X-Force: Beyond Omega

Aron lay on the rooftop, hands behind his head, staring up at the stars. The night was still, save for the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind. Peaceful. Almost too peaceful. 

Tomorrow, everything will change.

Genosha awaited.

He exhaled slowly, trying to focus on the quiet instead of the battle ahead. Blood will be shed tomorrow. But no matter how much he tried to let himself enjoy this moment, the weight of what was coming pressed down on him. 

Then, a door creaked open.

He turned his head slightly, spotting Jubilee stepping onto the rooftop. A bag of chips was tucked under her arm, and she was wearing an oversized hoodie. It was probably Logan's, judging by how big it looked on her.

She looked at him, then at the sky, then back again. "Couldn't sleep either?"

Aron smirked. "Nope. Figured I'd spend the night with the stars before we head off to war."

Jubilee plopped down beside him, popping a chip into her mouth. "Pfft. 'War.' Sounds so dramatic when you say it like that."

He chuckled. "It is dramatic. Mutants are enslaved there, Jubes. Tomorrow, we change that."

She chewed thoughtfully, then asked, "Are you scared?"

Aron turned his head toward her, one brow raised. "Scared? Me?" He grinned. "What could possibly defeat me and Jean? Besides, I trained you guys myself. If anything, it's the Genoshans who should be worried."

Jubilee gave him a look. "Cocky much?"

He smirked. "Confident."

She rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yeah, yeah. But still… what if things don't go according to plan?"

Aron reached over and took a chip from her bag. "Then you can just nuke the island."

Jubilee snorted. "You make it sound so simple."

"It is simple," he said between crunches. "We've got the Phoenix Force, the best fighters, and a dog that can outrun Pietro. We've got this."

She smiled but didn't respond, her gaze drifting up to the stars again. Aron watched her for a moment... the way the wind played with her hair, the way her lips parted slightly in thought. She looked beautiful under the night sky.

She was worried. Even if she didn't say it outright, he could feel it.

Without thinking, he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Hey."

She blinked, turning to him in surprise.

"We've got this," he said, softer this time.

Jubilee held his gaze. For a second, she looked like she wanted to say something. Instead, she just smiled. "Yeah. We do."

Aron smirked. "Now, c'mon."

Before she could ask what he meant, he teleported them away in a flash of purple light.

The next moment, they were standing outside, far from the school, beneath a sky untouched by city lights. A cool breeze swept through the trees, rustling the leaves. The air smelled fresh, crisp.

Jubilee blinked. "Okay, where the hell did you just take us?"

Aron smirked. "Just a little spot I found. Thought we could take a walk. You know, before the whole war thing."

She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Are you trying to be romantic, Aron?"

He grinned. "Depends. Is it working?"

Jubilee huffed but didn't pull her hand away. "Maybe."

They started walking, their hands still linked, the night air wrapping around them like a quiet lullaby. After a while, Jubilee leaned her head against his shoulder.

She exhaled. "You know, I used to love nights like these when I was a kid. Back before everything changed."

Aron glanced at her. "Before Xavier's?"

She nodded. "Before Xavier's. Before aliens, before I even knew I was a mutant. Back when my biggest worry was sneaking into the movies without a ticket." She smiled faintly.

"I used to think life was simple. Then I got my powers, lost my parents, and found out the world wasn't so simple anymore. I had nowhere to go. The best place I could find was a shopping mall... I lived there for years. Those guards tried to catch me all the time. Then one day Storm, Logan, and Hank saved me from a mutant attack. I kinda... snuck into their car and came here."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Hid in the school for two whole years. Can you believe that? Then Magneto attacked, and I had to do something. Well, the rest... Ah! Look at me babbling. You can read minds, so you already know everything."

Aron gave her hand a small squeeze, tracing soft circles against her skin with his thumb. "Yeah, I know," he said. "But I like hearing it from you."

Jubilee huffed a small laugh. "You're such a dork."

"And yet, you're still holding my hand," Aron teased.

