Chapter 2: Toad melts a toilet…
It was a couple of days later and the 'mutant poison' thing was practically forgotten and The Brotherhood were heading off to the school, Toad tagging along slowly behind.
"What's keeping you slow-toad?" Pietro demanded glancing back; Toad shivered and hugged his stomach.
"Mah guts killing me yo" he muttered and shivered "I don't feel too good"
"Don't worry Toad a good breakfast and you'll feel good as new" Fred smiled "Tell ya what you can have some of mine"
"No thanks yo, I'm not hungry" he mumbled and wandered off to class.
Toad's first class was history which always bored him to death, his stomach pains had eased off but his mind was else where. Kurt watched him from afar after noticing that even though there was practically a full wallet hanging in front of him and Toad didn't notice it. The teacher was rambling and reading from a thick textbook about Richard-something-or-other and Toad grimaced and winced as a sudden wave of nausea crashed into him and the pain rose up like lava from a volcano. He gripped his table and his whole body was trembling as sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Todd? Is there a problem?" The teacher asked looking at him.
"Oh god I think I'm gonna heave!" He mumbled as he bent over, he felt bile rise up in his throat and he pelted out of the class, Kurt watched and then raised his hand.
"Should I go make sure he's okay sir?" he asked.
"Yes…err…be sure to escort him to the nurse's office once he's done" the teacher said handing him the hall pass.
Kurt ran out and looked down the hall to see Toad run into the boy's bathroom, he walked up and heard loud gagging noises followed by a sickening splatter.
"Toad? Are you okay?" he asked.
"Do I sound okay?" came an angry whimper followed by more gagging, Kurt knocked on the stall door.
"Let me in and help" he said.
"N…n…no that's okay I'm cool" Toad groaned.
"Excuse me if I don't believe you Toad" Kurt said with sarcasm dripping from his voice, he teleported himself to be perched onto of the stall "Toad!" he cried.
Toad was curled up on the floor and there was vomit and slime all over the toilet and floor, Toad was trembling as he got up with his hand over his mouth. Kurt had the misfortune to watch as Toad vomited again, but looked in horror as the vomit was streaked with blood.
"Okay needless to say Toad you need help" Kurt said jumping down and helping him up, Toad felt so light and weak he was shivering from the shock.
"Let's get you cleaned up" Kurt said gently "Then we'll find your friends"
Kurt looked back when he heard a slurping creek, there was a crash and the toilet collapsed in a hissing and steaming mess. The toilet was melting where the vomit had hit it! Water splashed onto the floor but the gunk was jamming up the water pipe so the toilet didn't flood the bathroom.
"Toad…since when can you spew acid?" he whimpered.
"I…I don't think I can…why?" he mumbled and looked up to see the remains "I melted a toilet!?" he shrieked "Yo' even on my good days I can't puke up acid!"
"Look this is obviously a mutant matter maybe you should see the professor?" Kurt offered and Toad staggered away.
"No need nightcreeper I'm good, maybe I just needed to get that out of my system"
"Toad…you melted a toilet!" Kurt said slowly "And you think that's okay?"
"No…but…look I ain't going to no hospital I hate doctors" Toad said and walked out grabbing a few paper towels as he did to clean himself up with. "I'm okay now…really!"
"Okay Todd…but if you ever need any help…"
"Yeah right like you'll guys will willingly help a slime ball like me" he laughed coldly "I'm gonna have a nap then I'll be back to class okay?" and with that he hopped out the window…
Toad leapt into his usual tree that he slept in and nodded off quickly, he was dozing quietly even when the bell rang to signal lunch time, Lance and Fred came out and looked up to see a unmistakable foot hanging out of the tree as Toad lounged on the branch.
"Toad? Toad wake up" Lance called.
"Nah that's not how you wake him, this is how!" Fred grinned and smacked the tree and a screaming Toad fell out and landed flat on his face.
"Why did you wake me up yo?" he grumbled and rubbed his sore nose.
"Is what Kitty told me true?" Lance asked.
"What?"
"She told me that Kurt saw you melting a toilet…after you puked in it!"
"Yeah I was gonna tell you that…"
"Toad…I've known you for ages but I've never known you for spewing acid" Fred said "I haveta admit it sounds kinda cool but it sounds really creepy as well"
"Look I felt a bit off and I puked…what's wrong with that?"
"You melted a fucking toilet!" Lance screamed "just by being sick in it!"
"Ya talking to a guy whose mutant power is to vomit up slime and stuff and you sound surprised that I did that…hey for all I know maybe it's a new power for me!" Toad said "Acid slime…actually that sounds cool I wonder if I can do it again after school" he mused.
"Oh no you're not!" Lance said "God knows what puking acid will do to you and the house…no vomiting acid!" Lance declared sternly Toad looked at him angrily and then glanced away.
"Fine…but I'm bunking the rest of the day yo, I don't want the X-geeks looking around for the guy who melted a toilet, the fuzzy guy already knows there's something up" he exclaimed and with that hopped away.
Toad got home and slumped on the sofa grabbing the remote as he did flicking it he came across a horror film, it was one of those cheesy black and white films but Toad liked the classics.
"Coo the thing from the swamp…kinda like me!" he beamed and watched it snapping up flies that buzzed past as he did. He absently minded scratched his hands as he did because as the movie progressed his hands felt numb and really itchy. At the end of the movie Toad stretched up and scratched behind his ear only to yelp as he felt something pierce his skin, he looked at his hand…and screamed.
Normally his hands were partially webbed and the webbing would stop quarter way up his fingers, but now the webbing stopped at his fingernails which were now sharp. He looked at his trembling hands.
"Okay…okay…I…err…oh man there's gotta be a reason for this…" he stopped when he remembered what Pietro said.
He had said that Evans had drank power8 and had turned into a monster… was that what was happening to him?
He drew his knees up to his chest and hugged them tightly shivering with fear.
"Oh God what's happening to me?"