[Aiden's Note: Yep! You read the title right. It's time, ladies and gentlemen! For our MC to lose his virginity! For our MC to lose his grind! For the harem to beginnnn!!

Ahem! I got a little bit side-tracked. As you have probably already figured out, this arc's main focus will be the establishment of Val and Storm's relationship. So, don't expect major plot development of the story just yet. There will be, later, of course. The wheels have been set in motion, as per the show.

If you didn't get that reference... *shakes head in shame*.

Anyway, this arc officially begins the harem part of the story from now on. No more single MC (Poor Val)! His sigma male grindset will falter from this arc.

A few things about this arc -

1. Slice-of-life

2. No/Minimal action(Not the good kind 😏)

And so, enjoy!!!]

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Ughhh!" Storm groaned and squirmed in a bed. Her eyes fluttered open, and the light blinded her for a few seconds before her eyes adjusted to the light.

She slowly looked around and found herself in a beautiful room where various sunlight rays were spilling from the windows, illuminating the whole room with a soft luminescence.

She tried to sit up when she suddenly remembered, "AH! What happened to Apocalypse?!"

She looked around but then noticed that she was in a hospital room.

"So, you're awake?"

She heard somebody's voice and turned to her right to see Mystique sitting on a chair with a book in her hand.

"Where am I?" Storm asked, looking around.

Mystique closed her book, set it down on the nearby table, and said, "The Xavier Institute!"

"The what? Why am I here?" Storm was surprised, and the memories of fighting Val alongside Apocalypse rushed back to her.

"I-I-I-I..." Storm began muttering to herself and shaking uncontrollably.

Seeing her like that, Mystique sighed and stood up from her chair. She walked toward her and tapped her shoulder to snap her back. When Storm returned to her senses,

Mystique said, "Steady yourself, girl. It's not going to help you panicking now."

"HOW?!" Storm shouted with fear.

"Breath!" Mystique said while she kept her palm on Storm's chest, "In and out! In and out!"

After calming down, Mystique again took her seat and asked, "Now, tell me, what do you remember?"

Storm calmed herself, organized her thoughts, and began recalling everything. After a few seconds, she frowned in confusion and replied, "I.. I only remember fighting with Starlance and then...."

"And?" Mystique asked.

Storm frowned even more and tried to think, but she sighed and replied, "I can't remember anything after that. It's all just a blur."

Mystique looked at her intensely and murmured, "So, is it a normal blank space or Apocalypse's doing?"

Storm shivered when she heard Apocalypse's name, and Mystique sighed inwardly and asked, "So... do you want to go back to your 'master'?"

"N-No!" Storm quickly replied and shook her head.

She clutched the edges of her bed and murmured while tears kept falling out of her eyes, "I-I... did all of those things.... all of those horrible things. I even-" she cried in silence as the trauma she faced overwhelmed her, "I...I-I did all those horrible things without thinking of the casualties!! I had never used my powers so violently. Why... Why did all of this happen to me?"

Mystique sighed, seeing Storm cry like a baby, and exited her chair. She walked towards her and gently sat beside her while caressing her head. She watched Storm's crying face, and her features changed into an old woman in her mid-70s whose face had a kind aura and a motherly warmth that instantly eased the room's mood.

She used her free hand to gently wipe Storm's tears, and a kind smile appeared on her old face.

"It's okay!" She whispered in a kind voice, "Everything will be alright. You're free now. Nobody will do or ask you to do those things again. Plus, everybody makes mistakes. I have done all kinds of stupid things when I was younger. It's all behind you now."

"B-But I've..." Storm replied while her voice trembled.

"And I don't care what you did. Right now, the important thing is that you are horrified by what you've done and want to fix those mistakes. That, itself, is good enough to start again. So, don't let your past haunt you!". Mystique replied while gently patting her head.

"But my past is too grave to be forgotten!" Storm muttered while clenching her fists tightly.

"Silly girl!" Mystique replied, "Your past isn't too grave. Your actions didn't cause any death."

"What?!" Storm exclaimed and turned to look at her with a surprised expression.

"I-I didn't kill people? I'm sure Apocalypse had asked me to kill some people back in Cairo."

"Trust me, girl. It's as I say.", Mystique replied with a smile.

"But.." Storm frowned and asked, "How is that possible? I used my powers without holding back."

Mystique kept smiling and replied, "Yeah. Damage was caused to the city, but there were absolutely no human casualties on the ground level. This was only possible due to Starlance's doing."

"Starlance?" Storm murmured and placed her hands on her rapidly beating heart.