The Mornings After

Billy and Teddy sat at the end of the hall near the kitchen and just waited. They had breakfast in front of them, but instead of having the TV on, they had a different way to entertain themselves.

"You sure this is gonna happen and not take a forever?" Teddy asked his boyfriend, putting a comforting hand on Billy's shoulder.

"Nah, they all tucked in about the same time," Billy smiled, "Thanks to a timely use of Isaac Hayes music."

"You're welcome, by the way."

"With all the booze, the tension that's been mounting 'round here. I predict that the first few will be stumbling out of their room stupors any minute now."

Under Teddy's gaze, Billy added, "I'm magic, I know these things."

"It's mean," Teddy said in a sing-song voice.

"And that's why we—"

"I"

"You are making everyone a big breakfast to greet them."

"Why am I doing this again?"

"Because I love you?"

"Works for me," Teddy walked by, whisking pancake batter as he did, and gave Billy a quick kiss.


Gert and Chase exited their room and Billy sighed at first, until he saw Gert's roughed hair.

He put a check mark on the paper he had, "and that's our first!"

"First what?" Chase said. His voice was half groggy with sleep.

"First couple consummated from the kegger," Billy explained.

"Dude," Chase said, "We consummate, like, nightly ever since Gert got back."

Teddy turned to Gert, "What? Really?"

Billy tilted his head slightly, "You guys were subtle about it."

"It's not that hard to be subtle when you got the Ken and Jenny going on nearby," Gert said, "I cannot scream that loud."

"I tried, man," Chase shook his head with a dopey grin, "She really can't."

Gert smiled, but punched him in the arm anyway.

"Ooo, I want details," Billy smiled as Teddy rolled his eyes and went back to prepping breakfast.

"What can I say," Gert shrugged, "Being dead really ups the urge to celebrate being alive."


"And we have our first new couple!" Billy exclaimed as Noriko and Victor walked out of his room. He just had on pants and she wore his shirt, their hair messed up and slightly matted. The small audience waiting for them and mild applause they got caught both teenagers completely off guard. They were red in the face as Teddy mercifully guided them to the main kitchen table.

"C'mon, we have breakfast already," He said "And some hangover remedies the gods devised, so we know they work."

"But we don't have hangovers," Noriko said as the pair walked over to the nearest available seats, "I only had one and he didn't drink at all." She elbowed Victor.

"I don't like the harsh taste of alcohol, what can I do?!" He raised his arms defensively.

"God, you really were programed to be the most PC super hero ever," Gert said, pointing her waffle covered fork at the pair as they approached.

"Wait, you weren't a drunken hookup?" Billy's smile lessened slightly, but took on a cheesier demeanor and he snapped his fingers, "Damnit!"

"We still have breakfast for ya, though," Teddy said, "Welcome to the couples table."

The couple joined the onlookers as well as bed-head laden Julie and Karolina for a rather large breakfast.


Cassie Lang woke up with a throbbing headache and Amadeus' Cho's head nestled in her chest. She thought she'd be okay just trying a little, but one cup turned into 3 and despite her size changing powers Cassie Lang learned something incredible useful: she was a lightweight.

She was extremely glad neither of them was naked, though Amadeus did lack as shirt. She contemplated shrinking out of Amadeus' grip, but sneaking around as a tiny naked ant girl was not something she wanted to do.

"Ah, you're awake," a whispered voice caught Cassie a little off guard. She became truly worried when she saw its owner: Delphyne. She may have been in human form, but even with red hair and freckles, her strength of will was so great she could still pull of a medusa's stare, "I see he's enjoying himself."

"Delphyne," Cassie said, "Look, I—"

"Save it," Delphyne curtly walked over to the bed and sat down next to the blonde and her voice softened, "You don't need to say anything."

"I don't?"

Delphyne's stern glare inched closer and closer to Cassie's face. Trapped against the pillow she could only pull back half an inch, "No, you don't."

