Rating: PG.

Continuity: Between X2 and X3.

Author's Note: So a while ago, youngest_one asked for: 'Bobby Drake, strippers.' Who am I to refuse such a request?



Teenage Kicks

By Andraste

"Usually I would give you a chance to explain what you did. However, I can't think of anything that would justify this."

"We were trying to cheer Bobby up."

After more than five decades of reading people's thoughts, there were few things that left Charles Xavier incredulous. He examined the students huddled together on the other side of his desk, looking for a sign that one of them had been possessed by the Shadow King. Unfortunately, he didn't find any.

"And in order to accomplish this, you ordered him strippers?"

"We didn't think you'd find out." Jubilee had elected herself spokeswoman for the group, which was only fair since it seemed to have been her idea. The others seemed, quite rightly, too embarrassed to say anything.

Charles's headache got worse. "Quite apart from anything else, you stole my credit card and used it to pay for them. I was bound to notice eventually."

"We didn't steal it! We just borrowed it for a while, and we were totally going to give you the cash. We all pooled our money so we could buy Bobby a good present. He's been all mopey since, well, everything happened."

In part, Charles blamed himself. This was what he deserved for taking a night off to go into the city with Ororo and leaving Scott and Logan to supervise the students. As far as he could tell, Logan had disappeared on business of his own before it even got dark. Scott obviously wasn't up to being left in sole charge of the school at the moment, given the resulting chaos. Charles wasn't even sure he'd noticed what was going on right under his nose.

"So you decided that this was an appropriate way to alter his state of mind?"

"They were mutant strippers," Jubilee said, as if that explained everything. "We thought it would be fun."

When Charles had arrived back after midnight to find the rec room in a state of chaos, he had been greeted by a green woman with scales and a pink woman with horns, both in state of advanced undress. His mood had not improved at all when the green one had offered to 'make it up to him' by demonstrating her mutant powers. He'd sent them on their way politely enough, although he'd be contacting their employers tomorrow to have a few choice words about people who plied their particular trade in front of teenagers.

"You're all confined to the school grounds until further notice. I'll think of further appropriate punishments in the morning." He'd already sent Bobby to bed, blushing furiously, not wanting to reprimand him on his birthday for something that hadn't been his idea. Tomorrow would be soon enough to discuss the matter with him. He wanted to speak with Rogue separately, as well. That she seemed to have agreed to this disturbed him.

The students, recognising their cue, began shuffling out of the office. Charles could sense their anxiety, and a part of him knew it would have been kinder to sentence them here and now rather than leave it hanging over their heads for eight hours.

"Jubilation?" he said, as their ringleader put her hand on the door to close it.

"Yes?" as she turned back to him, he could tell she was more concerned than her bravado would suggest.

"If you really want to cheer Bobby up, I'd suggest spending some time with him. What he needs now is friends."

She hesitated in the doorway. "I wasn't sure if I'd be getting the chance."

"What do you mean?" Maybe it would be wise to separate them temporarily, but given recent events he could never be that cruel.

"You're not going to throw me out?"

Two surprises in one night. "I would never do that. Any mutant who wants one has a home here." He may, on occasion, have driven people away, but never intentionally.

"So, if Johnny came back ...?"

"I would welcome him with open arms, if he was willing to stand by the ethos of the school. I'm afraid that he isn't."

The corner of Jubilee's mouth twitched. "But ordering mutant strippers, that's not completely outside this school ethos of ours?"

He forced himself to look stern. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

She nodded, smile still in place, and shut the door behind her.

The End