I've been given some great ideas for this chapter by the reviewers. Thanks guys!
Chapter Nine: Hostility vs. Hospitality
Kurt woke up. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his alarm clock. It was one in the morning. It was a loud creaking noise that had woken him up. He got up and walked out into the hallway. He heard some noises coming from Serena's room. He listened through the door and heard someone talking in a low hushed voice. He pushed the door open. He saw it was Serena making the strange noises. She was turning over and over on her bed. She was muttering something but he couldn't understand what she was saying. He walked up to her cautiously.
"Serena?" Kurt heard the loud creaking again and saw the glass of water on her bed stand rattling. He realized the loud creaking was the water pipes straining. She was tossing more violently now. He heard the sound of the toilet regurgitating. "Serena, wake up!" He shook her shoulders and she woke up with a gasp. She breathed heavily.
"Kurt? What are you doing here?"
"You were dreaming and causing the water pipes to break so I woke you up. Are you alright?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks Kurt."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Though unconvinced, Kurt left Serena's room and went back to his own. Serena sighed as she thought of the damage she could have done.
-----------------------
"Professor!" Rogue screamed. "The bathroom's flooded!"
"Now how did that happen?" the professor asked.
"Um, I did it Professor." Everybody turned to look at Serena. "It was an accident. I was dreaming and I guess my powers just went off."
"I see. Come with me Miss Hallow." She followed him to his study wondering what she was in for. When they got there he rummaged though his things. "Let's see, now where did I put it?" He said to himself. "Ah, here it is." He held up a black high tech looking bracelet. Serena didn't know what it was or what it was for.
"This is a suppressor." He said as though he had read her mind. "It is mainly for students who have powers triggered by emotion. What it does is it helps keep your powers under control." He handed it to her. "So that no matter how intense the dreams are, your powers will maintain control."
"Thanks Professor." She said looking at the bracelet.
"Well now that that's settled, you'd better hurry and get ready for school."
-----------------------
Todd had woken up the next morning and got dressed quickly. The day drifted on by until it was lunchtime. His favorite hour during school. He spotted Serena in the cafeteria and sat down next to her.
"Hey." He said.
"Hi." She replied.
"So how is it? Living with the X-Geeks." He asked.
"They're not geeks Todd. But it's been good so far. Everyone has treated me so nicely. And we also train everyday."
Todd spotted the bracelet with stars and crescent moons. "Where did you get that?"
"This?" She raised her wrist. "Kurt gave it to me." Todd's eyes flashed at Kurt's name. "He said he found it."
'Yeah right.' Todd thought bitterly. 'Just wait until I find him.' Pietro, Lance, Fred, and Tabitha were all sitting at the same table watching them inattentively. When they saw Serena noticed their gaze they looked away.
"I think I better leave."
"Why?" he asked.
"Because I can't stand people watching me eat for entertainment." Todd looked over to see the Brotherhood staring at them again.
"Yeah, I see what you mean."
"I need to go anyway. I have an essay I need to finish."
"Alright." Todd said a little disappointed.
"Bye." She said.
"Bye" he said quietly as he watched her leave.
After school Todd spotted Kurt walking home. Todd ran over to him.
"Hey, Blue Boy!"
"Huh? Ugh!" Todd had pinned Kurt against one of the tree trunks.
"I'm telling you right now and you better do as I say. Stay the hell away from Serena."
"I don't have to do anything you say. Now get your slimy hands off me!"
"I'm warning you..." Todd growled.
"Ooh, shiver shiver." Kurt said in a mock scared voice.
"That's it!"
In seconds they were rolling on the grass pummeling each other trying to hit every inch of the other they could reach. They pulled at each other's hair and each tried to pin the other one down so that they could punch the daylights out of them.
"She doesn't deserve a creep like you! I don't know what she sees in you!" Kurt shouted.
"She sees that I'm not a blue fuzzy squirrel with fleas like you are!" Todd yelled.
"Well at least I'm not a smelly bug-eating leech with fungus! And after I rip your tongue out I'm gonna tie you up with it so you'll never be able to talk or hop again!"
"Well when I'm through with you, your pelt will adorn the foot of my bed! How do ya like that!?"
Serena was walking down the street when she heard the shouting. She saw two people rolling around wrestling each other. She could tell even from a distance who the pair were. She ran towards them shouting.
