't need to know, but it was fairly obvious what went down considering what he heard from Susan. Besides, Logan tended to be either on every super team there was nowadays, or in contact with them. News always got to him eventually whether he wanted to hear it or not.

Daken snorted. "As I was saying, I said something to Reed Richards. 'Family is just a fluffy toy way of saying necessary support network for an individual. Some of us, the weak among us, desire human warmth, encouragement, and affirmation'."

Another toss, this one harder than the last. "'Someone to pretend to listen while we whine about our day. We are animals. We need sex, so we take on partners, and we get tired in life, so we take a life partner, their siblings being an unwanted complication.'"

The ball slammed into the mitt, the echo of it ringing in the air. Logan couldn't feel any rage directed at him, strangely enough. He thought with Daken's words, the phrasing, there would be, so why wasn't there? "'We become aware of our own mortality, and so we squeeze out children. We pat ourselves on the back for our ability to give life when any drooling biological organism can procreate. An amoeba divides..."

*SLAM*

"'...There's no little house on the prairie altruism in this world. Every human interaction is a transaction we find those who give us what we need and we cement long time terms with them as a result, and you call this a family'."

Logan furrowed his eyebrows, the ball still in his mitt, the other hand outstretched towards his child. "Son?"

Daken slowly met his father's eyes. "I don't have a life partner, I don't think I'd ever care for one. Maybe that'll change someday. Siblings? You know how much I care for Laura and Gabby already. And children..."

He hesitated. "I never wanted any. I never planned for a child nor asked for one. I know that 'love' is a series of chemicals produced by the brain for evolution to convince species' to procreate. I'm telling you this, because that's what I've known, and it's why I've had a difficult time coming to terms with the knowledge that I care about them, and possibly about you. The problem is, I'm unsure because I've cared for so few in my life, that I don't know what love is."

Logan stared at his son, realizing what his boy was saying, what he might be going through. 

"Logan, Father," Daken sighed, clenching and unclenching his fists. "I want to be free, but a strong belief of mine is that 'He who is brave is free'. Right now, I'm afraid to be part of this, to be with her, any of you. Until I deal with this and learn, I'm trapped in my own cage. I need to face that fear, so I can become stronger. So that I can be the best I can be, not just for her, but also for me."

Wolverine grinned, and tossed the ball once more to his son, letting him take control. 

...

Gabby leaned on her elbow. "I don't think this is how 'catch' is supposed to be played."

Victor, who was playing 'Clink' with Akiko, shrugged. "I think they needed this. By the way, what's Akiko's full name anyway? She's gotta have a legal name."

Logan and Daken returned, the two looking at one another and nodding in silent agreement before Logan spoke. "Akiko is her first name, and with Akiko's permission, we'd like her middle name to be 'Laura'."

"What?"

"Yes!" Akiko giggled as she was picked up by her father, laughing more when he tickled her.

"It's decided then. We'll figure out the last name later and I'll contact Fury for help with it, but for now we have a middle name so that's something," Logan said, still trying to get used to some of Daken's new behaviors. "Come on, time for dinner."

What just happened? 

Chapter Text

Akiko Laura Howlett was a lot of things, and many of those things she was still figuring out. That was okay though, because she knew her father was figuring out who he was too, and what little she knew so far, everyone took their own time to do these kinds of things. Before all of this, her life had felt like forever surrounded by four walls, and within such a short time, overwhelmingly everything in her world had changed. She learned all new kinds of colors and smells and sensations, and she met all kinds of new people, including Chichi. He was lost too though, and like her, he was hurt, and confused. There were times they were separated even when they were together, where her mind would wander and get lost, and she had no doubt it happened to him to. Maybe, actually going to those places might help him find out where he needed to be. Maybe, once he  got there, he'd come back for her.

No, he would come back for her. Akiko knew he would. In the meantime, she needed to be like him, and discover her own path, which was easier said than done.

Clarice and Broo and Quentin and Idie were all in class, and she was the youngest one in the Institute. Her grandpa was a teacher, so he couldn't exactly stay with her at the moment, and there were very few adults around because, well, they were all teachers. Well, except for a few. Akiko wasn't sure why the card guy was at the mansion if he wasn't a teacher, but he was humming a strange tune as he made cards float in the air. Her nose twitched, wrinkling as she caught his scent once more. He smelled both like cigarettes, and like something sweet. Was he wearing perfume? It always got stronger around the lady with the white stripe in her hair.

He chuckled, "Maybe we ought to call you 'kitty', p’tite poupée. With that position and the way you're glowering, you're acting just like a little cat about to pounce. Should I be more careful about those claws of yours than I thought I would be?"

She narrowed her eyes, signing, "Why are you calling me a little bitch?"

The weird stinky one cackled, "Oh no, no. P’tite poupée means, 'little doll.' I was just complimenting you on how cute you were. I'll have to come up with a different nickname."

Akiko pursed her lips, adjusting her seating so she was less "catlike". He smiled, and offered his hand. "I don't think I introduced myself earlier. My name is Remy, Remy Lebeau. What is yours?"

She hesitated, glancing between her hands and touching her throat. Remy seemed to understand her dilemma.

"I don't know all sign language, but I know how to read fingerspelling? And we have some writing tools here too. You can uh, write, right?" Her shoulders slagged with relief, and she signed more freely. Her writing still left a lot to be desired (it was atrocious) but she would adapt. "That's a lovely name. By the way, did you like my cards? I kept the one you uh, 'signed'?"

He raised up the card she had punctured the day she first arrived at the Xavier Institute, her cheeks flushing before guilt filled her expression. He snorted, "Oi, don't apologize. I got mad at your dad, and you believed you were protecting him, right?"

She nodded, and he took it out of the deck, handing it to her. He leaned over, pointing out the figures as he explained them to her. "Tell you what, I'll explain a few things about cards to you. What I have here is a 'standard fifty-two' deck. That means there's fifty two cards in this stack of cards."

As he spoke, the cards began flying, some sparkling, causing her to gape and eyes to widen. He grinned without her noticing, glad she was taking some delight in the show. "Now, here you've got what are called 'four suits'. That just means there's four specific groups of cards that wears these fancy kinds of markings. You've got the spade, which is like the kind used for gardening, or you might better think of it as a really pointy arrow."

That made the toddler giggle a little, and Gambit's smile softened, just as the glow around the cards did. "Then you've got the clubs, which are three leaf clovers, a type of plant that's really lucky."

He reached behind her ear and pulled out said plant, causing her to blink and look around. She pat some locks of her hair, trying to figure out where the clover had come from. Gambit snickered, "And while you'll never see it in a deck of cards, the luckiest clover you'll ever see, is the four leaf kind, 'cause that's the rarest of all. It's a mutant, just like you and me."

Her eyes widened as he pulled his thumb back to show the fourth leaf on the clover that had been hidden somewhere she couldn't see, and tucked it behind her ear. Winking, he returned to their lesson, the two starting to get lost in the discussion of hearts and diamonds. It was during that time, she figured out why he might change his scent a lot around his Queen of Hearts. It was also after that lesson, that Rogue found herself under a sprig of three leaf clovers, and Gambit was strangely both amused and flustered as he had to explain to Akiko why it wasn't quite the same thing as mistletoe.

...

..

.

Rogue kissed him anyways.

Chapter Text

Gabrielle Kinney was a lot of things, but she didn't care for a lot of them, because the most important thing she liked about herself was the fact that she wasn't alone. She had Laura, her crazy ass grandpa, her weird little brother (she didn't care if he was like, a hundred years old), Jonathan the Unstoppable, Deadpool and...She was here, she was alive, and there was so much about her life that she adored, and with every passing moment, she saw and experienced so much that made her love the ones more and more, no matter how insane they might be sometimes. She hoped they knew that, always.

She was Honey Badger, and she loved being part of her family.

"How does Professor Xavier even survive  on this campus? There's like, no wheelchair ramps anywhere!?" Gabby exclaimed, gesturing to the halls and stairs around them.

Daken blinked, "How did I not notice that before?"

"You're rarely ever here unless you're attacking people," Evan grumbled, sitting down and folding his arms at the dinner table.

Next to him was Bobby, Gambit, and a few other X-Men that didn't quite like Daken. This, was going to be an awkward dinner. Akiko tried to climb into one of the chairs, ignoring Logan's offer of help, determined to be strong and wanting to be grownup to do it herself. Her father paused, unsure as he offered to help her instead. She paused, but accepted his help instead. The act made some of the glares from the others lessen or disappear completely. She was still a bit short when it came to the ledge of the wood, so she knelt, grinning when she was able to reach her plate and silverware.

Next to her was Gabby and Logan. Beside him was Laura, and then Victor, and his daughter, Clarice. Every Weapon X assassin was sitting with their respective child and/or relative, adopted or not. Deadpool wasn't there, but Daken had the sneaking suspicion that the Merc with a Mouth was meeting his own little girl. What did surprise him, was the knock at the doorway. Xavier was there, along with Mystique by his side, who was smiling anxiously. Kurt Wagner and Anna Marie stood up, starting to step forward, yet unsure. Charles nodded at Mystique, who cleared her throat, shifting back and forth on the heels of her feet.

"I, Charles, said that I could come to dinner if I'd like? I, I can go if you want though?"

Kurt leapt forward, embracing his mother, followed closely behind by Anna Marie. Pulling Mystique to the family, Idie laughed a bit, going over to the fireplace and starting the flame. Everyone there used their powers and abilities to make a show and share the meal. No one let Logan or the Snikts cut food with their claws though, 'cause that would be unsanitary. It was, however, interesting to see Akiko figuring out how to properly cut food. She was a lot better since the time she had tried to cut pancakes.

It was also there that Akiko met another toddler for the first time, Shogo Lee. The two briefly stared at each other, taking in the fact that there was someone their same age and not knowing what to do with that fact.

"...Buh?"

"Uh, glarb?" Akiko thought for a moment, a little shy and unsure. Then, tense, she unsheathed her claws, causing Shogo to ooh and awe. Then, he took out a stuffed toy to show off, and Akiko quickly put her claws away, allowing her father to clean up her knuckles before examining the odd creature's large eyes. She beamed, and handed it back, liking its appearance. She began signing, hesitant as she struggled to speak. "My. Name. A-K-I-K-O. Y-You?"

He smiled back, giggling. "Sho!"

Both laughed before returning to their meals, where every once in a while he would point to things, asking what the sign was for certain objects or behaviors. He wasn't the only one, since the students there were aptly listening in, trying to mimic the hand positions and Broo had to correct them multiple times. "No, no, the 'A' has the thumb on the side. A 'T' has the thumb between the index and the middle, and the 'S' is in front of all of them."

"Argh," Quentin groaned, slamming his head on the table.

Idie murmured the rules to herself, "Okay, and 'N' is the thumb underneath the index and middle, and 'M' is the thumb under everything except the pinky."

"Correct, Idie!"

"Teacher's pet."

Logan was also joining in, having even more difficulty than the kids. Daken snorted, silently enjoying his father's misery. Laura rolled her eyes at him, and Daken scoffed in offense. She smirked then, in her spoon a small bit of pudding, which she flipped onto his cheek. Daken twitched, grinning, and quickly slammed two fingers down on the lower end of his fork, causing peas to fly at her. She glared, a vein visibly thudding in her forehead while he moved to thumb the pudding off his cheek. Laura made a low whistle.