She really didn't expect the red head to kiss her, "Hopefully you'll remember what we did last night a little better if you're given a chance to breathe, sister."

That really threw Cassie for a loop, more than waking up with Amadeus. The kiss was soft, kind and reminded her of her of an earlier kiss from a refined young man who had villainous tendencies. Nathaniel Richards. Iron Lad. Kang. But Delphyne's was not quite as soft, for the simple contact between them, she showed far more aggression. She relaxed a little in her confusion.

"So, did we-?"

"Not all the way, but we certainly played around quite a bit," Delphyne stroked Cassie's hair and then did the same to Amadeus, "You were insistent that we didn't go all the way, though you made all sorts of dirty suggestions."

Cassie started to remember and her face went red, "Ohmigod! I can't believe it! I'm a lightweight and a slut when I'm drunk."

"Hey," Delphyne grabbed Cassie's face, "Do not be ashamed of your interest in sex. It is the most repugnant thing about man's world there is."

The sternness of Delphyne's voice caught her off guard, and got Amadeus to stir a little bit from the force of it. But he nestled himself in Cassie's chest and returned to his slumber almost immediately.

"You're much better than that," Delphyne lowered her voice, "I can't have my second doubt herself like that."

"Your second?"

"Of course," Delphyne wrapped an arm around Cassie and slid next to her, "If you are up for the idea, that is," When Cassie didn't answer after a moment; Delphyne continued "It's an amazon thing."

"I thought that meant you killed any man you slept with?"

"Normally, yes, but I'm something of an exile, so bending the rules isn't that much of a problem for me," She fiddled with Amadeus' hair as he slumbered, "I really do love this arrogant bastard. " She paused and then added, "And he also appears to be enamored with your chest."

Cassie looked down at Amadeus, "I noticed."

"I'll try and explain in man's world terms," Delphyne said, "I take Amadeus as my" she paused to digest the word, "Husband. And we take you as our second, a living embodiment of both out love and commitment to love."

"So, I'm the live in girlfriend? Of both of you?"

"If you wish to use such crude terms, then yes. But it's more than something so easily replaceable. Your function would be both symbolic and practical."

"How would it be practical? It's some weird polyamo—"

Delphyne's expression hardened, "It's to prevent me from passing on the gorgon curse to anyone else."

And it clicked in Cassie's mind. "Oh. Wow, I didn't think about—I'm sorry."

Though her form was human, she was still at her core a gorgon. And she hated the curse and Athena for doing it. Even as head of the Olympus group, there were some things even Amadeus could not undo. The image inducer he copied from the Xavier school helped all her people blend in with the modern world, but it was only an adhesive medical strip for a deeper wound.

"It's alright. I didn't want to be so blunt, but it's early in the morning. It's unavoidable."

"Yeah," Cassie sighed, putting an arm around Delphyne to comfort her. She leaned in.

"If we decide to have children," Delphyne looked at Amadeus, "Which honestly won't be for a while if we plan things right, I want you to bear them. They will be ours, not just mine and Amadeus, but the child of all three of us. We will raise them together."

"This . . . is a little big for me. I'm 16, not exactly—"

"Legal age as an Amazon, but I understand," Delphyne smiled, "Cassie: you're strong, smart, driven and noble. You'd have made a fine amazon. As such, I will give you a decade to think it over."

"A decade?!"

"Until then," Delphyne kissed her on the check, "We can just have some fun."

Amadeus popped up immediately, "Sounds good to me."

"How long have you been awake?" Cassie's face twisted at first in shock, then in annoyance and anger.

"Woke 'bout the same time you did," He told Cassie, "Heard the whole thing."

Delphyne smacked him with a pillow. As did Cassie. Repeatedly.

"Alright! Alright!" Amadeus sat up and curled into a defensive ball, "I give! I give!"

After the girls relented, he added, "Glad to see you're feeling better today."