"Todd! Kurt! What are you doing!?" She stood over the two boys. "Stop it you two!" The two kept rolling around tugging at each other's hair. "Stop it right now!" she reached down and with surprising strength, pulled Kurt off Todd by the back of his collar.
It was only then did the two realize she was there. They didn't dare make another move towards each other in her presence. Both were breathing heavily, glaring at each other. Kurt's left eye was a little swollen. A trickle of blood ran down from Todd's lip but he wiped it away.
"Now, do you want to tell me what the heck going on with you guys?"
"It was nothing."
"Don't tell me it was nothing. You two were ready to kill each other."
"No, I don't wish him death." Todd said. Then he muttered under his breath, "Just excruciating pain."
"Why you little..." Kurt started towards him.
"Will you two stop it!?" She faced Todd. "You should not be trying to pick a fight. I know you're better than that!" Kurt was smirking over her shoulder at Todd. She whirled around to face him. "And you!"
"He started..."
"I don't care! You should know better than to take the bait!" She stood between them looking from one to the other. "I'm disappointed with both of you. Now shake hands."
"Huh!?"
"What!?"
"You heard me shake hands."
"With him!?" They both shouted pointing at each other.
"Yes. Now." She said dangerously.
Very slowly, but still glaring at each other as though each wished the other nothing but ill, Todd and Kurt moved toward each other and shook hands. They let go extremely quickly.
"There. Now was that so hard?" 'It would've been easier to cuddle up to a porcupine.' Todd thought. "Now Kurt you go on ahead while me and Todd have a little talk."
Kurt turned swiftly around and walked away from the two. After a few minutes of walking down the street he was still fuming. He couldn't understand how she could stand such an annoying little cockroach.
"You like her don't you?" a voice came from behind him.
"Huh?" he turned around but no one was there.
"That Serena chick, you like her don't you?" Lance stepped out from behind the tree Kurt had just past.
"What do you want?" Kurt snarled.
"Whoa, take it easy Devlin."
"The name's Nightcrawler."
"Yeah, yeah. So why?" Lance asked.
"Why what?"
"Why do you like her?"
"I don't." Kurt lied.
"You lie as badly as you dress."
"Hey!" Kurt said indignantly.
"Besides," Lance said swiftly, "I can tell by the way you look at her. So why do you like her?"
"I'm not quite sure, but there's just something about her that makes me..." he searched for words, "feel fuzzy inside."
"Well you're fuzzy on the outside, so why should I be surprised?" Lance shrugged.
"You know what I mean!"
"Anyway go on."
"Well she's fun to be around, easy to get along with, and is really caring." He sighed. "Plus, don't tell her I said this but she's very good looking."
"Secret's safe with me."
"Thanks." Kurt said gratefully. "But she's a really good person."
"Yeah, I know."
"You do?"
"Well she was in our group." Lance sighed. "Yep. We feel pretty regretful about letting her go. She was a nice girl. But there's nothing we can do about it. She belongs with you guys on the hero's side."
"Exactly." Kurt nodded.
"But," Lance added, "that still doesn't change the fact that Toad loves her."
"He doesn't love her. He doesn't even know the meaning of the word 'love'."
"He does now. You may not see it, but when she's around Toad shows a side of himself that even we've never seen before."
"Well I don't see it." Kurt scowled.
"That's cause you don't want to see it. To you and probably all of the X- Geeks, he's just a smelly kid with a mouth. But she sees Toad through our eyes, and sees the mistreated child who hasn't had a home or a family to come home to."
"He has the rest of the Brotherhood." Kurt said dismissively.
"We may be his friends, and probably the only family he's ever had, but deep down inside I doubt he trusts us any more than he trusts you." Listening to this Kurt couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Todd. He didn't say anything so Lance continued.
"Toad has never been in love with or loved by anybody until now. You should know what I'm talking about. Just picture this, alone and unloved by anybody, walking down the empty and isolated street of life with no purpose. And suddenly you run into someone, someone who actually cares. And you don't know what it is you're feeling or why you're feeling it. But you're hoping that that feeing will stay with you forever. That's why he keeps fighting for her love. I felt the same way when I first met Kitty. That's how Toad feels about Serena. That's why he's fighting so hard, and he'll keep fighting for her." He shrugged. "That's all I got to say." Kurt couldn't find anything to say to this, so Lance turned and began to walk off. "In fact I wouldn't be surprised if he did the same thing I did to be close to Kitty."