"Akiko, your daddy made a mess. Help him clean up?"

Daken frowned, grumbling as Akiko inhaled excitedly, grabbing a napkin and reaching up, wiping away the pudding. There were a lot of coos and giggling throughout the room, and Daken's temper was clearly being tested, but it softened as he saw his daughter's happiness.

Gabby snickered, not minding later on when a food fight, or rather food war, broke out for real. Of course every parent fought alongside their kids, so ironically, at some point, Daken and Logan were fighting together against Victor and Blink, and ended up getting utterly whipped by the teleporter (or two with Nightcrawler and Mystique helping them), covered in mashed potatoes and ice cream. They made sure that Akiko and Gabby stayed clean for the most part though, since cleaning those two was always a pain in the neck.

It was a good night, and it became an even better one when she went to get a glass of water around midnight. Gabrielle Kinney would never tell anyone how she put a blanket around Daken and Akiko while they were asleep and snuggled on the couch. Nor would she tell anyone how her sister and grandpa slept on separate sides of the chair near them, warmed by the fire, and lay beside them.

Chapter Text

Daken was a lot of things, and from that, he had learned to expect the unexpected. He'd believed that he was a god because of it, that nothing should be above him, and yet, there were many things he'd never have predicted. He never thought he'd come to care for people, but then he met people like Donna, Johnny, Kim, Victor, Raven, and even his own family. In some ways, each of them changed him, just a little. Then again, a little by little tended to add up. He was changing, and it was the most frightening thing he could ever imagine. Yet, looking back, it was also one of the most challenging, and fulfilling. He wasn't a hero (heroes were among the stupidest beings in the world), but he was becoming something more, and for that, he could say he was proud.

"We explored inside Toad's body today with robots. It was fun and gross."

Akiko's father grinned from the other side of the screen, enjoying hearing about his daughter's school day. By robots, she must've meant nanobots as he read from the course description. Huh, 'daughter'. That was still something he was trying to get used to. He wasn't sure if he ever would. "Oh, and what did your classmates think?"

"They explore before. They had fun. They silly," she giggled. Daken's smile softened at seeing her expression. He was still getting used to that too, as well as the slight ache that came with the next one. She was trying to keep up beaming at him, but he could see the pain in her eyes. He had practiced lying all his life, and hers had only just begun.  What about you? How is your day?

He hummed. "Not very special I suppose-"

An explosion sounded behind him, and the flames didn't make him very convincing either. In retrospect, maybe he wasn't exactly a very good liar either. Akiko blinked, and then laughed, tears coming out of her eyes. He pouted, and rolled his eyes. "Oh please, this isn't that special for me and you know it. I blow things up all the time."

There was another one and he couldn't quite meet her eyes. Damn it. Victor was roaring in the background, and Daken winced as there were a couple of yells in Swedish and German, not to mention someone being cut off as they shouted "Hail Hydra!". Whelp, that was a bit of a dead giveaway. As was the blood starting to appear. Daken quickly sidestepped, clearing his throat. "Uh, I'll have to talk to you later, honey. Bye now!"

"Jaa ne, Chichi! Daisuki!"

See you later, Father! I love you!

Daken beamed, closing the video chat before putting away the tablet, and bounding forth to go kill some Nazis. After all, he needed to finish this up. The sooner, the better.

Logan had watched as Daken closed the video chat. Akiko was still smiling, but the heartache was more prominent. The girl had gone through a lot for someone so young, and Logan couldn't help but blame himself for it, for all of them. How much of their suffering was because of him?

"Don't."

He looked up, seeing Akiko's angry expression. "What?"

Her voice was scratchy, still pained, but somehow clear as she met his gaze evenly. "Stop feeling guilty. It reeks. It's rotten and festers. Heal."

His eyes drifted as he leaned against the wall. "Not an easy thing to do squirt, not when I've lived as long as I have, done and seen the things that I have."

"Then accept them," she murmured, looking at her knuckles. "It hurts, but we clean stuff, help it, each other. Why not help ourselves heal too?"

How can something so simple sound so much older? At her side was a book and he nearly chuckled seeing the series title, 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'. He decided to change the subject. "Got a favorite character in there?"

She pouted, clearly irritated he was changing the subject, but indulged him. "...Sunny Baudelaire."

"Oh, how come?"

Akiko smirked. "Read books. Find out."

"Smart alec."

"Hey Akiko, come on!" Evan interrupted.

Though the teens were much older than Akiko, her odd sense of maturity and behaviors were blending in with them each day. There were times she struggled, but thankfully they were patient. Broo helped the most, the two oddly being the closest. Clarice was also becoming her best friend and guide at this point, trying to teach the kid how, well, to be a kid. Gabby and Laura visited often when they weren't fighting bad guys, and Logan...He was spending time with his youngest granddaughter.

Logan sighed. "Time for PE!" Multiple curses sounded and Logan raised an eyebrow, the teens realizing Daken would likely skewer them if he found out what they said. Akiko didn't mind one way or the other. Words were words. "Who's up for paintball?"

Quentin cracked his knuckles, "It's time for war...Yo, Spider-Fluff, you're on my team."

Why was she Spider-Fluff when she was a member of the Snikts er, Wolverines? It didn't make any sense. Akiko signed something that Logan couldn't make out and Quentin gaped while the others snickered. Kids, they would be the death of him. "No, she's part of the aerial team since you will experience attacks from all directions."

 She gave him a thumbs up, and ran, thus sending terror into the hearts of her classmates. The group started to groan, and once Akiko was out of earshot, Logan halted them, leaning down to whisper. "Hold on, I have a plan of attack that I need your help with..."

Akiko sniffed the air, searching for her classmates. It was going to be tricky hunting some of them, the most difficult being Broo, Quentin, and Trevor. The first was already a semi natural born hunter, even with his own mutation. Quentin, well, he could read minds and sense presences. And Trevor? All of his extra eyes weren't for nothing. One could argue he would be the hardest of them all, including Kubark. Yet, she was always up for a bit of a challenge, since some of the most challenging things in life so far tended to be the most fulfilling.

She peered downwards, narrowing her eyes and having gotten bored over the past ten minutes. Patience was key, as her father had taught her, but what was taking them so long. Wait, were they trying to hunt her just as she was hunting them? It would be a good ploy, and technically in real life they shouldn't know they were being hunted, right? Akiko moved into one of the smallest, darkest crevices of the ceiling, waiting even longer for her prey. To her surprise, her grandfather was the one who entered the training area, calling out her name. Was this a trap?

"Akiko? We need you to come inside! There's a storm coming and-" A storm? Couldn't Ororo just make that go away? What kind of excuse was that? Akiko didn't buy it (not to mention his scent was way off, liar) and languidly shot him with a paint ball, sliding off to another hiding spot. He yelped, his supposed manly voice squeaking. "Oh come on! Really!?"

Knowing full well she was in an echoing, chamber-like area, Akiko grinned, starting to whistle creepily to mess with him. His reaction was hilarious, and it took a lot not to laugh at him as he cursed under his breath, trying not to let her hear. Some of the students finally entered the room, hesitantly, also cursing a little. "Damn it, she's actually going to pull this? What did you tell her?"

"That there was a storm coming?"

Quentin palmed his face. "And with a weather-controlling mutant you didn't see a problem with that BS excuse?"

"...Whoops."

Akiko smirked, and lazily propelled a pebble onto one of the lights, causing it to flicker. Broo screeched, jumping into Idie's arms. The young girl ducked behind one of the thicker ducts as soon as she saw Trevor enter the area, making it harder to track her. "Damn it, where is that little brat!?"

Exiting out of there, she left the building, and appeared right outside the door, blasting them all with her paintball gun. Screams assaulted her ears, and she leaned on the toy, raising an eyebrow at her 'victims', including her own grandfather. None were pleased. Well, maybe one was. Quentin gaped, wheezing out a laugh. "That. Was. Sick. Where did you learn that?!"

"Gabby and I saw many horror movies one night," Akiko admitted. "The rest I made up. You get that for trying to play me."

Wolverine sighed, rolling his eyes tiredly. "Well, at least I know for sure that you're one of us. C'mon, I've got something to show you. It's supposed to be a surprise though. It's why I made up that lame excuse."

"..Oh," she murmured, her guilt evident. "S-Sorry?"

Broo pat her back. "It's understandable. Still, congratulations. You are a very formidable force!"

Akiko blushed, walking back with them to the mansion. There, in the dining room she inhaled, brightening at the sight of Gabby and Laura beside a cake lit up with three candles alonside the rest of the X-Men. Even better, with them was Victor, Clarice, Mystique, and-

"Hisashiburi, Akiko. Tanjoubi omedetou."

Long time no see, Akiko. Happy birthday.

She didn't even hesitate to hug her father, for he was the best present she could have.

Chapter Text

Katherine Pryde was grading homework assignments when she, yet again, found one labeled, "Akiko Howlett."

Grading Akiko's homework was always something attention-grabbing in one way or another. Someitmes, seeing through a kid's eyes could make someone groan, cry, or laugh. Seeing through a child's eyes could make a world of difference, or make someone wonder what they were thinking. With Akiko? It was always a little bit of everything at once, for better or worse. In most cases though, Akiko tended to go overboard with assignments to the point of doing too much.

Today's extra credit assignment: Pick your favorite mythological being and explain why you like it.

Kitty already regretted her decision. Tentatively turning the page, she sighed, slowly reading over the text, only to for her eyes to water a little, and to let out a small snort. Well, wasn't this one of the more pleasant assignments? Er, maybe more concerning ones? She would really need to have a talk with Logan and Daken.

Akiko Howlett

Period 4

Ethics and Society

Professor  Katherine Pryde

XX-XX-20XX

My Favorite Mythological Being

by Akiko Howlett

I'm still having some trouble understanding what's real and what's not. Dinosaurs are supposed to be extinct, but I've heard about the time Jiji fought them in the arctic. Dragons are supposed to not exist, but my teacher has one as a best friend. My uncle is said to look like a "devil," and though I know he's not, I'm pretty sure something like that still exists somewhere. Apparently there's a place called Wakanda with a giant talking ghost panther goddess. I hear she's really pretty. Ororo met her once. Father says, "mythos" means "belief" or "set of beliefs", and "ology" means the study of, so when you're supposed to pick a "mythological being", you're supposed to pick in one you believe in. If I had to pick something to believe in, a being to believe in, it would be my father. 

I believe in Daken Akihiro, because he's been through a lot of hard stuff, and even if he's not perfect, he doesn't need to be. I'm still learning about the world, and I know I'll never understand it, so maybe I'll never understand him, but no one needs to. He is his own person, and just like everyone, we grow into who we need to be. Father's helping me grow into someone, even if I don't know who that person is yet. We'll grow together, and that can us become stronger. I wonder if then we can both know the world a little bit better.

But if I had to pick a "fictional" being, I would pick a siren or mermaid, because a mermaid reminds me of my father. They're are really pretty, they flirt with or "seduce" people, use them (usually by drowning them/eating them), and sing very prettily. I don't think a lot of people have heard Chichi sing, but he's really good at it. He used to sing me to sleep when I was younger. I think I drooled on him once. Chichi's also a bit of a flirt which is why he's a siren.

My daddy's a very pretty mermaid.

Logan cackled and Daken pinched the bridge of his nose, telling himself to be patient.

Kitty held her chin. "Oh, don't worry Daken. You should see what she wrote about Logan."

