Chapter Two: Trouble With the Bathroom

Chapter Two: Trouble With the Bathroom

"It's you!" Lance exploded, jabbing a finger in Switch's direction.

Mystique rose a questioning eyebrow in the two teen's direction while Switch stood still, a look of mild surprise and confusion on her face. Even the other members of the Brotherhood were looking confused, wondering what Lance was so upset about.

"Oh?' Mystique inquired. "You know each other?" She asked to Lance.

"This is the twerp who stole that doughnuts from us today, by using our heads as a jumping position!" He walked up to Switch and placed a hand squarely on the newcomer's chest. "Don't think that you've slipped by us that easily! I'm still gonna make you…"

"Lance…" Pietro called from behind.

"Not now, Pietro!"

"Lance, I really think…"

"Shut up!" The oldest mutant snapped. He rounded on the other members of the Brotherhood, who were all looking quite pale and withdrawn from the scene before them. Lance blinked. "What's wrong with all of you?"

"Lance, this is not the guy who embarrassed us today." Pietro said. He was half-smiling, half-frowning, his voice teetering on horror and amusement.

"How so?"

"Well…for one thing…" Toad was cowering away, as if ready to duck something that he knew was coming. "He was not a girl, yo."

Lance frowned, but then it hit him. All blood drained from his face and his blood ran cold. Slowly, very slowly and shakily, he turned back around to face Switch. Mystique was looking as if she was enjoying herself, but Switch was a different story. She was frowning deeply, her eyes squeezed closed and her eyebrows knitted tightly together, one of them twitching. A girl…and…and his hand…

"Are…you…quite done, there?" She asked slowly, dangerously.

It was then that Lance knew exactly where his hand was and, to make matters worse, rather tightly at that.

The remaining members of the Brotherhood cringed as a cracking-crashing sound filled their ears, and within the space of a heartbeat Lance was laying on the ground in a crumpled heap. Switch straightened and rubbed at the breast that he had been grabbing not more than a moment before. Mystique was laughing. Okay, so this definitely not the guy that they met in the Krispy Kreme parking lot earlier that afternoon, despite the similarities; the same clothing, the same name, and the general same appearance even though this version of Switch had some things that the other was lacking. They had never seen this girl before…

Wait a moment.

Girl?

"Boss-lady, are you crazy?" Pietro exclaimed suddenly. "That's a girl! If she stays here, then we won't be the Brotherhood anymore! Brother! As in boys!"

"I will here no arguments from any of you. The important thing is that we were able to get her before Xavier could, so there will be no further discussion."

"You're a mutant?" Fred asked.

"Why else would she be here, blubber-butt?" Pietro snapped. He turned back to the new girl. "So, what's you're power, huh? Something that will help us kick the butts of those X-jerks, I hope. So? What is it?"

Switch didn't respond right away. Instead, she sort of drew back, pressing her lips together and frowning. "I'll tell you later. Can you maybe show me to my room or whatever?" She asked, glancing at Mystique from the corner of her eyes. "It's been a long day."

"I suppose." Their superior answered. "First, I should introduce you to the rest of your…teammates…so you'll remember them when you're screaming at them later." She moved down the line, pointing out each boy where they stood. "Pietro Maximoff, sophomore in high school, with the powers of super-speed." Pietro looked quite proud of himself as he shook Switch's hand. Very arrogant, she decided. "Fred Dukes, sophomore, also known as the 'Unmovable'." When he shook Switch's hand, she took a moment to make sure that none of her fingers were broken. "Todd Tolensky, freshman, also know as Toad." Todd grinned as he shook Switch's hand, then despite her flinch, winked at her.

"You know, it don't matter what Alvers says. You're one pretty foxy lady."

When he released her hand, Switch looked at it. Her skin was covered in a thin coat of slime, which she tried desperately to wipe off on her pants. "My God, you're greasy." She muttered.

"And you've met Lance Alvers, senior, who can…"

Mystique was not able to finish when Lance suddenly moved his hand, clenched it to a fist and slammed it down onto the linoleum of the entranceway. The whole house seemed to give a quick, violent shake, but it was more than enough to catch Switch off guard and knock her off her feet. She landed on her backside with a thud.

"Not in the house!" Mystique snapped loudly, placing a her foot on Lances head and pushing down, driving the spike of her heel into his head.

"Okay, okay! Ow! Knock it off!" Mystique removed her shoe.

"That's what I thought. Follow me, Switch, and I'll show you to your room." With one final glare at Lance, who was finally trying to get back up. The other three moved aside as Mystique and Switch passed them.

"Great." Lance growled from behind their backs and rubbing at the sore spot on his head. "A girl on the team. That means that the boss-lady will be playing favorites again."

Switch stopped momentarily and glanced over her shoulder. "Believe me, it won't last long." Then she disappeared up the stairs.

"Man Lance, that was embarrassing, and we weren't even the ones who got to cop a feel!" Pietro said.

"You should have seen the look on your face." Fred chuckled.

"Uuh, Lance…what did it feel like?"