Kurt suddenly found words. "You mean..."
"Oh yeah." Lance gave Kurt a small wave. "Later."
"Oh no..."
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It was after dark. Outside the X-Mansion gate was a dark crouching figure. The figure leaped over the fence and quickly but quietly made it's way towards the front door. The alarms went off and lasers came up from out of the ground. In a minute everyone was up and dressed. All of them, including Serena, filed out onto the front step to see who it was that set off the alarm. There stood Toad in uniform with a bag slung over his shoulder, the laser cannons gunked up, crackling, and some smoking with slime everywhere. Serena stared in shock to see him standing there.
"Something we can do for you?" Scott asked.
"Actually there is." Toad said cockily. "I've come to join the X-Men, yo."
Dead silence fell over them like a fog. Everybody stared open mouthed in total disbelief. Kurt, afraid this would happen, moaned. Even more than when Lance had come to their doorstep saying he wanted to join. Not everybody knew about Todd and Serena's relationship.
"This is obviously a dream so I'm going back to bed." Kitty yawned.
"I knew I shouldn't have eaten those pickles and ice cream together." Evan said wearily.
"You're joking right?" Rogue asked.
"Does it look like I'm laughing?" he pointed at himself. "I'm serious, yo. I wanna be an X-Men."
"Oh here we go." Scott groaned.
"Even if you did want to join us, why did you have to wake us up at this ungodly hour?" Logan asked.
"Well, uh... I couldn't sleep." Toad shrugged.
"And you just couldn't let us could you?"
"Calm down Scott." The professor said. "Let's hear him out." They were in Xavier's study. Toad sat on the couch whipping his tongue out at the bugs flying over his head. The Professor sat behind his desk. "Alright Toad. Tell us why you want to join the X-Men."
"Would you believe me if I told you my heart was calling me here?" Todd said with a small hint of sarcasm.
"What heart?" Kitty asked.
"Tell us why you're here Toad." Kurt demanded. "You didn't come here just to make jokes."
"Let's just say I wanted to see if being a hero and all is all it's cracked up to be. I mean you can't know what side you wanna be on if you don't know what both sides are like, right?"
"Fair enough." The professor said. "Why don't we give it a try?" Todd looked surprised that the professor would even consider allowing him to join. Everyone else, having been through this before, were merely disgruntled. "Serena, would you mind showing Todd here to one of the guest rooms?" Serena who didn't mind Todd joining, shrugged smiling.
"Sure." Todd stood up and followed her out the door. He glanced back to see all of the X-Men looking a little displeased.
"Great." Logan groaned. "First the human Richter scale and now we have to deal with the hyperactive frog boy."
"Professor, how could you after what happened last time?" Scott asked.
"Last time, Lance wasn't that much of a problem. It was your treating him like an outcast that drove him away." Scott didn't say anything to this. "Just give the boy a chance."
Serena opened a bedroom door and showed Todd in. "Here you are."
"Not bad, yo." Said Todd looking around the room.
"Glad you like it." Serena sighed. "Todd, I think it's great that you wanna be an X-Man, really, but are you sure? This is no walk in the park and the other guys aren't going to cut you any slack."
"I can handle it." Todd said kicking back on a chair. "I mean come on, how hard can it be?"
-----------------------
Next morning before breakfast....
"Okay guys." Cyclops called out to the students. "We have a new recruit here, Toad." Todd waved nervously. Some of the kids whispered to each other and frowned. "I'm sure you'll all make him feel welcome." The students all looked a little displeased about this. Serena turned to them.
"Guys I know how you feel but please," she looked at them desperately, "give him a chance. He's a really nice guy once you get o know him." They grumbled a little but agreed.
They were doing simulating flight. Todd sat nervous in one of the back seats. Beserker was piloting. They flew out of the hangar and well, he just went wild. He flew the jet roughly making it shake.
"Ugh," groaned Todd. "I think I'm gonna be sick."
"Piece of junk!" Beserker said hotly. 'Fatal Error' flashed on the screen. Beserker jumped out of the jet. Todd stumbled out looking paler than usual.
"I think someone needs to fix that thing." Beserker pointed to the X-jet. He ran into Wolverine.