She held up the paper, which read, "My Grandpa is a Grumpy Gnome."

Akiko's grandfather paled, while Daken smirked evilly, drawing his fingers together, "Please, do go on."

"Shit."

Chapter Text

Akiko Laura Howlett was a lot of things. She was young, she was naive, but she was observant. She didn't know where she got it from, but she did know that she used it, and used it often. There was much about the world she had yet to learn, but what she learned, she wanted to learn more about. Her grandfather was a complicated person, which a past she couldn't begin to understand, one that was full of hurt and one he could heal, but didn't know how. The problem was, until he tried to figure out how, until he let someone in, he would never heal. Laura and Gabby? Laura, too, was in pain. The scent was pungent, and the scars obvious no matter how much they sealed nor how she disguised it. She was much like Logan, but younger, and in many ways, wiser. Gabby? She saw things bluntly, honestly, but accepted them regardless, and tried to move forward, which was better than most could do. And for Akiko's father...

She couldn't stop the whispers, nor the gossip. The others would stop once they realized she was there, and a few wouldn't, not caring either way. That didn't matter though, because she had seen and heard enough the first day she encountered him to understand the kind of man he was, even if she didn't know his words. She saw the blood spilled, his manic gaze, the violence he made. She knew he was a murderer, a sociopath, and terrifying all around. Yet, he tried. He tried so hard to be better, and she knew it was hard for him. Who knew, maybe he was trying to manipulate her, use her as others suggested as part of some unseen plot none of them could figure out. Yet, she also knew that on the day they met, he spoke in a tone that was protective, gentle.

She knew he cared for Laura and Gabby, and a little for Grandpa. She also knew he just might care for her, if only a little. Maybe he would betray her in the end, maybe any or all of them would but until then, she'd hold onto these moments, for as long as she'd live.

"Grandpa, I don't understand my homework." Logan hummed tiredly, glancing over at Akiko. She turned to a page in her biology book, and he paled, screaming inside his head. "It says the sperm meets the egg and the cells multiply to make a baby. How does the sperm get there?"

"Well, uh, ya see-" her grandfather began stuttering, clearing his throat. "Er, I gotta go!"

She blinked as he vanished. Huh, she thought only Quicksilver could move so quickly. Looking back at the book, she decided to go see Broo for help, figuring that since he was so smart, he might be able to assist her better. Hopping down from her seat, she carried her worksheet and book with her, reading over her notes to make sure everything else was okay. Akiko was glad that Professor Xavier put her in classes with some of the older students so that she wasn't so bored. She still enjoyed Sho's and a few other of the students' company within her age group, but they weren't exactly of her intellectual age either. It was difficult trying to talk to them (talking overall was strenuous but that was besides the point), so Professor McCoy had given her an intelligence exam.

She wasn't as clever as the teens, but she was still fairly smart. He never did tell her the score she received, only that she likely received some semblance of her father's intellectual abilities. That was weird, because from what the book said, intelligence wasn't genetic. Akiko suspected she, much to her sorrow, had her mind advanced in some way by the scientists who made her, and the professors and her family didn't want to tell her to worry her, which was why they all smelled so sad and guilty. Arriving at Broo's room, she brightened at seeing him hanging out with Sho, the two apparently having been inseparable since Jubilee asked him to babysit her son back when he was an infant.

"Hello Akiko. What can I do for you?"

"Hello Broo," she greeted. Thank goodness she made specialized signs for all their names now so she wouldn't have to fingerspell all of them. He really liked his, since it was a blend of 'dinosaur' and 'alien', where the latter was basically the Star Trek Vulcan Salute. "Can you help me with my homework? I don't understand one question."

"Sure, what is it?"

She sat down, opening the text and showing him. She grimaced as she realized that it really was easier to speak instead of sign, though it was more painful to talk. Thankfully Broo gave her a glass of water. "Thank you. *glug glug* It says here the sperm and the egg meet and combine to multiply to make a baby. I asked Grandpa how the sperm gets to the egg, and he ran away."

Broo pushed up his glasses, humming. "Well, normally I'd tell you, but for some reason it's a bit of a taboo subject for some human circles. No, wait, that's not the right word. It's a...Embarrassing one? I'm not sure why, but especially males are uncomfortable informing youth as to why this topic is relevant, to females more than males. Logan might have been frightened seeing as to how young you are and that he likely didn't feel prepared to inform you to such a thing."

"So why don't you tell me?"

"For many groups, it's considered a familial duty, and something that should be passed on from generation to generation. I don't feel it's my place to. However, you could ask Dr. McCoy as he's the one who made the assignment? There are some families who refuse to inform children at all, misguide children, or don't know enough about the subject themselves. That's why every once in a while it may be up to teachers to tell youth how procreation works."

Akiko rolled her eyes. "I don't understand what the big deal is." When Broo started snickering, she only appeared more confused. "What?"

"Sorry, it's just, let's just say that your father is just very knowledgeable on the subject, so it's a bit surprising to hear that from you."

She frowned. "I'm not my father."

Broo stopped, looked at Sho and then himself. "No, you're not. None of us are who we came from, are we?"

Akiko snorted, and laid her hand sympathetically on his. "Maybe I should ask my dad first if he's not too busy. You said it's a family thing and he knows a lot. I will trust him."

"All right. Good luck Akiko."

Hopefully her father wouldn't be like her grandfather was. Going into her room, she made sure no one would enter (especially if this was a taboo subject for some reason) and pulled out her tablet. The communication setup didn't show that he was busy or in some kind of emergency, so she called in. She was glad there wasn't any explosions or blood this time (he always tried to cover that up but she knew when those were there). Instead, he appeared to be in a hotel room, and in sweatpants.

"Ohayou, Chichi," she greeted.

Good day, Father.

He yawned, rubbing the bags under his eyes. He looked so tired, and stressed. She considered contacting him another time, just so he could get more rest. "Konbanwa, Akiko."

Good evening, Akiko.

"What time is it?" she inquired.

He clucked his tongue. "Not telling. What's going on? You're late for our call. I was getting worried."

She took a small sip of water. "I'm having some trouble with homework, and Grandpa wasn't helping."

"Do you want me to have a word with him?"

"No, Broo said it might be an embarrassing thing for him," Akiko uttered. "I was wondering if you could help? If it's not too much trouble?"

Daken glanced at what Akiko presumed to be a clock. There was worry there, but he was more interested in helping her. "Sure what is it?"

She held up her biology book, explaining the situation in multiple languages. Daken wasn't even the slightest bit perturbed. In fact, he was considerate, going by his expression, presumably plotting his next move. Akiko knew that face well, for she had seen it in action enough times to know when he was confident in his abilties, or anxious about what might not be in his control. In this case, he was more confident about how to go about this topic. Is that why Broo said it was surprising to hear her not finding the subject such a big deal? Should she take an interest in it like her dad apparently did?

He leaned forward on his elbows. "All right, I'm going to give you an extremely simplified version as this is a complicated topic and you will need to learn more details later on, understand?"

"I understand," she verified, taking out a writing pad for notes.

He also had one for drawing. Rubbing his brows, he sighed. "Most kids might have this kind of talk when they're older, because many parents are worried about the stigma of corrupting their 'innocence' for children understanding how children come into existence through natural means."

"You mean, not like how I came to be," Akiko murmured.

Daken winced. "They don't say talk about this, because they believe children will be reckless and try to create life on their own, or not care about the consequences either way. I am talking with you about this now, because there will be people who will use this kind of knowledge against you, that may try to mock the situation, or even hurt you. And Akiko?"

She looked up at him, seeing him touching the screen. It reminded her of when he reached for her through the door, and she reached back. Her hand touched the screen, and she could imagine the warmth there, that for a moment, her father was there with her and not in a place she couldn't reach. 

"Akiko, a child may come into this world through many, and possibly any means. That doesn't make them worth any less than any other. Besides, Laura and Gabby, too, were not born. What do you think of them?"

She gaped a little. "They're amazing."

"So what does that say about you?"

Akiko blushed, smiling. "Thank you, Chichi."

He chuckled, returning to their lesson. "Now then, as you've probably learned, humans and mutants are mammalian, which means we are viviparous and give birth to live young. Do you know how that works?"

She grimaced, shivering. "I hear a lot of stuff. Either a baby pops out of me or I'm on a bed for hours and become a bloody, screaming mess that cries afterward for some icky reason. It sounds really freaky, like Santa. Why does everyone celebrate a burglar that stalks children?"

"I really have no idea, and Akiko, that's not how giving birth works," he groaned. "What is that school teaching you?"

"We haven't talked about that yet," she admitted. "That's what the other students told me."

"...I'm going to kill them."

"Daddy, no."

He raised an eyebrow, grunting and sketching something on his pad. "Fine. In any case, females, including you, typically have something called ovaries. This is where the egg comes from, and the egg travels down these tube-like structures, known as the fallopian tubes, to the uterus, also called the womb."

"It looks like a cow."

He palmed his face, turning redder by the second. Groaning, he exhaled, trying to be patient. Maybe Akiko should shut up. Sensing this, he scowled. "Akiko, if you want to ask questions, or say something, don't be afraid to. I'm just not used to explaining this kind of thing so please be patient with me, okay?"

"...Okay."

"So, the egg will sit inside the womb for approximately four, maybe six weeks at most. During that time, which is known as the menstrual cycle, an egg will go through times where it will be the most fertile, which you might better understand as when is the best time for the sperm to penetrate the egg's layer-"

"What happens if the sperm doesn't fertilize the egg?" Akiko asked, suddenly curious.

"Well then you get something called a period. Your body, in the effort to stay healthy, will not only get rid of the old egg, but a layer of blood that made up an extra layer within the womb that kept the egg nourished," Daken said.

His words were neutral, factual, and he paused every once in a while to make sure Akiko could ask a question if she wanted to. "That layer, along with the egg, is made every month, and leaves the body every month naturally once a female goes through a stage in her life that people call puberty, which is basically just when a female youth starts to turn into an adult. It usually takes five to seven days to do that, but there are some women that do it in as little as three. One day, you'll start experiencing this."

She wrinkled her nose. "So, eggs and blood will start leaving my body? Ew."

He chuckled. "A little, but only if you perceive it as such. A lot of people do think the blood part of it is embarrassing or are scared of it, but you shouldn't be. Again, it's a natural part of who you are, and there's nothing to be ashamed of about that. There are some side effects to periods, and that's the fact that the womb will contract to get rid of the egg and blood. It's called 'cramping', and it will hurt, but depending on how you deal with it, it might not have to as much as you will think. Some people use heating pads, eat chocolate, or exercise. You should drink a lot of fluids at that time too."

When her father said "contract", he demonstrated by holding up a fist and clenching and clenching it to better show the possible experience, but appeared unsure himself. Probably made sense, considering he didn't share the same parts she did.

"When am I supposed to go through this?" she asked nervously, hands in her lap.

Daken took on a more serious note. "That's just the thing. Most women experience it around the age of twelve, but some have gotten it as early as seven years old, or younger. With you, we might not know because with mutant genetics, things are harder to predict than usual."

Akiko nodded. "And, what about when the egg is fertilized? How does that happen?"

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "How much do you know about a male's body?"

"I saw Quentin naked once when he was chasing Evan for taking his clothes while he was in the shower. I also saw you and Victor once or twice when we were traveling together. Oh, and then there was-"

Daken groaned, his face becoming redder by the second while Akiko was just confused. "Son of a...Breathe in, breathe out. Okay, fine, surely you've noticed some, differences between you and the males, right?"

