Jude squirmed in the hall as he waited his turn to talk to Mama. She made him feel... small. He didn't like to feel small. He didn't normally feel small. But this was a condition of re-enrolling as a kid: regular check ins with the counselor.

Maybe if he could just be calm and confident. Flirt a bit? Naw. She would laugh. How could Jude convince Gemma that he was ready to be an adult?

The door opened and a slightly pale teen plodded out if Mama's office. He looked deflated like Mama sucked the life right out of him.

Gulp.

Calm and confident. Calm and confident.

Jude slipped in her office before the door had finished shutting from the last kid. "It's not like I was doing drugs." Was his opening argument. Offense, the best form of defense. Jude slouched into the chair opposite of Mama's desk.

Let the games begin.

Gemma sighed and rubbed her temples as yet another troubles mutant teen left her office. She loved all the kids, she really did, but today was just one of the days when they showed up in rapid succession, dealing with all kinds of heart and power troubles, and she really needed a coffee break. She was not a strict person; she was generally really nice to everyone. That didn't mean though that non-stop talking didn't deplete her batteries.

She was in the process of refilling her coffee mug when another boy walked in.

>>"It's not like I was doing drugs."

Gemma looked up. Oh joy. This one was extra special. One of the former members of the X team made sure she would keep an eye on the... kid. Who apparent also had been an adult. And now a kid again. Talk about puberty gone wild.

"Jude, right?" she smiled, offering him a seat and closing the door "I do hope you were not doing drugs. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate?"

Did she not remember him? He remembered Ms. Taylor. Jude was totally wounded by her lack of attentions. Was he not a precious flower? Unique snowflake? Except he didn't think she would believe that either...

Jude puffed out his cheeks with air and let his breath out slowly. Patience. They weren't going to jump right into things apparently. Patience was not really Jude's strong suit.

"Tea, if you please. No sugar." Coffee made this child's body jittery. Plus he liked it with more sugar than was appropriate to ask for. "Thank you." He took the "th" part of thank slowly so that he would not slur it into the lazy French z sound.

Frenchie sat up straight in the chair offered to him and folded one leg on top of the opposite knee, the picture of masculine comfort packaged far too small. "How are you today, Ms. Taylor?"

>>"Tea, if you please. No sugar. Thank you."

Gemma handed him a mug of hot water and a box of tea filters to choose from. He was being very polite, to the point when Miss T started actively wondering if he had gotten into trouble she didn't know about yet.

>>"How are you today, Ms. Taylor?"

"Splendid, thank you for asking" she smirked, settling into her chair with her coffee "How about you? How is school going so far?"

It had to be hard, going back to being a child. But adult or teen, people didn't like to be grilled before they even finished their tea.

Of the teas offered. the blackberry sounded the best. Jude pulled the tag and filter free from its packaging and plopped it into his disposable cup of wot water.

Patience, patience. It was going to take a few more years before he got to do anything good.

"School is one of the most frustrating experiences of my life, Ms. Taylor." And he didn't particularly care to elaborate on that, but since it was sort of why he was here... "I think I prefer working. You get more autonomy and unless your boss sucks, you don't have to ask to go pee." The kid scowled into his tea.

It wasn't like everything about it sucked, but he was having a hard time finding friends to relate to. "Plus my roommate eats glue." Jude sipped gingerly at his tea.

>>"School is one of the most frustrating experiences of my life, Ms. Taylor. I think I prefer working. You get more autonomy and unless your boss sucks, you don't have to ask to go pee."

Gemma had to remind herself that she was talking to ta teen who, although he had spent a significant amount of time as a grown-up, was supposed to be treated as fitting for the age he looked, as per requests of Ghost. She smiled. It was not going to get any more complicated that this.

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to work in a couple of years. You'll wish you were in school again, I promise."

>>"Plus my roommate eats glue."

"Um..." the guidance counselor blinked and made a mental note "I'll look into that."

Hopefully it was mutation-related.

"It must be difficult to get used to." she admitted, not trying to sugarcoat the issue "That is why I asked you to check in with me, to see if there is anything I can do to make it easier."

It was mutation related. It didn't make glue eating any more okay. Instead of dwelling on things Jude couldn't change he tried to think about what he could. How could Mama T make his school days easier?

"Could I have access to ze Danger Room?" He was excited enough to let a bit of serious accent slip through. "I know I'm technically not old enough, but I want to get better, stronger." You know, exercising all those teen hormones so they didn't run wild? He tried to look responsible enough to deserve blanket access to a potentially dangerous scenario machine.

>>"Could I have access to ze Danger Room? I know I'm technically not old enough, but I want to get better, stronger."

Gemma smiled at the request. Everybody and their little brothers wanted to get into the Danger Room. Half of the issues Gemma had to deal with as the 'responsible adult' on call were disputes over scheduling and access.

Jude, however, was a special case in this regard too. He had had more training than what his current body would allow for. It was not a simple matter.