"Well I think you need to pay attention when someone shows you what to do, bub." Beserker scowled. "Alright. Tadpole!" Todd looked up.
"Who me?"
"Yeah you. Show us if you can fly this."
"Aw man." Todd goaned. Cyclops went over everything to him but he had a hard time keeping up. He was sitting at the pilot's seat and he didn't know what he was doing. The rest of the new students were sitting in back. The jet exited the hangar and they were flying.
"Slow and steady now." Cyclops said. Toad tried to go up by pushing up, but instead he directed it heading straight to the ground.
"Pull up!" Cyclops yelled.
"I'm trying!" Todd yelled back. The jet was shaking and rattling. And the screen flashed red letters saying 'Fatal Error'. The jet had stopped moving and they all climbed out of the jet. Wolverine had his arms crossed.
"What was running through your thick head when you were flying that?"
Todd shrugged. "Hey, any landing you can walk away from."
"Nobody could've walked away from that." Todd looks down. "Ya gotta pay attention when you're flying a jet kid." Wolverine walked off.
"Hey, you alright?" Serena asked him.
"Man, that guy scares me, yo."
She smiled a little. "Don't feel bad. He scares everybody." She motioned to him. "Come on lets go have breakfast."
Breakfast was delicious for Todd but the others had a problem with his eating habits. When he was scarfing down his pancakes Serena had grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Um, you might want to slow down." She whispered. Todd looked over to see everybody staring at him. He slowed down his eating. When he tried to grab one of a sausage from one of the serving platters, Logan had closed the lid on it before his tongue could get in it.
"Toad!" He shouted. Todd froze in his seat. "Around here you normally ask and it'll get passed to ya."
"Uh, heh heh. Sorry yo." Jean levitated the sausge platter over to Todd who took one. "Thanks."
"No problem." Jean said.
At school Todd didn't want to see the Brotherhood right then, but unfortunately they caught him in the halls. Though Pietro wasn't with them.
"You went and joined the X-Geeks didn't you?" Lance asked knowing what the answer would be.
"Yeah, and I'm not gonna deny it yo." Todd said boldly.
"Well since I did the same thing I have no room to criticize."
"Look yo, you know I'd rather be with you guys any day. It's just that..."
"We know, we know." Tabitha said rolling her eyes. "It's just that you're lovesick."
"So how's Pietro taking it?" Todd asked.
"Oh, he doesn't know yet, but he'll find out sooner or later." Tabitha
"Aw man. He's gonna be so mad."
"Hey don't worry little buddy." Fred put a hand on Todd's shoulder. "This isn't the dumbest thing you ever... well actually it is the dumbest thing you ever did but we've all done stupid things."
"Speak for yourselves." Tabitha said.
"Oh come on. You've do some pretty stupid things." Lance told her.
"Like what?" she asked.
"Like stealing and driving my jeep for example."
"Anyway," she quickly moved off of the subject, "if it doesn't work out, you know you always got a place with the Brotherhood. Nobody could possibly take your room."
"Yeah. Because we've tried disinfecting it and it didn't do any good." Lance joked.
"Guys I don't know how to say this but... thanks."
-----------------------
Training didn't go as well for Todd as it did for Serena. When they were supposed to try to deflect the saw blades being shot at them, Todd got a little carried away and ended up gunking all of the machines so that they all backfired and exploded. One of the pieces flew at Ray but he ducked. "Heh, nice move frog man." Bobby complimented. Todd laughed nervously and shrugged when he saw Cyclops glaring at him for this. In the danger room he had no trouble hopping over the blockades but he nearly had his head sliced off by one of the saws. He screamed and ran to the finish line gasping for air. Some of the students were laughing. Out of resentment Todd shot slime right behind them and they all tripped and fell. Todd laughed and pointed but instantly stopped when he saw Cyclops, Nightcrawler, and Jean with their arms crossed.
Then rescue training, guess who he was paired up with. Yep, you guess it. He was paired with Nightcrawler who was wading in the pool with a disgruntled look on his face. Todd wasn't too happy about this match up either but he caught Serena's eye and she smiled encouragingly at him. Not wanting to get wet, Todd had shot out his tongue grabbing Nightcrawler's arm and hoping to pull him to the edge. His hopes were crushed however. Nightcrawler was caught by surprise when Todd's tongue grabbed his wrist and he jerked his arm back so hard, Todd went flying into the pool right on top of him and they both made a splash. A few people laughed. Serena was giggling a little. She ran up to the pool edge where Todd had swam to and asked if he was alright. He said he was fine. Kurt crawled out of the pool sopping wet. He shook himself dry showering everybody. Cyclops dragged a hand over his face and sighed exasperatedly.