"You mean how you guys have 'dicks', as Grandpa says?" Akiko asked, only getting her father more irate. What? Did he want her to lie? "Dad, people use body parts as their insult words. I have to piece stuff together."

That time, her father was both disappointed, and saddened. She didn't know why. It was just part of her life. Maybe she shouldn't mention how someone called her a 'cunt' the other day. She already knew what it meant. She just didn't understand what the big deal about it was.

"Akiko, I...We'll need to talk about that part later, but for now, I guess we'll move on. To make a baby a male and a female engage in an act called sex, copulation, or a number of other names that you'll learn as you get older. But when a man and woman engage in the act, besides a number of other positions they can do-"

What?

"The male typically puts his 'dick', which is actually called the penis, into the woman's vagina. Wait, do you-?"

"I know what a vagina is." Akiko blinked, shrugging. "Where does sperm come from?"

"Men have two objects attached to the penis called testicles, where sperm is created and stored. During the act of sex, sperm is released from the testicles, through the penis, and outwards."

"That's it?"

Daken smirked, and laughed. "No, that's not it. Like I said, there are a number of things I really need to go into about it, but unfortunately, we really are starting to run out of time and that's just the main part. I'll tell you this, a reason why people find it so embarrassing, is that it not only supposedly leads to making a baby, but it's also considered a fairly intimate act for a lot of people. Many might say that it's only for men and women, it can be for all sexes, and it's not just for those two body parts. It's considered to be something very nice when you have the right partner. Now, there is an appropriate age for this kind of thing, which you are not, and if they do something you don't like or try to touch you when you don't want them to, you tell them no, you defend yourself, you tell someone, you fight back, no matter what, am I clear?"

He was oddly aggressive about that last part, angry. Was there something wrong? Maybe he was just being protective.

"Your words make sense, and of course I'm not old enough because I don't want a baby when I'm still a kid, but the whole thing sounds weird," Akiko signed. "I still don't get what the big deal is, or why no one just says how this works."

"There's still a lot I haven't told you, Akiko," Daken informed, raking his hand through his hair. He looked even more tired, but the tension was less. Akiko was worried about him. "And if there's anything you want to ask, or feel like I haven't told you enough about, ask McCoy, who's a certified doctor and teacher when it comes to this stuff, got it? I just, I want you to stay safe."

"Thank you. Get some rest, okay? Jaa ne, Chichi."

"See you later, Akiko. Don't forget to call."

"I won't."

"Was that her?"

Daken's eyes narrowed, and Tyger Tyger put her hands on her hips. "Relax, I won't bite. We have a deal, remember? Still, surprising that you acted that way."

He didn't let down his hardened guise, standing up and rewrapping a towel partially around his neck. "What is it Tyger?"

"Update on the traffickers. They're moving ahead of schedule. Sending the girls into Madripoor tonight." She handed him a map covered in markings and he took it, glancing at the details within. Tyger watched him. "Who knew you had a heart."

"I didn't like these kinds of acts long before I encountered her," Daken stated. "You'd have known if you saw my missions as Wolverine with Osborn's Avengers. I didn't do those parts just for publicity."

Tyger tilted her head in curiosity. "You always wore a mask before, trying to hide your sins."

Daken began putting on his costume, not even caring that she was still there. "Frankly, I don't give a damn about sins, not sure I ever did. Right now, we have a truck to stop."

The world could judge him all it wanted, but the reason he told Akiko those things, was that she was prepared for some of the darker aspects, without having to be afraid. So that she wouldn't to be like the ones he was going out of his way to save. He never wanted to see his little one's face in a cage, ever again.

Chapter Text

"Akiko, it's not a good idea to use Ancestry.com, for any of us," Dr. McCoy tried to explain to the excited, newly turned four year old that had been watching the television.

The commercial that came on made the little tyke literally bounced and leap at the very idea of learning where her family came from. It didn't help that Kitty encouraged for the class to investigate their family roots. McCoy was considering to have the assignment completely removed from the curriculum due to complicated familial situations. For instance, Rogue and Quentin hadn't known they were adopted, and for other students they either didn't know their history, or didn't want to know for certain reasons that was their right to remain privy to. Besides, in a world where one's maternal last name could be a way to reactivate or regain control to an account with important information, it was also a valid security issue.

She pouted her mouth, signing, "Why not?"

Oh boy. "We're mutants, Akiko. People may try to use our DNA against us. Years ago, and sometimes every once in a while, there are people that will try to use the DNA we have to make weapons to kill us."

The little girl stilled, and McCoy realized his mistake too late. "Akiko, I-"

"I understand," she murmured, not looking him in the eye, but at her hands instead. She was smiling sadly. "Um, have a nice day, professor."

McCoy reached out his hand, grimacing as he pulled back, watching her go. Broo frowned as he watched from another sofa, "There has to be a way for her to learn where her heritage comes from like they do, right?"

The doctor smirked, "We do have her gloves from when she first arrived. They were washed, but blood's not the easiest to clean out."

Broo nodded, wrinkling his nose. "I know. The scent's potent."

McCoy paused, "Wait, so what do you do when females-?"

Broo asked, rolling his eyes. "What do you take me for, a monster?"

There was a knock, and Idie blushed, "Um, Broo? Sorry to bother you again, but do you have-?"

He nodded, "Sure, same pocket."

"Thanks." She dashed over to his backpack and grabbed a purple wrapped square looking object. "Owe you one!"

Dr. McCoy glanced between the distance where Idie just left, and where Broo was nonchalantly sitting. Broo raised an eyebrow. "A little blood is no big deal. Just keep walking, big fella."

"...Okay then."

Akiko was sitting in Broo's room, glad he was helping her and Quentin with math again. Quentin frowned, "Hey, Akiko, out of curiosity, you ever get bothered that you're a girl, alone with two men in a room without supervision?"

She blinked, "You're a man?"

She almost laughed at how red his face got. It out-flushed his mohawk. A knock interrupted what was likely going to be a tirade of new words and phrases she would learn, much to Broo's mortification. Akiko got up and opened the door, smiling at the sight of Dr. McCoy. Greeting him, she tilted her head at the sight of him offering her an envelope. For some reason, Broo was beaming extra bright. He also gave one to Quentin.

"Akiko was wondering the other day what her genetic makeup was, and since we couldn't use Ancestry.com, I did some research myself with a blood sample of hers. I also did the same with yours Quentin, if you'd like it."

The teen narrowed his eyes, "Wait a second, shouldn't you have gotten my permission before getting into my DNA? Where'd you even get it anyways?"

McCoy made a face Akiko couldn't recognize and Broo coughed, "Stuff you left around on and/or as public property...?"

Quentin blushed even brighter than he did before, "Oh my God, did you get it from one of my socks?!"

McCoy pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, we didn't, Quentin, and I didn't need to know that."

Akiko blinked again, "How would you get DNA from one of Quentin's socks?" Her eyes widened. "Quentin, do you-?"

He moved to stop her her, "Don't you even dare!"

"Sweat a lot?"

All of the males there stilled, each making nervous gestures as Quentin was unable to meet her eyes. "Er, yeah, I do."

"Ew."

"Yeah, ew, so don't touch my socks. In fact, don't touch any guys' socks, okay?"

She nodded, brightening out of her confusion. "Can I open my letter?"

McCoy let out a sigh of relief, "Yes, please do. Quentin?"

He narrowed his eyes at Broo and McCoy, "I still wanna know how you guys got my DNA later..."

"From one of your drinking glasses, okay?" Broo groaned. "And some pieces of trash, like cops do on TV. Now, are you gonna read the letter or not?"

There was a pause, and Quentin hesitated. Akiko put her hand on his arm, and smiled up at him, holding up her letter as an offer. He smiled back, letter her take his wordlessly, and without telepathy. Sometimes, things didn't need words of any kind. They exchanged letters, and after nodding, they opened the papers at the same time. Akiko's smile grew, and Quentin made an inquisitive look.

"Akiko, you've got some African in you," he remarked. "Nigeria and Congo, see?"

She beamed, "You're part Jewish. And you've got some Sweden in you."

They leaned over, talking and chatting about the heritages they never knew as they pulled up a computer, laughing and teasing each other about their findings. Broo and McCoy watched, silently giving each other a high five as congratulations for making the two goofballs happier.

"So, I'm basically mostly European with a little bit of Russian, and some very, very distant Middle Eastern countries barely in there," he remarked as they were finishing, holding his chin in thought. He waved his hand. "So, I'm basically a white kid, and you're Afro-Asian?"

Akiko tilted her head, "Afro-Asian?"

"Well, yeah? I mean, according to this, you're at least a quarter Japanese, lots of French with some other European stuff tossed in probably 'cause of Logan since he's Canadian, but there's nearly a quarter of pieces from Africa in you with an eighth belonging to countries in Southern America AKA 'Native American'," he said as he rolled his eyes. "So, maybe your mom is half black, part Hispanic or something like that? In any case, you're still probably Afro-Asian."

The child took another look at the text, her fingers running along the lettering as she absorbed the information. Then she realized something. "But, I'm not as pretty as Storm?"

She tried not to say the direct words, unsure how to say them.

Quentin snorted. "In case you hadn't noticed, Idie doesn't share her looks either, but that doesn't mean they both aren't beautiful. It just means they're different shades of beautiful."

"I have freckles."

"So?" he commented, shrugging. "Those can happen to anyone, no matter who they are or where they come from. That doesn't change a thing. Plus, they just make people look like they've got stars on them. They were born with stars, but those stars appear as they go out in the sun more and more, when they're free. The same goes for those who have clouds on their skin, or eyes with different colors that can shine like gems. Ever think of that?"

Akiko smiled shyly. "So, I'm pretty as Storm?"

"No," Quentin chuckled. "You're as pretty as you, and no one should compare to the other. You shine as who you are, little stars and all."

Chapter Text

"Why are we doing this again?" Trevor asked, utterly confused with the board, dice, and papers in front of the teens...And one barely, recently turned elementary schooler.

The last of the group was humming merrily, playing with the dice, examining the details. Broo smiled, gently taking them from her. "I learned about this game and became fascinated. Somehow, we are able to create absolutely fantastic scenarios, pending the version we get and its limitations, and using a number of formulas and-"

"There's math in this game?" Quentin groaned.

Idie elbowed him, "There's math in every game genius. Ever play Monopoly? Candyland?"

"Thank you Idie," Broo nodded. "Now, I've asked for Professor McCoy to act as our Dungeon Master. That simply means that he's the narrator and the one who helps manage what we're able to do. Basically, he sets up a story for our characters, asks us what we want to do, we roll dice, and depending on what we roll, he tells us what happens to us as the consequence. Whether or not we're successful in our actions depends on the number rolled. There's more to it, but that's the simplest way I can explain it at this time."

"So, what's with the straws and the names on them?" Kubark uttered, leaning over to Akiko.

She shrugged, narrowing her eyes in curiosity. She signed, "Is anyone else coming?"

"The others said they were busy," Broo sighed. "And here I was hoping at least Lin, Evan, or Bling would join in. Nature Girl would definitely enjoy this, especially a Druid role."

"D-R-O-O-E-D?" Akiko asked.

