Chapter Two: No Need for Teamwork

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"…so after we beat the viral monsters and cyborgs we kept hitting Forge until he built something to bring us back here." Rogue concluded as she finished telling the story to Amira.

"Sounds like I missed a lot." Amira said sounding like she wasn't sure that was necessarily a bad thing. "But I couldn't exactly go gallivanting around some cyber world from here." Amira was resting in the Institute's infirmary with a gauze bandage wrapped around her head.

"Yeah, tough break about the Danger Room." Rogue said, wincing at the memory. Ever since Amira arrived at the Institute, Rogue had taken the younger girl under her wing. She probably saw a lot of herself in Amira's aloof and vaguely hostile attitude towards most of the other X-Men. Rogue was one of the few people who could draw her out.

"No kidding." Amira grumbled, coloring slightly at the memory: she'd leapt to avoid a giant buzz saw and over jumped. She ended up bashing her own head into the wall and gave herself a mild concussion. Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"No offense, but what did you expect? That on you would amaze us all with your unparalleled skills and talent in the Danger Room despite the fact that we've been doing this for years and this was your very first attempt?" Amira had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Something like that, yeah." She admitted. Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Well stuff like that only happens in stories." She commented. "So how're you holding up?"

"Logan had me on the obstacle course with the other New Mutants while you guys were gone."

"It go all right?" Rogue asked. Amira shrugged.

"Yeah I guess so, though I think I'm going to go upstairs and take a bath." Rogue was about to ask why she simply didn't shower afterwards in the locker room but bit her lip at the last minute. She remembered that many of the X-Girls had voiced their 'discomfort' at having Amira shower with them. They were afraid of being ogled by a girl who was openly bisexual. Amira said that she preferred baths anyway. It was better for her muscles if she soaked them in warm water.

Rogue shrugged uncomfortably and Amira headed upstairs. When Rogue walked back into the living room she groaned to see the Misfits were there and arguing with the X-Men.

"There is no way that virus monsters and cyborgs are worse than alien monsters!" Pietro argued.

"Yes way!" Bobby snapped.

"You guys had it way too easy!" Fred argued.

""No, you guys did! Scott insisted.

"You!" Shouted the Misfits.

"You!" The X-Men shouted back.

"You!"

"YOU!"

And they were off. Pointless bickering soon led to pushing and shoving and soon led to yet another full out brawl between the Misfits and X-Men. The adults tried to get into separate it, but that only resulted in numerous bruises and concussions—for the adults.

"Hey Al, you wanna get in a workout?" Todd asked as he pointed to the brawl.

"Hmm…naaah, I've had enough for one day. Besides," she grinned mischievously. "There's a slightly different kind of workout I want to get in with you."

"Make out session in the bathroom?" Todd asked.

"You know it Toddles." Althea grinned as they headed upstairs. "Somehow I just like the ambiance around here."

"The what?" Todd asked, raising his voice to be heard over an explosion.

"Never mind." Althea sighed as they made their way into the bathroom. "Now, I believe we have some things to discuss?"

"Do we?" Todd smirked.

"Oh yes," Althea smiled back as she leaned forward and—

"Hey! Do you mind?" Amira fairly shrieked as she sat in the bathtub and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh geeze!" Todd gasped as he clutched his hand over his heart. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"You! You're not the one trying to take a bath while other people are trying to make out!" Amira shouted.

"Okay, okay let's settle down!" Althea groaned. "Toddles, let's just take this someplace else."

"Uh sure thing Al." Todd agreed quickly as they turned for the door. "After you—"

"Hold it!" Althea and Todd turned around again to see Amira as she finished wrapping a towel around herself. "I want a word with you." She said to Todd. "Alone."

"Uh, Al?" Todd blinked wondering what he should do. Althea looked uncertain too.

"I'll just be outside…" Althea said as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

"So, uh, what did you want to talk about?" Todd gulped as he looked up at the taller girl's eyes.

"Just delivering a message." Amira said sweetly. "From Vlad." She grabbed Todd by the throat and slammed him against the bathroom wall. "Listen you little toad." She growled menacingly. "Vlad loved Althea like a little sister. And because he isn't here to do this himself I'm going to have to say it," Amira's eyes blazed. "If you EVER hurt Althea in ANY way I will rip out your tongue, throttle you with it and then toss you down a hole so deep that not even Avalanche will be able to dig your corpse out again. Is. That. Clear?"

Todd nodded and gurgled pitifully. "I'll take that as a yes." Amira let go off his throat and let him slide down to the floor. "So glad that we could have this talk." Todd just massaged his throat and nodded. Feeling a slight stab of pity, Amira reached down and helped pull him up again just as Pietro ran into the room.

"Excuse me, I have to use the little speedsters'…hello? What have we here?" He grinned. "Toad you dog!"

"Todd!" Althea shouted as she poked her head in. "What's going on?" She demanded.

"Uh…" Todd winced. He didn't want to admit to being threatened because Pietro would tell everyone and annoy him stupid and Althea would beat up Amira, which he also didn't want. This left Althea and Pietro free to form their own conclusions.

"Wait till I tell everybody!" Pietro cackled as he took off.

"Oh not you don't!" Althea growled as she, Todd, and Amira dashed after him. "Todd you and I are going to have a long talk later!" Todd groaned.

"Hey everyone! Amira was hitting on Toad naked in the bathroom!" Pietro shouted as he ran into the living room, only to have Todd leap on him. The two started rolling around on the floor, everyone else turned as Althea and Amira ran down the stairs—Amira still in her bath towel. She flushed under all the attention.

"Like what's that all about?" Kitty asked as Todd wrestled with Pietro.

"Your latest X-Geek is a horny little thing." Pietro chuckled. "I guess what they say is true…" He insinuated with a waggle of his eyebrows. Amira's eye twitched.

"Let me clear something up for you Pietro." She growled. "Being bisexual or gay does NOT make someone more horny than the average person. All it means is that when I say that you're the last person on Earth I would ever go out with, I do mean the LAST. Any guy—or girl—has a better chance with me than you. " Pietro's face fell as sniggering broke out around him.

Amira turned around and started to head back upstairs to her room to get dressed when she paused and turned her head back "Oh and one more thing Pietro." Amira's innocent smile belied her next words. "Bragging to all the girls on how fast you are—that you're the number one speedster—might have something to do with the reason why you're still a virgin."

Loud laughter erupted when that last barb sunk in. Pietro—his face red with anger and embarrassment—started to stamp his feet with annoyance. While the mutual satisfaction in seeing Pietro humbled brought both sides together for a moment, the prior animosities between the Misfits and X-Men soon resurfaced.

"I'm starting to think that our teams still need some work getting along." Storm sighed as another fight started over some inconsequential matter.

"Ya think?" Low Light said.

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