Cassie's memory was still hazy with the rising sun, but she remembered more and more. Color drained from her face and her whole body shuddered. The other two were around her in moments, doing their best to comfort the girl.

"I was in hell," Cassie's voice was a barely audible whisper.

"We know," Delphyne held her close, "we know." Cassie curled into a ball as the two surrounded her.

"Mephisto was there," She rocked back and forth in their embrace, "And he was laughing."

"We got you out," Amadeus kissed her on the check, "And we made sure you'll never go back."

They held each other tightly for a good half an hour, reassuring Cassie and telling her she was loved. If they weren't there, she thought she'd crawl into a corner, whimpering and crying just remembering that time. Her shivering eventually calmed in their warmth.

"Sorry I reminded you," Amadeus whispered.

"It's okay," She answered, "I need to face it. I need to overcome it. Every reminder is a new chance to beat it."

"And we're here to support you," Delphyne nuzzled into Cassie's hair, "You're strong to have survived there as long as you did."

They remained like this for what seemed a small eternity before Cassie asked the big question: "how long until you can get there others?"

"We have to track them down first," Amadeus answered, "But I've got programs running through all the hells in the underworld to find them. We've got enough to pay for the release of less than five." He paused a moment before adding, "But they could always just choose to pass on to their proper resting place than come back."

"We're glad you came back," Delphyne said, "It takes a lot to say no to paradise."

"What can I say," Cassie said, "I have people here who care about me. Heaven without my friends is a rather hollow heaven."

Amadeus kissed her right then and there, "And there's another reason I love ya."


Laura had sex before this. No, that was the wrong word to describe it. Rutting would work better. She had been rut on. A physical act she took no pleasure in, done only to acquire survival necessities with minimal hassle. Something she lay back and let happen to her. It let others use her as something other than a weapon, yet it made her feel . . . wrong. Worse.

Last night was something different. She'd heard the phrase in song before, but dismissed it as she did most music. Now, she understood what it meant. She made love last night. She wasn't used, she was worshiped. His regenerated hands were used to explore every inch of her body, as if Julian was memorizing her curves and muscles inch by inch. It interfered with her thought processes extremely, but she enjoyed the sensations it gave her. It brought up warm feelings from deep inside her that overcame the horrors she'd seen and done, even if only for a moment. And that's not even factoring in the orgasm she had. Her first. She never really felt the way Julian made her feel when they were alone in the dark.

Except when hanging around someone else, who wasn't the person she currently shared her bed with.

Julian Keller's steady breathing was hypnotic to her, though it made no logical sense why it should. No. It did, but it was purely biological functionality. His steady breathing after the strenuous evening confirmed his fitness: strong in his physical body and powers, driven, intelligent, wealthy, and aggressive yet having a rather solid moral foundation that she found re-assuring. He would be an ideal mate if she chose to reproduce and raise a family.

That was an option for her now. She felt it. She could be normal. Well, as normal as she could hope for.

But there was that nagging feeling inside her that it wasn't quite right. Part of her felt that she did not deserve such a future, with Julian or with anyone. Another part of her felt greater emotional security, and a desire for pleasure, towards someone else—someone with whom she could not breed biologically to boot, making the feelings hard to explain. She wasn't sure she was in love with Julian, but he was useful to her. Perhaps she loved the other. She wondered if Julian would mind sharing his bed with another woman. She doubted he would, as other males in their new group had eagerly accepted multiple couplings. Still, it made her nervous.

That, she did not like. She drew herself to Julian's warmth and listened to his steady breath to regain that comfort, losing herself in the smell and sound of him as his arms embraced her unconsciously and she drew him in as tightly as she could and drowned in the endorphins.


Mettle woke up as he usually did these days: instantly. There was no morning grogginess; he just 'woke' like he was turned on. Even with his body back to flesh, he still woke up like he did in his metallic form. The sight that greeted him was at first surprising, and then filled him with a new found confidence and happiness, then worry, all in roughly that order.