"Argh!" Lance slapped Todd on the back of the head. "Don't be disgusting! It was nothing great, I'll tell you that much!" With a great harrumphed, he flopped down into an armchair. "Great. A girl on the Brotherhood team. That's really gonna screw us up."

"You weren't complaining when Rogue was here." Fred stated.

"Shut up! This is different! There's something about that one…I don't like her."

"But she didn't do anything to you. You're the one who grabbed her boob." Pietro smirked.

"Will you drop that? It was an accident! She looked like that guy from this afternoon!"

"But that was a he! The person here now is a she! How can you get that mixed up? I mean, it's not like you couldn't see them!"

"Do you guys remember what it was like the last time we had a girl living here?" Lance pushed himself up, glaring at the lot of them. "The hours of bathroom time she would use in the morning? The constant complaining? The bras and panties in the laundry?"

The others were silent, with very blank expressions on their faces. "You considered that a bad thing?"

Lance stood up, throwing his hands into the air. "You morons are useless! I'm outta here!" And with that, he stomped up their stairs and slammed his door shut.

"I don't see what he's so worked up about." Todd said, jabbing a thumb after him. "I mean, she seems cool enough. Kinda cute, too."

"What are you talking about, Toad?" Pietro responded. "She called you greasy."

"Hey, I take it as a compliment!" He ran a hand through his soiled hair.

"I wonder what her powers are…" Fred said, looking up at the staircase.

"She's probably just shy. Girls are usually like that." Pietro said with a shrug. "She'll come around…if she doesn't leave us for the X-geeks like the last one did first."

"But, still…" For once, Freddy actually sounded thoughtful. "You guys did notice that she looked a little like that guy we saw today…right?"

* * *

An hour later, Lance was still in a bad mood as he stared up at the ceiling with his headphones wailing into his ears.

Switch.

Just who did she think she was?

Or he, in the case of that guy they met today, he was still in need of a serious clobbering.

What were their connections?

Before he dwelled on the subject any further, he realized that he had to use the bathroom. Groaning, he sat up from the bed and, leaving his headphones where they were, left his room and headed for the second story bathroom. If he had not been wearing his headphones, he might have heard the running water. If he had not been so emerged in his own thoughts, he might have taken notice that the door was closed. But he didn't. Without thinking, he twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.

When the hot steam cleared, Lance saw quite clearly Switch standing in the middle of the bathroom, wearing nothing except for the towel she held at her waist. Water dripped down her slender and shapely body and her hair clung to her scalp and neck and down her back. There was no denying now that she was a girl, and a very attractive one at that. Those were the thoughts that entered Lance's head first before he realized what he was really looking at. Then his insides turned to ice as Switch, too, recovered from the initial shock.

The scream tore through the entire house like nothing its inhabitants had ever heard before. For a moment Pietro, Todd and Fred only looked at each other in confusion before they raced each other to get up the stairs first. By the time Pietro was up the stairs the door had been slammed shut, Lance thrown against the opposite wall. Mystique was also out of her room, looking like she was ready to strangle the lot of them. "It was an accident! An accident!" Lance shouted through the door. "I had no idea you were in there!"

"You should have knocked first, you pervert!"

The Brotherhood of Mutants, including Mystique, blinked. Just a moment ago, there had been a girl in the bathroom. But the voice that came from it was male.

The door swung open again and Switch stamped out, still wearing a towel wrapped around her…

Her?

No…the person that emerged from the bathroom was a guy, there was no mistaking it…male body, male chest, a slender figure with smooth muscles present under the skin. Yet, the face and the eyes, the hair, still had some Switch in it. But not the female Switch…it was the male Switch that they had met that morning. "When the door's closed, that usually means…" It was then that Switch, which ever one it was, noticed the situation, looking at his own body as if it was the first time he had seen it.

Lance's face feel when he saw this, then screwed up into a mask of fury. "You…" He hissed.

The male Switch yelped and ducked back into the bathroom, slamming the door once again as Lance crashed into it with full-force. "Come out here and fight like a man!" He hollered through the door.

"Blob, restrain him!" Mystique commanded. Freddy, although looking lost and very confused, obeyed his boss's order, approached Lance and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pulling him away from the door despite his protests.

Mystique went up to the bathroom door and rapped on it with her knuckles. "Switch?"

"Go away." The voice was still male.

"You can't hide from them now. Might as well show them and get this over with." Lance stopped struggling and they all waited.

Silence.

Then…

"Okay. Give me a moment to cool off."

Some time passed before the door opened, this time by the female Switch, dressed with a towel draped over her damp hair. Lance broke free of Fred's grip and pushed past her, scanning the interior of the bathroom. "Where did he…"

"He's gone, Lance." Pietro said. "Let it go."

"No he's not." Switch spoke up. They all faced her, all looking very confused. She stood straight, meeting all of their gazes. "He's not gone. He's right here. Don't tell me you guys don't see the resemblance."

"Then…you are…" Todd pointed a shaking finger at her.

She dropped her eyes. "The same person. Sorry 'bout this."

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To be continued…

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