"No," Broo laughed, signing best he could correctly with the number of fingers he had, also speaking out loud. "D-R-U-I-D. A druid is basically a priest or priestess of the forest, and in the game someone highly tuned to nature, and they can talk to animals."

Quentin coughed, "Forest hobo."

There was a knock at the door, and McCoy peeked in, "Everyone ready?"

Quentin groaned, "Still can't believe we're doing this."

McCoy snorted, "Trevor, I apologize for this, but because of your powers..."

"I'll go last because of the straw thing, I know," he sighed, rolling some of his eyes. "Tends to happen with the guy who can see literally everywhere, and everything no matter what he wants to see."

Akiko laid a hand on his, and he smiled back. One by one, without looking, the rest each picked a straw, with McCoy saying, "All right, first draw is for species, and next will be for roles. Read each of yours out loud."

Quentin raised an eyebrow, "I'm...An orc."

"Tiefling?" Idie murmured. "What the hell is a Tiefling?"

"A half demon," Broo explained, his eyes widening at his, "I'm a Dragonborn! Fus ro dah!"

Kubark scowled at his, "I'm, a human."

"Great, so Kubark, one of two mutant aliens, got the least useful species, aka human?" Quentin joked.

Broo hesitated, wincing, "Well...Yes?"

"Humans are useless?" Kubark asked.

"Both in and outside this game, bud," Trevor said, sympathetically.

"I'm a gnome," Akiko giggled. "Like grandpa."

McCoy began choking on his coffee fighting and failing at his attempts not to laugh. Idie pat his back. "There there. Hey, Trevor, what'd you get?"

"...I'm a dwarf."

The professor brought out the secondary straws, many more possibilities this time. This time, everyone snatched up a straw, with Trevor grabbing in, supposedly, blindly in a dash. This time, they went backwards.

Trevor cleared his throat, "Okay, so I'm, a Rogue Dwarf?"

Broo burst into laughter and McCoy was groaning.

"Wait, what's a Rogue, besides our teacher?"

"A thief, and supposedly a sneaky one, but dwarves are the second to last at being sneaky in the entire game," Broo wheezed. "Those are like having total opposites together."

"...Then how about I stomp all over their faces and make it look like someone else did it?" Trevor commented. "I can be charismatic, right? There are plenty of other ways I can be a thief, and it doesn't always require being physically stealthy."

Okay, this was a good start.

Akiko bounced, "I'm a Barbarian Gnome! Just like grandpa!"

The whole group was snicking or laughing at that point. Broo chuckled, "How are you even going to lift your axe? The thing is going to be bigger than you?"

"'Cause I was raised by Wolverines who taught me to be badasses to the point where size doesn't matter!" she said brilliantly. "I can conquer and destroy anything with my tiny, mighty chaos! Like a piranha!"

It took a lot of effort not for the teens and adult to joke about what she just said.

Kubark was nervous, "I'm, a Human Mage?"

The others shrugged, "Not too bad. At least you're somewhat useful. Hey, you can throw potions and spells at people like the sadist you are.Think of the pain you can inflict, especially if you somehow learn to access dark magic."

He seemed to cheer up a little at that.

Broo checked his, eyes glimmering with utter joy. "Guys, I'm a Dragonborn Cleric!"

There was glaring, massive glaring. "So, what? You heal people by screaming 'Fus ro dah'?"

"Why not? It'll be epic!"

Next was Idie. She hesitated, "I'm, a Druid Tiefling. Wait, so I'm a half demon forest hobo?"

 "Wait, you're a vengeful half demon spirit thingy that wants to kill all humans because they cut up your forest and slaughtered your animals or something?" Quentin offered.

Broo shrugged, "We are supposed to create backstories for our characters. Whatever you make or pick is up to you, Idie."

She held her chin, "Cool. What about you, Quentin?"

A long, long pause passed. "I, I'm...I'm a Orc Bard."

Another silence occured. "You're a what?"

"I'm an orc, who's also a bard. Does that mean I go stomping around, singing?" Quentin asked, half crying, half groaning.

"And you ultimately try to seduce people, usually failing miserably," McCoy added. "Bards are supposed to be good at seduction. Orcs, not so much."

"As per usual," Idie giggled. "Wait, sing our opponents to death, scare them away with your awful tones, and terrorize them with-"

Quentin whimpered, "I GET IT!"

"See, we can all make this work," Broo said proudly, puffing out his chest as he stood up. With a dramatic pose, dice in hand, he called out, "Let our journey begin!"

And so, began the trek of possibly one of the strangest and most entertaining groups in the Mutant Dungeons and Dragons Leagues the world had ever seen.

Chapter Text

"What tastes better than it smells?"

Akiko furrowed her eyes, swinging back and forth on the playground set. "...Your tongue?"

Daken grinned. "Good, you're getting better at this. Now here's a harder one. Feed me and I will live, but give me a drink and I will die. What am I?"

She smirked at first, and he could tell she wanted to say something else besides the true answer, but gave the real one instead. "A fire."

"Correct, but what were you tempted to say?"

"...Flamingly gay." He gaped, grabbed the rope of her swingset, and spun it so that she giggled. Daken rolled his eyes. Well, she wasn't half wrong. "My turn. What has hands, but cannot clap?"

He wasn't impressed, but decided to indulge her. "A clock, obviously."

Akiko pouted, struggling to think of a harder one. "Trevor told me this one. A person is sitting in a house at night that has no hint of light. No lamp, no candle, nothing. They still read. How?"

Her father hummed, holding his chin. "Well, one needs light to see, but one does not always need to see to read. So, are they blind? Do they read braille?"

"Yes!"

He ruffled her hair, the soft look becoming more serious. She could tell something was on his mind. He seemed to do that more than usual. Akiko's father wasn't a hero, and that was okay, because most of the world wasn't full of heroes. It was hard to be one, and from what little she could understand, it hurt, a lot. She didn't want that for him. Her grandpa and aunts hurt a lot, and she wanted them all to be happy, and safe. Besides, her father would always be her hero. She would make sure he remembered that.

He sighed. "Now for something more situational. There were soldiers in wars, one major example was the Civil War, who both lied and told the truth about being over seventeen in order to enlist in the army. How did they do this?"

That threw her off. This wasn't in her textbooks. How could someone lie about their age, and yet say they were over the age...No, number of seventeen. Over seventeen. "Did, the soldiers write the number seventeen on paper and put it on the bottom of or under their shoe?"

Her father was grinning evilly, and it was in that moment that Akiko knew that she was right. That was diabolical, and disheartening. How many had died by doing that? And for what? "This was used by multiple, possibly countless underage soldiers, Akiko. Many child soldiers included the youngest whom was eight years old. Before joining the army they had romantic ideas of war and battles, seeking glory and fame for what would occur."

She grimaced, thinking back to her time as an experiment. "It's not like that at all."

"They didn't know that, and many don't know that now. Still, it was a clever trick, even if for a fool's goal in the end," Daken stated. "Always be sure that you know what you're in for, Akiko. There's a consequence for for action and inaction."

His daughter nodded. He watched her reaction, trying to gauge any emotion she might have. "This is one is not a riddle, but rather something I would like to know out of curiosity. There is no wrong choice per se, but it will tell me a great deal about your decision making, and your morality, okay? Don't feel bad about anything you might say or think, and I want you to explain your thoughts after you answer the question."

Akiko had a bad feeling about this. "I understand."

"You are on a boat, in the ocean, with your family. Your family consists of a parent, your spouse, and your child. In this hypothetical situation, no one has powers. Everyone is an ordinary person. The boat has sprung a leak, and you can only save one person besides yourself, which is either the parent, the spouse, or the child. Who do you choose?"

The girl knew her father could smell her fear, her confusion. It wasn't something she could easily hide, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to hide it. But it didn't really take her very long, surprisingly. She held her head, tears streaming down her face. Her chest was pained, tight. She swallowed, her voice hoarse. "I would let myself die first before anyone else, but if I absolutely had to choose, I, I would save you...'Cause I could always get married again, and I could always have another kid, but there'll never be another you. Am, am I bad for that? I, I would let others die and...I can't..."

Daken hugged her, embracing her close. "I'm sorry, that was harsh. Like I said, there's no wrong answer here. As long as someone can justify that choice, it's fine."

"But, I just let people die," she croaked, scratching her arms.

"Akiko, it's not real," he murmured, wiping the tears away. "Sometimes, I forget how different you and I are. There are going to be times where you will have to make hard choice, ones that matter between life and death. This was hard, but life is much harder. I need you to be ready for that."

She hesitated. "What would you choose?"

"I would choose you," he uttered. "My father has lived his long, long life. My spouse? They had their chance. And you? You're only starting and have a future to look ahead. As I said, there is no true, right answer."

Chapter Text

Kurt Wagner was a lot of things, but the thing he would like people to remember him most as was a friend, and he was a friend, especially, to Logan, and his children. Well, Daken was a bit of an iffy case, but Kurt tried. At least he got along with Laura and Gabby. In any case, Kurt and Logan had always been friends, a bit of an odd duo really, as the tough, harsh supposed loner, and the "fuzzy blue elf". He was always trying to be the positive to Logan's negative, to find balance. Problem was, Logan and his kin was typically screwed over, constantly. It wasn't hard to understand how Logan and those closest to him viewed the world with distrust, seeing only the darker aspects, and that worried Kurt, for he feared how that would affect the youngest of their members. It was one thing to prepare youth for danger, and another to cause shadows to overwhelm them.

"Uncle Kurt, am I a bad person?"

"Vat makes you t'ink zhat?" Kurt asked her.

He grew concerned upon seeing her twiddling her thumbs anxiously. He knelt down, trying to get on equal footing. She barely met his eyes. "I, i was made to hurt people. Dad asks me to think of the future, to understand that I have to make choices when people I care about will die. People here get mad at me for reasons I don't know. I don't want to worry my family. I am scared, and confused."

She stared at her knuckles, flexing her hand until her claws slowly unsheathed. Akiko winced as the bony blades appeared, blood drops naturally coming with them, but showing little to no expression otherwise. Kurt had reached out to stop her, but she flinched away, forcing herself to go through with it.

Unable to sign easily, she spoke instead, her voice raspy and harsh. "Jiji, my obas, and I know my Chichi for sure have killed, so am I supposed to do that too?"

Kurt gently placed his fingers over her claws with one hand, and cupped her face with the other. "Oh no, bärchen*, your family has just lived a hard life, and, zhey are trying to protect you. Zhey don't always understand how to do that, and zhey're doing zhe best zhey can."

"But, the world is that bad, isn't it?" she murmured, eyes towards the ground. Her hands were clenching into fists, the blades cutting further into her knuckles as she trembled. The little girl didn't even seem to notice the pitter patter of red she was making. "Grandpa's always fighting bad guys with you, Laura and Gabby are always running, and Dad? He's fighting Nazis and other bad people right now, but I know he used to be a bad guy. A lot of people say he still is. I don't know if that's true, and, I don't know how to feel about that. I try to tell myself it's okay, and, I think I'm lying. Lying is bad though, and it hurts."

Kurt laid his forehead against hers. "Little one, zere is good and bad in zhis world, and not even zhe oldest of souls can always tell between right and wrong. Zhat's vhy  ve must remember zhose ve care about, and zhe small zings in zhe vorld ve know help ozhers, ze little bits zhat make days brighter."