She rolled her eyes but didn't let go. Instead, she looked up at the stars again. "Sometimes, I wonder what my life would've been like if none of this mutant stuff ever happened. If my parents were still around. If I was just a normal girl living a normal life. No powers, no wars, no crazy world-ending threats every other week."

Aron tilted his head. "And? Do you think you'd be happier?"

Jubilee was quiet for a long moment. Then she smiled, small but genuine. "Nah," she admitted. "I mean, don't get me wrong. It would've been nice to have a normal life. But I wouldn't have met you guys. I wouldn't have met you."

Aron felt warmth spread through his chest at her words, but he played it off with a smirk. "Oh, so I'm one of the highlights of your chaotic mutant life, huh?"

Jubilee nudged him with her shoulder. "Don't get cocky."

He chuckled but didn't press the topic. They walked in silence for a few more minutes, the night air cool and crisp around them. The distant sounds of crickets and rustling leaves filled the quiet, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

...

The walk led them to an abandoned park, its once-proud playground now rusting beneath the weight of time. A forgotten swing set creaked faintly in the distance, moved only by the wind. Beyond it, the land sloped downward into a small, secluded beach. The sand, cool beneath their feet, stretched toward the darkened water, where soft waves lapped against the shore.

Jubilee plopped down beneath a gnarled old tree near the edge of the sand, the branches stretching above them like skeletal fingers against the night sky. Aron joined her, leaning back against the trunk, one knee bent, arms resting lazily across it.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the rhythmic crash of the waves and the occasional chirp of crickets.

Then Jubilee sighed. "You know… I kinda like it here."

Aron turned his head slightly. "Yeah?"

She nodded, hugging her knees. "It's quiet. Feels like the rest of the world doesn't exist."

Aron smirked. "And here I thought you thrived on chaos."

She snorted. "I do. But sometimes it's nice to pretend I don't."

A comfortable silence settled between them again, the kind where words weren't really necessary. Jubilee absentmindedly traced patterns in the sand with her fingers, her expression unreadable. Aron watched her, the way the moonlight caught in her dark eyes, reflecting the restless thoughts she wasn't voicing.

"You ever think about running away?" she asked suddenly.

Aron raised an eyebrow. "From what?"

She gestured vaguely. "All of it. School, the war, the whole mutant struggle. Just… disappearing. Finding some quiet little corner of the world where no one knows your name."

He wanted a peaceful life, but trouble came knocking at his door. After everything that happened so far, he changed his goal because in the Marvel Universe, there isn't any peace and he was a mutant with Phoenix Force and even Lady Death is after him. So, he stopped running. He accepted the reality and just moved forward while enjoying little peaceful moments like the present.

Aron was quiet for a moment before answering. "No."

Jubilee blinked, surprised. "No?"

He shook his head. "You don't fix anything by running. You just delay it."

Jubilee sighed, tilting her head back against the tree. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Doesn't stop me from wondering, though."

Aron studied her for a moment. Then, with a smirk, he nudged her shoulder. "Where would you go?"

She hummed, pretending to think. "Somewhere warm. Maybe a little island where I can spend my days sipping fruity drinks out of coconut shells... Like our island base, but with a little closer to civilization."

Aron chuckled. "And then what? You'd get bored in a week."

"Hey, I could keep myself entertained."

"Jubilee, you get restless if you sit still for more than five minutes. You'd start a revolution on your coconut island just for something to do."

She laughed, shoving him lightly. "Okay, fair point. But still, you can't tell me you've never wanted a normal life. No mutant drama, no wars, just… peace."

Aron exhaled slowly, tilting his head back against the tree trunk, eyes drifting over the waves. "Peace, huh?"

Jubilee nodded, still staring at the water. "Yeah. Just for a little while. Just to know what it feels like."

He thought about that. Really thought about it. If he had been given the chance, would he have chosen a quiet life? A normal life? One where he wasn't always looking over his shoulder, waiting for the next battle to begin?

He glanced at her, the moonlight painting silver highlights in her dark hair.

"You know what I think?" he murmured.