There was more than one other person in his bed with him. Both of the Asian girls were curled up against him, one on each side and he had one arm wrapped around each of them. Between them, one held the others hand. Waking up with two beautiful women was every man's dream, really. That he knew one loved him deeply was an added bonus.

It was the other girl that got him to worry. Jenny was something he could handle, but Nico was something a bit more. It wasn't that she had harshness to her vibe like Jen did, but she denied herself the good ones. They tried to loosen her up, but it was like happiness was a prelude to doom in her mind.

Stroking her, Ken thought that perhaps, they loosened her up too much. She'd probably start hating herself when she woke up. And Jenny, well, was a bit overprotective of their relationship. If her sober mind did not agree with the thing, there would be harshness.

That's when the hand grip between the girls tightened, and all the tension in his mind evaporated. He forgot that beneath the tough exteriors both girls put on, either through frustrations or the need to help others, was a soft core that simply wanted a rock to hold onto.

He brought his hands up to lightly play with the girl's hair as a way to alleviate the last worry to hold on in light of their togetherness: if Nico would let herself be happy at all.


"Yeah," Santo sighed as he leaned back in his seat at the table, the Stepford Cuckoos around him, who met him with annoyed stares, "I'm a stud."

"I don't think psionic affairs count that much," Teddy scratched his head.

"Tell that to Jean Grey," The Cuckoos answered.

"I'm surprised no one has, what with her teenaged-self running around," Nico grumbled groggily between Jenny and Ken.

"I think Doctor McCoy told her," Julian said between mouthfuls of his breakfast, "which is possibly dumber than messing with space time to bring the original X-Men back to the future in the first place."

"Yeah, whatever. I still got three," Rockslide smiled.

"In your head," Chase added.

"I win the kegger!" He raised his fists in the air to no accolades at all.

"And here I just wanted some juicy gossip," Billy whispered to Teddy as his boyfriend finally got a chance to sit down, "I suddenly feel less evil for it."

"You're comparing yourself to Rockslide," Teddy whispered back, "Of course you look better."

At that moment, Humberto came out of his room with Jeanne. Billy took a moment to notice it, but still pointed it out, his face lighting up. Teddy groaned, but smiled for his boyfriend. Jeanne held Humberto's hand and brought him out of their room, his steps staggered.

The door immediately closed. Whispered voices of more than one person drifted down the hall to the kitchen, but none of them could make it out aside from Laura, who just didn't care.

The door eventually opened again and Humberto exited with Jeanne and Anya close behind them.

Ken was about to say "Ah, another trio" when Bucky followed behind Anya. And Ava followed Anya. And Lyra took up the rear. They all had bed-hair tussled with the exertion of the prior night. The kids at the table stared at the sextet in amazement. Humberto's staggered gate suddenly made total sense.

"How does that even work?!" Jen managed to say as the group took up more seats at the table.

"I've done some reading on the subject," Jeanne said as Teddy brought them food one by one, "If you're looking for suggestions, I can recommend—"

Chase could barely keep his jaw closed and his brain was so addled by the sight he missed a Jeanne's lead in and blurted out: "Dude, how?!"

"If he says animal magnetism, I swear to God. . ." Gert groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Nico tilted her head, "I don't think he's going to be saying much of anything for a while."

"Damnit!" Santo's face turned into a scowl, but quickly faded, "I think we got a new winner of the kegger. Congrats, bro." He clapped slowly, the sound of rocks smacking together echoed slightly in the dinning room.

"Does that mean I can sleep for the rest of the day?" Humberto's voice warbled and warped slightly, but was dry and airy.

"Rehydrate, then we'll go back to bed," Jeanne assured flatly.

The entire room stopped dead and looked at her. The color drained a bit from Humberto's face.

"Pardon my poor phrasing," Jeanne said, "He needs more rest and some least food. He overworked himself."

"I'll bet!" Santo said as he sat back in a chair, which promptly collapsed under his weight.