She was quiet for a long moment, her wet gaze turning to the television where news was playing. Nowadays, it seemed only things that made you question time was showing. One day you thought it was one thing, and the next? It had only been two days when things felt like a week. Too much happened, and not enough was given to process, and that was for adults. Imagine how it was for a child, and what it was like if they were given the vaguest of details, or nothing at all. Their minds would have to come up with their own details, their own ideas of how the world worked and what to do with it. Yet, if adults also told them how things were supposed to work, if adults told their own biases or show them that aspects of their own lives were inherently wrong, that nothing about it could be reparable, what would those children do?

Kurt saw the crimson staining a young child's fingers, by her own making, and knew exactly what those acts might do. Maybe Daken had his daughter's best interests in mind, maybe her whole family did, but they forgot that she wasn't them in the process. Many were forgetting that. In fact, many forgot that with any child.  Kurt had a feeling that the words she needed to hear, she wouldn't listen to coming from him. So he gave her the few words he could before getting her to Dr. McCoy, and contacted Daken.

"Akiko did what?"

Kurt folded his arms. "She vas inadvertently cutting herself, Daken. She is stressed and troubled by her role in life. She mentioned how she vas made to be a veapon, how her family had killed and vondered if she vas supposed to do zhe same zhing. I believe she may have secretly been bullied, but didn't vant to tell anyone out of fear eziher of someone else getting harmed, or possibly bothering us. Daken, she's believing less in people. I'm vorried that she's-"

"Becoming like me."

The elf didn't have to finish the sentence. Akiko's father closed his eyes. He bore the name 'Daken' for a reason. It was a reminder of those who hurt him, and he wore it as a shield, as armor against his foes. No matter what happened, the world would hate him in one form or another, and he told himself that he could deal with that. As for his daughter, emotionally she was very different. Unlike him she was very connected to those around her. She had been shy in the beginning, but as she grew, she wanted to explore, know others as her curiosity and need for closeness stimulated. He had always worried it would hurt her, and now he knew it was coming true, but he hadn't expected for himself to be part of the problem.

Kurt Wagner was also an extreme opposite to Daken, for he had been so pure-hearted once that he held a sword of unimaginable evil powers within himself without being corrupted. Daken wouldn't doubt it if Kurt could lift Thor's hammer or even wield Excaliber. Yet, he never asked nor desired any of it. In that, Daken held anger and slight jealously, but also great respect for Kurt Wagner, for it was reminiscent of Laura in some sense. The father was glad that such a person was looking after Akiko.

As for Daken? Well,even when he was but a child he had committed great atrocities before Romulus came to claim him. Those traits followed him into adulthood, some of which included his difficulty to share empathy, and to lose his temper. Daken could still remember when he shut the door on Akiko, and she welcomed him back with open arms. He also remembered when she let him go.

"No, I'm vorried she's developing unhealthy habits," Kurt said. "She's distancing herself from a majority of people, but clinging to ozhers. I can easily see someone taking advantage of zhat."

Chills ran through Daken, and he thought not only back to how Akiko welcomed him back, but to the girls he had freed. Many of them had been tricked by those they thought loved them, those they depended on, and were tricked by. What had he done?

"Daken?"

"I'll talk to her," he affirmed. "I'll be there on the next flight. See you soon."

Chapter Text

Daken wasn't used to feeling helpless. He hated it. He also didn't know how to be a father, but seeing Akiko in the vast distance between them, he felt as though she was a world apart. Her back towards him, he knew she had to have at least smelled him, sensed his presence, yet, she didn't greet him like she normally would. He really had messed up. He ruined everything with the one person that would always greet him with a smile.

He tried to reach for her at first, but pulled back, exhaling. "I'm sorry."

She tensed, facing him, but unable to look him in the eye. "Why would you be sorry? I'm the weak one. I should've, I'm not s'posed to cry. No one else in our family does."

Daken stilled, and moved to her side, sitting next to her. "Yes they do. Your aunts and grandfather always do. They don't like showing it, but they do."

"You don't," she murmured, drawing her knees up to her chest. "You only came 'cause Uncle Kurt called you. I told him not to. You shouldn't have to be here."

Her father grimaced, clenching his fists. "I was supposed to visit soon anyways. Akiko, why didn't you-"

"You never need help. So why should I?"

This was never what he wanted. She wasn't supposed to be like him, not at all. "Because you're not me. You are Akiko Laura Howlett, not a mutt or a bastard."

"Grandma and Grandpa were married," she grumbled. "And you're not a dog. You're my Dad."

For the first time in a long one, he was actually tempted to say he wasn't her father as a retort in his anger, but he held back, realizing what he almost did. Yet, she seemed to know anyways.

"This is the part where you say I'm not your daughter. That I'm not real and not worth your time."

"Is that what you want? For me to hurt you?"

She was trembling. "You never wanted a kid, some of the people here don't me, and the only people who had wanted to make me hurt others. Maybe I should be what I was made to be. Maybe, then everyone would be happier. Then, you might be happier-"

"I wouldn't be," he interrupted, gently lifting her chin to have her look him in the eye. "Akiko, you might be sick of hearing this, but do you remember who I named you after?"

"Your father?"

He smiled softly. "The most honorable, kindest man I've ever known. He had an infant dropped on his doorstep, and took that child in. Though that child was unloved by everyone else, mocked, he loved that little one regardless, despite the sins that child committed." He hesitated, the smile becoming bittersweet, "And in the end, that man hurt himself before he would dare hurt his own child."

Akiko blinked. "That child was you."

"Yes, and back then, he was the only person I ever cared for, and until more recently, I never believed I could care for others. I was proven wrong, and I've never been gladder for it," he stated, sighing as he let her go, only to tuck her closer to him. She didn't push him away, and even leaned against him a little. "Akiko, I'm sorry that I seem harsh sometimes. I, I'm lost. I don't know how to be a parent, and I keep making mistakes, and I've never wanted you to suffer for that."

"Daddy-"

"The reason I leave so often is because I've done bad things, and I don't know how to process my feelings sometimes. I'm still struggling, and I don't want to drag you into my problems. It's hard to talk about sometimes, but I don't want you to be like me. I want you to be you, and I want you to be happy." He paused, thinking deeply. "And, when I asked you about the choice you  would make, to pick who would live or die? I wasn't saying you should let someone die. I was trying to teach you that in life things will be difficult, and that there are decisions that you will have to make, that many will be harder than others. Some, rare that they are, there is no way out, and that you have to pick one or the other."

She grimaced, "I don't understand."

He exhaled, moving to sit across from her as he held her hands. They were so small, even if they had grown. "Let me tell you a story. Once, before I was born, there was a war, one that the entire world was fighting. In it, there was a mother with two children, a daughter and a son. Her name was Sophie, and her children were very young. In this war, thousands, millions of innocent people were kidnapped and taken into camps, sent to be killed."

"Why?"

"The people who sent them there wanted to blame a group for their woes, and chose a religious sect, and people that weren't like them, ones who they believed were 'undesirable'. Sophie, and her children, were among those groups, and at the entrance, she was given a choice for one of her children to die."

Akiko stiffened, staring up at him in horror.

"She had no chance of escape, and it was understood that everyone in those camps would suffer, the females more so. So, as an act of mercy, and believing that her son had the best chance of survival, Sophie chose for her daughter to die, and her son to live," Daken said, squeezing Akiko's hand gently, feeling his daughter's pulse with his own. 

She swallowed. "What happened to her son?"

"We don't know if he survived or not," Daken said. "But, there are times in life where we must choose between the most unbearable options anyone can think of, and that is what I tried to teach you. Instead, I'm afraid I hurt you."

Akiko looked to his hands, her thumb stroking over his knuckles, where his blades could unsheathe if he had wanted to. "You don't. Not really...I think I do though."

"Why?"

"I don't remember much," she said hoarsely, her throat obviously sore as she spoke, but she was forcing herself to speak anyways. "But I think I stabbed you the first time we met, didn't I?"

He grinned. "It's a family tradition."

"What?"

Daken didn't hesitate to reach out this time, ruffling her hair as he snickered. She pouted, and giggled, leaning forward and pressing her forehead to his. "Akiko? I'm trying to get better, and, I'll visit more often, okay?"

"Okay Daddy. I'm sorry."

"Don't be...Daisuki, Akiko."

She was quiet for a moment, gaping up at him, and beamed, leaping up and hugging him. Confused, he hugged her back anyways. For some reason, he inexplicably found himself crying with her not long after.

It was later on that he realized that it the first time he'd ever said he loved her before.

Chapter Text

Johnny Storm was a lot of things. He was a brother, a friend, an uncle...And he hoped he was at least someone important to Daken Akihiro. No, he knew he was something to Daken Akihiro, because for all the ways that Daken could lie, there were some things he failed to hide. Both of them put up masks, shields from others, even the ones closest to them. But when they were alone or together? Well, let's just say that was when the magic happened, one way or another. Johnny was always known for being a ladies' man, and Daken a manipulative, sexed up bastard, but there were secrets the world didn't really know. Daken called Johnny from time to time, and they talked about small things, like the time where Johnny set Ben's shorts on fire, or when Daken fought side by side with Laura on that island once. Or when they stood up on a rooftop what felt like an eternity ago, talking about finding their own version of peace. Who knew? Maybe they would never find that, but Johnny hoped whatever they were to each other, that Daken would find it.

That was why he'd been so terrified when Daken stopped calling one day. It had been terrifying when he thought Daken died one day, and Johnny couldn't bare the thought of that day happening again. So when the phone rang, Johnny didn't hesitate.

There he was, sitting at a table. Daken looked exhausted, and Johnny tried not to wince, immediately ordering a drink for his guest. Daken smirked, raising an eyebrow. Johnny snorted, "Unless you changed your mind, again, that's your favorite, right?"

"...Thank you."

"Wow, it must be bad," Johnny murmured, leaning forward. Something about Daken was different, and Johnny tried to place what, unable to at first. He hesitated reaching for Daken's hand, badly wanting to, but unsure as to whether or not he'd be welcome. Retracting, he sighed. "After all, you're coming to me for help? Whatever's going on, it can't be good."

Daken grimaced, "Johnny, I-"

"Just ask, it's not that hard to ask, even for a dead man," Johnny chuckled bittersweetly, his smile soft, fond.

There they sat at a table by Times Square, right near where Daken had hurt Reed, his own father, and countless others when Daken was dying. Back when Daken hurt Johnny. It still hurt, and Johnny? He held his head in his hands. "Sorry, that was...Please, just ask."

Daken hesitated, and God, that really meant something had changed in his life. "Johnny, I'm a father."

Johnny Storm stilled. "What?"

"I'm a father," Daken murmured. "I didn't want her, not at first. AIM made her using Weapon X tech with my DNA. I just meant to drop her off at the Xavier Institute, leave her and move on but, she got in under my skin. It's scaring me. I didn't realize it before, not completely, but I've been changing, evolving into something I can't recognize anymore. I'm losing myself. I, I want to be something more than what I am, and to do that, I think I need to be a parent. I don't know how to do that. I can't depend on most of the people I know to teach me how seeing as we are..."

"Complicated?" Johnny offered.

Daken nodded. "Maladjusted might be a better term, but, yes, complicated. Reed isn't the best parent either, considering Valeria, he and I despise one another, and I frankly find him extremely aggravating."

Johnny rolled his eyes, "So why me? I'm not a parent."