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"I think… peace isn't about where you are. It's about who you're with."

Jubilee blinked, her lips parting slightly. "That's… incredibly cheesy."

He smirked. "And yet, you're blushing."

She huffed, but the corners of her mouth curled up. She didn't let go. Instead, she turned her body slightly toward him, her fingers tightening just a little around his. "You really believe that?"

"Yeah." He gave a small shrug. "I mean, look at us. War's coming, we've got the weight of the world on our shoulders, and yet… right now, right here, it's quiet. Feels kinda peaceful, don't you think?"

She considered that for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle. "You're a smooth talker, Aron. I bet you said the same things to Jean and Kitty."

"Who knows?" 

Jubilee narrowed her eyes playfully. "Oh, I know you did."

Aron smirked. "Jealous?"

Jubilee scoffed, but the warmth in her cheeks betrayed her. "Jealous? Pfft. Please." She crossed her arms, but her fingers still tingled where his hand had been. "I just like keeping track of how many hearts you break."

Aron chuckled, tilting his head. "Oh yeah? And how's my record looking?"

Jubilee swallowed, forcing herself to look at him. Big mistake. The moonlight caught the sharp angles of his face just right, highlighting his smirk, the lazy confidence in his eyes. She hated how good he looked without even trying.

She hated how much she liked it.

'Damn it. Why did he have to be so effortlessly cool?'

Her mind betrayed her, flashing back to that day in training. The day his clothes had burned away after using that 100% explosion power, leaving nothing but a very, very naked Aron standing there, completely unfazed. Meanwhile, she had practically short-circuited on the spot, turning so red she might as well have exploded.

And now here they were, alone, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.

She shifted slightly, rubbing her arms. 'Okay, focus. Not the time to think about his body. Not the time to think about his abs. Definitely not the time to think about—'

"You're blushing again," Aron teased.

Jubilee scowled. "Shut up."

Aron grinned but didn't press her. Instead, he leaned back, watching the waves. The silence stretched between them, comfortable yet charged. The cool night air did nothing to cool the heat rising in her chest.

'I could kiss him right now.'

The thought came unbidden, and she nearly choked on it.

'Would he kiss me back?'

Her fingers curled into the sand. The weight of everything... the war ahead, the uncertainty of tomorrow... pressed down on her, and suddenly, she wanted to stop thinking. She wanted to lose herself, just for a moment.

And Aron… he was right here. Warm. Solid. Familiar.

"Hey," she murmured before she could stop herself.

Aron turned to her, his expression softening. "Yeah?"

She hesitated. Then, before she could overthink it, she reached for him, fingers curling around the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer. His breath hitched slightly, his smirk finally faltering.

"Jubes...!"

She silenced him by closing the distance, her lips pressing against his.

For a split second, he didn't move. Then, almost hesitantly, his hands found her waist, pulling her in. The kiss deepened, slow at first, then hungry.

Jubilee melted into him, her heart hammering. His body was warm against hers, his scent and something distinctly him—filling her senses. His fingers skimmed her back, igniting something hot and electric in her veins.

She wanted more.

She wanted to lose herself completely.@@novelbin@@

Her hands moved on their own, sliding over his shoulders, pressing closer until there was no space left between them. He responded in kind, one hand tangling in her hair, the other gripping her waist like he never wanted to let go.

A small moan slipped from her lips, and Aron groaned, pulling her flush against him.

'Damn, this is getting dangerous.'

She broke away first, gasping for air. Her forehead rested against his, their breaths mingling, both of them flushed and breathless.

Aron chuckled, voice rough. "So… was that part of the training too?"

Jubilee smacked his chest, but she was smiling. "Shut up, dork."

He grinned, his thumb tracing slow, lazy circles against her hip. 

**[POWERSTONES & Reviews]***

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[14 advance chapters] [No double billing] [Genosha arc completed on pat reon]

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Next ch: 117 [A promise to Jubilee]

Ch: 118 [Attack on Genosha]

Ch: 119 [Walking disaster]