"You can't access it alone" she shook her head "You would need a supervisor, someone on the X-team, and special permission, since you are underage. If you manage to get those two" she smirked "I don't see why not."

She tilted her head; the request was made, but that didn't mean their talk was over.

"Would you like to talk about how you are dealing with your current... um, age?"

Would he like to talk about it? Jude sat back in his chair. "Not really." He sipped his tea. He had thought this session would be interesting and useful, but... no. Just touchy-feely. Useless.

"I don't feel like a teenager. Do I have to? Is that, like, a requirement?" Mostly it seemed Jude was dealing with his age by... not dealing. All that access to future events made him feel even more time displaced, part of the reason he left. Though... most of the reason he left his grown up life was Svetty...

Jude shifted in his seat at the thought. Usually he tried not to think of her either.

>>"Not really. I don't feel like a teenager. Do I have to? Is that, like, a requirement?"

"Well, for all intents and purposes, you are a teenager" Gemma pointed out mildly. Jude ha d a lot of stuff to work through, but that didn't change the fact that right now he was, biologically and legally (if not mentally) a teen. The only thing people could do to make it less confusing was to keep reminding him of that.

"Also, nobody likes being a teenager." she added with a small smile "Indulge me anyway. Maybe if we talk about what you don't like, it will get easier, right?"

"Surely somebody likes being a teenager." Sam, maybe? Since he never did seem to grow up. That sounded about right and made Jude feel a little better somehow. He might be an old soul, but there were really baby souls too.

Stupid baby souls.

"What I don't like is the lack of legal options. No driving. No drinking. No job. No money. No options. If I don't take it slow," and boring, "I can't do any of these things because I wouldn't ever get the actual legal permission IDs and stuff.

You know how hard it is to hold a job withsout a proper ID? A bank account? How hard it is to sign up for utilities and pay bills?" Because Jude did. It was hard being illegal . He didn't know how so many others supposedly did it.

He realized he was rambling. Jude huffed a sigh into his tea. Yeah. Solve that one, Mama.

"Surely somebody likes being a teenager."

>>"What I don't like is the lack of legal options. No driving. No drinking. No job. No money. No options. If I don't take it slow, I can't do any of these things because I wouldn't ever get the actual legal permission IDs and stuff. You know how hard it is to hold a job withsout a proper ID? A bank account? How hard it is to sign up for utilities and pay bills?"

Gemma hid her amusement at the teen's tirade. He seemed to miss all the things adults would have been happy to be rid of forever.

"Sounds like you did your best" she acknowledged the fact that Jude did not use his fake adulthood for drinking and gambling. "As for now, you don't need to worry about those things. That's one of the perks of being a student if you ask me. Room and board are provided, Xavier's pays the utilities, and all you have to worry about is your studies." she paused "I realize that it is not what you are used to. I am just saying that even this can have a bright side. Believe me it will be over faster than you know."

He sighed again. "I don't miss paying bills." That was dumb. "I just want to be able to pay bills like you're supposed to pay bills." You know. From a bank account instead of from a wad of crumpled up dollars bills he kept in the mattress. Though... doing things on a mattress that was full of money sometimes made it a little more fun. Ehem.

There were definitely other things he missed about being grown up.

Jude squirmed. "I will try to look at the bright side of being paid for. Is there anything else we have to talk about?" Could he go now?

>>"I don't miss paying bills. I just want to be able to pay bills like you're supposed to pay bills. I will try to look at the bright side of being paid for. Is there anything else we have to talk about?"

Gemma sighed. He was making this difficult on purpose, more difficult than it needed to be. That meant that she had to do the same.

"Paying bills is not really the thing you miss about being an adult" she said, looking at Jude "And it is not just the independence either, not unless you know what you want to do with it. I know you have plans, Jude. Everyone always does. All I can tell you is the best thing you can do is, take this time to think your plans over. You can start working on them now, in some ways. Look at being in school as a chance at extra time and more planning. Most people don't get that."

She sipped her coffee, slowly coming to the end of her speech.

"And if you ever want to talk about someone... something else, you can."

He pursed his lips. That slip? That was intentional. Jude had said all the right words and been reflective on his previous actions and everything a stupid adult would want to hear. It made him want to chuck his tea at her. She should have just been happy with his progress and left him alone.

"You don't want to-" He shut his mouth so hard Jude's teeth clacked together. No. He would not get Svetty in trouble for his choices. Even if he didn't approve of her current choices. Of course, him getting her in trouble would maybe force her to stop... No.

He shook his head.

Nope. Not gonna happen. No. No. No. The things he could get her in trouble for would ruin her life. And maybe his.

"I don't have anyone to talk about." If his eyes were a little too wide, a little too innocent, well, that was just because he really was. Totally. Innocent. Yep.

Sebastian? Gone. Ghost? Shipped him off to the Mansion. And those weren't even his real parents. They had wanted him even less. Jude was his own man. Well, his own teen. There really was nobody else.

He cleared his throat and took a hasty sip of tea. Nope. Not sad. Not gonna be sad in front of the counselor.