"You have a niece and nephew that like you. You interact with them regularly. You also attend charity events and gain attention of children while dealing with them appropriately in spite of your abilities." Daken glanced at his electronic tablet, brows furrowed. Inhaling, he turned it on and handed it to Johnny, the screen lighting up as he evenly met Johnny's gaze. "And, you're one of the few people I feel I can trust."

Johnny didn't dare look. He wanted to, but not like this. It felt like Daken was trying to force himself to, to earn Johnny's trust or to buy help. Instead, he set down the tablet, turning it off, frowning. Silently, he reached out, quietly asking for consent to touch Daken's hand. When it was given, he lightly took it and squeezed gently, trying to give reassurance. "You don't need to give me anything."

Looking into Daken's eyes, seeing his relief, he understood what was different about his friend...He was finding his peace.

"Would you like to meet her someday?"

Johnny beamed, "I would love that, if you're willing."

"I trust you."

The world really was beautiful.

Chapter Text

Daken Akihiro didn't have a reason to celebrate holidays before, not after Akihira had died. He had been trained under Romulus and Silas Burr. After that, he attended parties to use them for his advantage. People let down their guards for the holidays, for tidings of cheer and joy, warmth and family indeed. He had none of that before. Now? Now he had a friend or two, family, and, a place to return to. He never thought that was possible, not for someone like him. There was even a fire with warmth, both as in a fireplace, and someone just a little more special than others. It was all eerie, and yet, oddly pleasant. Had he really changed so much?

"Chichi?" his daughter hoarsely called out to gain his attention. She began signing to avoid straining her throat. "Why are some people here celebrating the arrival of a large, scary man that invades the house and watches children all year? He sounds like H-Y-D-R-A."

He gaped a little, then snickered, causing Johnny Storm to glance over at them. "What did I miss?"

"Akiko doesn't understand the concept of Santa Claus," Daken summarized. She had briefly mentioned confusion of the concept before, but never implied an opinion inolving Hydra. Where did that come from? "Well, musume, I never understood it either. Some people are just strange."

Johnny scoffed, elbowing Daken before getting pelted by a snowball. Slowing turning, he glared at Bobby Drake, who had some of the students formed as an army by his side. Johnny smirked, cracking his knuckles, "Oh, is that how it's gonna be, Snowflake?"

The other Storm appeared by his side, as did Logan, Gabby, and Laura. Daken pursed his lips, conflicted. Normally he wouldn't participate in such idiocy, but his sisters were involved so...

"Daddy, can we join?"

Well, crap. He sighed, adjusting his newly prepared Gucci clothing and narrowed his eyes, "En garde."

On the other side, Bobby, Quentin, and Genesis let out a playful battle cry, letting the chaos begin.

Akiko and Gabby needed baths afterwards, and Daken gave them, along with Laura, some hot cocoa while Johnny lit the fire once more for everyone.

Later, Genesis and the other X-Kids started an impromptu dance party. Bobby pointedly avoided Daken for obvious reasons, grumbling under his breath. Daken teased him a little, causing Johnny to laugh, and the latter two danced a bit together until Akiko asked to dance with them. Johnny showed her how to do the funky chicken, much to Daken's irritation, but also the waltz, which Daken didn't know he could do. Daken danced with his little girl, having to lean forward uncomfortably, but glad she was learning something. She was clumsy and fell down more than once, but somehow, it was also nice to know that Laura was recording the incident all the while. He also danced with both of his sisters, as did Logan.

Bobby made an ice skating rink for them, and Daken watched with bemusement as Laura briefly used part of her footclaws to skate and make marks in the ice. All of the "Snikt Fam" did something in the ice with their claws, making drawings and doodles. Daken was both delighted and sorrowful to see that Akiko's art skills were improving while he was away. She was growing up so much.

Akiko also showed Daken the menorah by a window that she helped Pryde light earlier in December, as well as the dreidel she enjoyed playing with. Pryde gave her real coins instead of chocolate ones since Akiko wasn't fond of sweets, and Akiko was planning on saving up for college. She even tried making latkes and applesauce, but the former apparently became charcoal instead. Akiko didn't inherit her father's uncanny ability to make food. 

There was also the kinara for Kwanzaa and its Mishumaa Saba, which Akiko adored the colors of. She enjoyed the zawadi that she got for the holiday season too, sharing it with the other children. She still had trouble talking sometimes, so a lot of the greetings she needed to sign, but she still practiced saying the words anyway. Her favorite word was "Ujima" so far. Then there was the drum...To put it bluntly, he was going to get his daughter lessons in the musical arts. She needed them, desperately.

But there was one holiday Daken had planned for Akiko that she'd yet to celebrate, and it was one he hadn't celebrated in a long, long time...

After saying goodbye to the X-Men, he, Logan, Laura, Gabby, and Akiko flew over to Japan. There, they went to what used to be a small village, all dressed in kimonos, envelopes and omamoris in hand. First, they visited a grave where Logan laid flowers and incense upon the stone. Daken was grateful for his sisters' presence, and surprised when his daughter knelt in front of his mother's grave, brows furrowed as she closed her eyes, pressing her palms together. He never told her what the appropriate etiquette was, deciding that she should act the way she felt was best in that moment and greet her grandmother in her own way, but to see her this way, he had mixed feelings. It was after they began to walk away he saw his true daughter come out. She was beside his father, touching his shoulder to offer comfort. Once he was gone, she touched the stone, pressing her forehead to it.

"...Sobo de ite kurete arigatou."

Thank you for being my grandmother.

Daken's eyes widened as she ran back to his side, her small fingers intertwining with his larger ones. He smiled and they went to their next destination, where the town was more lively. There were darker memories to be found there, but also bright ones. Seeing a forest nearby, he winced at the memory, but gaped at the graves there too, shaking a little as he knelt there, allowing himself to utter a small prayer. Swallowing, he glanced back at Akiko. She was staring, and he knew at that point, she recognized her namesake, and approached, placing flowers and incense there as she prayed with him.

This time, she looked at him for permission to touch the stone, and he nodded, allowing her to better know the one he knew in life. Seeing her there, he didn't even realize he was crying a little until she was wiping his tears, with Laura helping him at his side. Laura was here for him, just as he helped her with her make peace with her mother. She and the others had stayed away, letting him and his daughter have that moment to themselves, but Akiko had called his sister, and he was grateful.

"Thank you," he said hoarsely, not even sure who he was speaking to, or why. There was too much flooding through him, and it was frightening and freeing all at once. "Thank you."

"Chichi?"

He shuddered, seeing his daughter with his father. What would Akihira think, seeing them both there? Daken smiled, leaning forward and holding her close as he kissed Akiko's forehead. She snuggled into him, burrowing her face into his shoulder.

He didn't even need to look at Laura to know she was crying. He didn't mind. Akiko thanked her grandfather just as she did her grandmother, leaving offerings just the same before they visited the nearby Buddhist temple. He doubted he could be "purified" as was protocol for Hatsumōde, but he still participated with his family, showing them how as he washed his hands properly according to tradition, Akiko determinedly focused on copying him exactly to the point where he could barely contain his laughter.

The Buddhists gave them items to burn, somewhat alarming his daughter before he told her that it was supposed to represent returning an item. She was happy to write out good luck words on an ema plaque, which was something he bring himself to do. His daughter may be a positive person, but he wasn't. They also got omikuji fortune papers, which which only Gabby and Akiko weren't wary of. The Snikt Fam wasn't exactly the luckiest group.

Daken may or may not have secretly sent out a few nengajō as well to a few select people for New Years.

On the way back, Gabby and Akiko fell alseep in the Blackbird, with Daken's limbs becoming numb from his sister' and daughter's weight laid out on him. He grumbled, frustrated he couldn't move without waking them up. It got worse when Laura took a picture. He really was becoming soft. And if Laura heard him say he loved his daughter, she didn't say a damned thing, only smiling.

Chapter Text

"Now, what kind of footprint is it?"

Akiko pouted, "C-Cloven. So, a deer?"

"Close," Daken murmured, pointing out details in the mud. "See the spacing between the toes? And the shaping?"

She brightened. "Baby moose?"

"Yep," he said, sharpening the 'puh' sound to keep her attentive. "Now for the adult, is it a male, or a female?"

She squat down, frowning.Following the separate markings between the smaller and bigger prints left behind. "It's, with a daddy moose? 'Cause the front marks are moving from side to side." She wrinkled her nose. "And it smells like a guy too. But, there are more too?"

He smirked, glad that she was picking up on some things. "Moose live in herds, and though the young ones stick to their mothers, they can be near males, though rare to witness."

"Have you seen it?"

"I'm over seventy years old," he chuckled. "I've only seen it a couple of times."

"W-O-W...Daddy is old." He groaned, palming his forehead. He really should've known better. Placing his daughter on his hip, they began walking back to the Xavier Institute, taking a small breather at the top of the hill to view the scenery. She looked thoughtful, and tugged lightly on his coat. "Daddy, how old will I get?"

"I honestly don't know, little one," he answered. "We think with your healing powers, that you'll be able to live as long as I can, maybe longer, but no one lives forever, not even the immortals."

"...That doesn't make any sense. 'Immortal' means 'to live forever'. How can you live forever, and not live forever?" she asked.

How does one explain that to someone as young as her? "There's, a difference between being alive, and living, Akiko. Your heart can beat, you could still breath, but you can feel little to nothing and still be considered to be alive. However, to live means to thrive, to enjoy life to the fullest, to have fun and to feel. Immortals, they learn to feel everything to the point where they become numb to everything around them, and may forget how to care and feel. Thus, they are no longer part of the living, because they are dead inside."

She looked horrified. "That's going happen to us? To Laura and Gabby? Grandpa? Me? To you?"

It really was a scary thing, imagining someone as emotional as her turning into something so uncaring. He wanted to say that it wouldn't be like that, that none of them would turn out that way, but for once, he didn't want to lie. He couldn't. "I, I don't know Akiko. I can't promise you it won't happen, the future is never certain. But, I can promise you that I'll be here for you when you want me to."

He hoped he didn't mess this up. He hoped to whoever could hear him that he did something right for once when it came to her. She seemed at least a little satisfied by his answer, but was mostly quiet when they arrived at the mansion, only adding to his unease. He was used to emotional people babbling or taking up his time with trivialities. With her, she was emotional, but she observed every other little detail she could, noting things that sometimes he hadn't even taken up on. Other times she was easily confused by the world around her, which was more expected due to her age, as was her curiosity, but he wondered what his daughter was thinking most of the time when he was away or leaving her to her thoughts.

Kurt appeared, leading all of the students and teachers outside where the night sky was lighting up with fireworks, with the aid of Jubilee, Ororo, and Johnny. Daken handed Akiko and his sisters sparklers, grinning as Akiko's eyes glimmered at the sight of them and she made shapes in the sky around her. They also had paper lanterns and he served soba, osechi ryori, ozoni, and otoso. He was going to teach his daughter aspects of his heritage, damn it. 

Johnny had a difficult time learning how to play karuta, and Akiko beat him multiple times over. They all watched the Times Square Ball being dropped on television when the clock reached midnight and Daken found himself sprayed with streamers, courtesy of Gabby. Needless to say, he chased her down and noogied her, nearly giving some of the X-Men an aneurysm in disbelief at the sight of his display of affection. He could barely believe it either. 

Late into the night, er, early morning, he found Akiko looking up at the stars with Laura. They were talking, and he couldn't help but listen in.