After training Todd knocked on Serena's door.
"Come in." she called. He opened the door. She was sitting on her balcony.
"Hey." He said.
"Todd, come and sit with me."
"Alright." He sat next to her watching the sunset. Then the question that has been running through his mind, burst out of him. "Do you like Blue Boy?"
"Huh?"
"Elf Boy. Do you like him?"
"His name is Kurt, and as a friend yes. Kurt has been very nice to me since I met him. Why?"
"Nothing."
"Come to think of it, why were you two fighting the other day?" Todd did not want to tell her the truth. He didn't want her to think he was jealous and worked up over nothing.
"We just don't like each other. We never have. We hated each other ever since we met."
"I'm tryin hard to be good. That's why I joined the X-Men."
"Todd, you joined the X-Men for me?" He nodded. "You are so sweet." She gave him a kiss that really made his head spin. "But Todd, I wouldn't care if you were an X-man, Brotherhood, or a loner. I like you for who you are. Your rebellious but sweet nature, the way you talk," she smiled at him playfully, "and you are pretty adorable looking."
"Heh, thanks. But still, I don't know what to do."
"Todd, you do what you want. But whatever you do, don't change. I like you just the way you are." And she left. He sighed as he fell onto his bed. She likes me for me. He thought. And he took that to heart. It was kinda cool living at the mansion, good food, comfortable bed, and some of the other X- Geeks actually liked him... sort of. But he wondered what was going on back at the Brotherhood house.
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Pietro came down from his bedroom in the evening. He saw Lance, Tabitha, and Fred sitting at the table arguing about something. They stopped talking when they saw him.
"Hey guys." He noticed Todd wasn't there. "Where's the Toad?"
"Uh..." Fred thought.
"What he said!" Tabitha said hastily.
"Did he already leave?"
"Well, that's one way of putting it
"In fact, come to think of it I haven't seen him since yesterday."
"Really?"
"Come on guys, where is he?"
Lance took a deep breath. "He joined the X-Men." He said quickly thinking it was better to get it over with. Pietro started laughing. Lance did not laugh. He couldn't find how the situation could be any less funny. Seeing the serious look on Lance's face his expression changed instantly from humored to shocked anger.
"Wait, what!?"
"Look Pietro..." Lance started.
"That little traitor! And you just let him go!?"
"Pietro, he'll go to them, he'll leave them, then come back to us. It's that simple."
"No, it's not! First Rogue, then you, and now him? Is everybody in this world contaminated!?"
"I don't know everybody." Fred said dumbly.
"I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this Quickie. He'll come back."
"Who cares if he comes back? I don't. He can stay there for all I care! In fact I couldn't care less! My total level of caring is zero!"
"(coughs) yeah right." Lance said quietly.
"What was that?"
"Pietro come on. This is stupid."
"No. Joining the X-Geeks is stupid."
"You do some pretty stupid things."
"Such as?"
"You can't stand to be away from a mirror for five minutes."
"That is not true." And he glanced at himself in the mirror.
"And you scream while you take a shower."
"I do not! Where the heck are you getting this?"
"You were screaming this morning in the bathroom."
"I wasn't screaming I was singing." Pietro said angrily.
"Oh..." Lance looked sideways at Tabitha who turned away, shoulders shaking.
"Pietro you're getting a little carried away here."
"What? What makes you say that? I'm totally cool. Everything is bliss with me."
Tabitha whispered in Lance's ear, "He's right. He's not getting carried away. He's already gone."
"Pietro, calm down man." Fred said.
"Why didn't you guys tell me sooner?" Pietro demanded.
"Because we were afraid that this would be how you would react. And we were right weren't we?"
"No, this is the final straw! I've had it with those X-Geeks!" They all stared at him with worried looks. He didn't seem to notice them. "From here on out, it's war."
What horrible things is Pietro planning to do? And with Todd moving into the X-mansion will him and Kurt end up resenting each other even more?
You know what they say, things are gonna get worse before they get better...