"...You don't have to you know."

"I want to," Akiko mumbled. "I want to make my father proud of me."

Laura snorted, "You're really going to learn how to fight?"

Akiko hummed. "Chichi's working so hard to be better. I wanna meet him halfway, so I'm gonna get stronger, in my own way. I want to be a hero too, just like my father is to me."

Daken Akihiro was a lot of things. He had been a lot of things. He was a killer, he was a villain of so many stories, but the one thing he had never been was someone's hero. At least, until now.

Chapter Text

Daken Akihiro was a lot of things. He was the son of Akihira, child of Itsu and Logan Howlett, and brother to Laura and Gabrielle Kinney. He was a killer, an assassin, and a businessman. He never imagined he would add father to that list. He still wasn't sure if he should. He didn't feel ready for the role. He wasn't sure if he could ever be ready for it. All his life he had yearned for power, all he needed was power, and maybe all he ever had was power. Now? He had friends, a family, and maybe even a home. He was afraid, and he wanted to be free. To be free, he had to be brave, and to be brave, one had to face their fears. His greatest fear was to be part of something, to be something more than he was. So, that what he was going to try to be. He was going to try to be more than what the world perceived. He was going to try to be a hero, even if only to a small, close few, the few that mattered to him.

“You are not braiding my hair,” Dr. McCoy protested, holding his head protectively.

Across from him, Jonathan the Unstoppable was growling somberly, muttering with the aid of his translator with plaits swinging and strands of hair twisted and sticking about. He glanced up with schadenfreude, looking forward to the doctor’s misery. Gabby and Akiko, in the meantime, were searching McCoy’s gaze pleadingly with their big, glimmering eyes, causing the future victim to twitch.

"No."

"..."

Their eyes grew even more sparkly, and Daken chuckled under his breath from the sidelines. Gambit gave him popcorn, which Johnny had warmed up for them. Bobby had also cooled some beer which they all drank together with Logan. Daken wasn’t a fan of it, but it was New Year’s, so what the heck.

"No."

"..."

"...No..."

Gambit took out some cards, and visibly counted down with them as Bobby and Johnny exchanged bets.

"...No?"

"..."

McCoy grumbled, sitting down as the girls giggled, Clarice appearing at their side to aid them with braiding his mane. Other students, including Quentin, peeked around the corner at the sight, the last taking a picture. Someone cleared their throat behind the students, and looking upwards, the kids paled, seeing Victor Creed with very unflattering pigtails.

He folded his arms, baring his canines. “Got a problem with braids?”

“No sir,” one of them squeaked, the majority of the group vacating the room.

Daken raised an eyebrow, “That’s an interesting look.”

Sabretooth smirked, “You’re one to talk. They’re not the only ones with pictures.”

Wait, what? Daken stilled, recalling the night Akiko had first "cleaned" his mohawk and he knew the X-Men were grinning. Logan leaned on the armchair, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Daken was about to say something in retaliation when his daughter’s pheromones asked him a silent question about his welfare. He calmed himself, reminding himself about his behavior. Smiling softly, he uttered, “It means, that I have experiences that you don’t, father.”

Logan was hurt at first, but surprisingly, not too much. He beamed with pride then, ruffling Daken’s so that it was askew. “Good. You’ll be a better parent than I ever was.”

Patience, patience. He could do this. He’s been through far worse than this.

Still, Daken being a better parent than Logan? Now there was a scary thought. What would Logan have been like as a parent? Would he have taught Daken how to tie his shoes? To ride a bike? Play catch? Would they have gone camping? Would he have been there for prom? What would it have been like to have a parent that really loved him?

Seeing Akiko playing with Gabrielle, Daken hoped Akiko would never had to ask those same questions. He hoped that she would know she was loved, that she did have people who cared. He hoped…Who knew he could actually hope for something? More so, for someone?

Daken owned his fate, his life, his choices, and no one else did. He could’ve never befriended his sisters, and made lifelong enemies. He could’ve never made that funeral for his father. He could’ve killed daughter, he could’ve walked away, he could’ve done a million other things he’d done before, and yet there he sat.

“Spider-Fluff! Get back here!”

The girl’s father sighed, taking out the leash that Laura got him for the winter holidays as a gift, calling out his daughter’s name in a scolding tone. She blinked at him, holding Logan’s favorite coat as she practically hung upside down on the ceiling, Kurt tentatively reaching for her. Her father paused, thinking about how Logan ruffled his hair and grinned evilly.

“You know what? Go on, have some fun.”

Akiko beamed, giggling as she dashed across the walls and sent Kurt yelping when she scurried. Gambit whistled lowly, “How in blazes does she do that?”

Gabby snickered, watching her “niece” being chased by the Bamfs. “’Cause she’s Spider-Fluff, that’s why.”

Beast growled under his breath, finally stalking out from the shadows, decorated with braids complete with bows and strings with sparkles. Daken fought the urge to gape at the sight. “…At least they didn’t include glitter?”

McCoy shivered. “That, would’ve been impossible to get rid of.”

Straightening his hair, Daken got a mug of cocoa and joined Laura out on the porch, the two watching the snow fall. They were quiet for a while, just enjoying the peace while it lasted.

“…You know this isn’t forever, right?”

“It never is,” Laura murmured, smiling bittersweetly. “That’s why we enjoy it while it’s here. You’re coming back, right?”

He glanced back, seeing everyone he would look forward to seeing again. His daughter was smiling as she dumped cookies on Deadpool and Logan, giggling as she was chased by the Bamfs once more.

“You know I will.”

Chapter Text

Mystique stood by the woman as the two watched from a distance where Daken and Akiko were laughing, playing around. The woman chuckled when Akiko tackled Daken into the fallen leaves. Such sights still left Mystique with a bit of a migraine, the concept unfathomable, but at the same time, seeing Daken and Akiko smiling like that, well, she didn't think someone like Daken Akihiro had it in him. It made her wonder if there was some slight hope for all of them.

"So, that's her?"

The woman had a slight accent to her voice, and though she was far older than Akiko, if one listened, the timbre of it was slightly similar. There were also similar physical traits. It turned out Akiko's slightly darker skin wasn't just something from youth, but of true inheritance, as was the extra dimples and even a small pattern of freckles that dusted the cheeks and collarbone of the woman's skin. Mystique nodded, anxiety filling her as she tried to gauge what the woman would do. To her surprise, there was some sorrow in the acquaintance's expression, but also contentment.

"Ms. Darkholme, was it? I can't thank you enough for letting me be able to see my biological daughter but," she murmured, hesitating. Akiko's biological mother struggled, trying to find the right words as she returned her gaze to the father and daughter in the distance. Swallowing, she breathed, "It would be unfair to interfere in their lives as I am. Besides, when I donated my eggs I signed a contract, and I never go back on my word."

Raven frowned, "The contract they made you sign was under false pretenses. The fertility clinic-"

"I understand that now," she sighed, exhaustion filling her features. "I may not have known it was a front back then, but I genuinely believed I was helping someone while earning money. I know I was young and naive, but, I still made a promise at least to myself that as long as my...They, were safe and happy, I was willing to let them go."

She shuddered, "I was horrified when you told me what happened, and I'm glad nothing came from the others, but I was anxious about her  well being, which was why I came. Seeing her healthy and, well, it at least looks like she's happy, and I hope she is...I'm content with that."

Mystique looked her in the eye. "Are you sure you're okay with that? Letting her go?"

"I'll gladly meet with her if she wants me to," Akiko's mother smiled softly. "But, I'm not a mutant. I'm not anything special really. I, I can't have anymore kids because of how that 'fertility clinic' botched up that operation, but I'm satisfied with adopting. My wife knows about my past, and I'll let her know about Akiko, without too many details about her identity of course, but otherwise, I'm not sure what I can offer the little tyke. Everything that she needs, her father and those he knows can give."

The woman hesitated, her cheeks brightening nervously, "Er, does she need anything? I can pay child support? Help fund for college? Maybe talk to some people I work with to help her get ahead in-?"

Raven Darkholme began laughing. She had been conflicted about ever contacting Akiko's mother upon finding her identity, but had felt it best to at least inform her. She had panicked when the mother wanted to see her daughter. Now? Now everything was falling into place just right for the first time in forever. Since when had it ever been like this? Akiko's mother was worrying, and Raven had to assure her that everything was all right.

"Well, there might be something you can get her."

Daken raised an eyebrow at Mystique when the shapeshifter gave Akiko a textbook on psychology and LGBT rights for the former's birthday, asking her how she got a signed and original copy. Mystique just beamed, the only one there knowing why Akiko bore some resemblance to the author in the book. Or, at least she thought she was the only one...

Daken made sure Akiko and Mystique were inside when he followed the woman Mystique had been sneaking around with to her car. He knew who she was, but couldn't figure out why she and Raven would've been spying on him and Akiko. He called out her name, and she was startled at first, but after looking around, she exhaled.

"I'm sorry, I'm not here to take her away. I just, I wanted to see her."

His eyes widened. "You're-?"

She covered her mouth, then grimaced, "Oh, you uh, you don't know?"

Daken was pondering on what to do, his knuckles tightening while his heart pounded when he recalled her words. "You're, not here to take Akiko away?"

The mother of his child shook her head, "No, I'm not."

"Then, why-?"

"She's yours, not mine," she uttered. "She, she's never really been mine. I, technically I gave her up long ago. I, years ago I went to donate my eggs to a fertility clinic to earn some money for college. All of my research, including reviews from doctors I'd met with suggested they were the best and most reliable I could work with. It turned out, that they were frauds."

"AIM," Daken said.

She nodded, hand tightening over her chest. "I thought it was a good way to make some money for college while helping someone else. Instead, now I can't have any more children of my own, and your daughter had a rough start from what I've understood." The woman didn't pay any attention to his surprise. "Listen, all I want is for her to be happy, and healthy. This is my fault, and, I don't think she'd ever be happy or healthy with me. I can't give her what she needs. I don't have powers, I don't know how to control them or use them and from what I've seen, you make her happy. Why on Earth would I ever take that away from her?"

"...I'm not a good man."

She laughed, "I know exactly who you are, Daken Akihiro. I've gotten close to your claws before. I was in California during one of your escapades with the Runaways. You crashed a helicopter. The heat from it was massive."

He gaped, and she smirked. "I met my wife during that trip. Oddly enough, you were part of one of my fondest memories. I guess you could say you made it a little more exciting. Besides, at the time you took down a rather powerful drug lord, didn't you?"

"It wasn't for anyone else's benefit," he stated coolly.

Akiko's mother merely grinned. "I don't doubt that, but there also has to be a reason for the Runaways to like you, for some of the other heroes I've seen to tolerate you, and for...Your daughter to adore you. Don't deny that she doesn't, it's clear in her eyes. She loves you. In fact, I'm willing to bet quite a few people do."

He decided to test something, just for curiosity. He leaned forward, cocking a brow, "And do you?"

"I barely know you," she scoffed. Then she wrinkled her nose. "What is that god awful stench?"

Yep, this woman was a true lesbian. It would be very difficult to manipulate her with the use of pheromones. "Sorry, I've been exercising a lot."

"Well, go take a bath, you wretched skunk," she said, waving a hand in front of her nose. She smiled once more, "And, take care of yourself, and of her?"

He saluted her, "I will. And, don't be a stranger?"

There was a pause. "I'll, consider it."