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“Get over it!” Kaz tossed his mission bag into the corner, far too frustrated to put it in its usual cubby.
“Says you, you asshole!” Oliver similarly chucked his. “Last I checked, people who burn another person don’t get a say!”
“It’s not even that bad, you drama queen.”
It was like a knot of white-hot anger was expanding in both boys’ chests. Neither of them could remember ever being so mad at the other.
The room was tight with tension, enough to boil over into something nasty and unwelcome. They’d been fighting about this in Mission Command since unsuccessfully completing their mission that was following a lead on the black swarm, which eventually culminated in fighting a bunch of lackeys from Oliver’s mother’s still afloat evil empire -despite its leader being jailed-, half an hour ago.
“It’s your fault!” Oliver argued, throwing his hands up and ignoring the discomfort on his shoulder. “You’re so impulsive- god forbid you think things through before going in, guns blazing!”
Kaz wheeled on his heel toward him. “Oh, I messed up? Right, yeah, Kaz always is the screw-up! He “Kazzes” up everything. Let’s all blame him! Definitely not Oliver who’s too prideful to listen to simple fucking orders.”
Oliver’s face reddenend. “Well maybe if Kaz wasn’t such an idiot all the time, this wouldn’t happen! How many times have I had to cover your mistakes because you’re a reckless dumbass!”
“ I followed orders, jackass! You think you’re above listening to anyone else, you pretentious dick!”
“ Wow, ” Oliver said mockingly. “Big word. Did your new buddy teach you that?”
“Yeah!” Kaz exclaimed, slamming his palm on the cyberdesk. “And he’s taught me a lot more that you obviously didn’t pay attention to, given you’re a fucking joke when it comes to power or skill!”
Oliver’s nostrils flared. His hand moved on its own, producing wicked sharp spikes of ice. Kaz reacted the millisecond he did so, sending a jet of fire much hotter than the one that had hardly grazed his shoulder on the mission.
Both attacks screeched to a halt. They hovered midair. The two boys stared at them in surprise. As they watched, the ice and flames hovered toward each other, combining to make a large puddle of water. It split into two smaller segments before tilting over the stupefied heroes.
Before either reacted, it splashed over them, drenching both.
“Both of you need to cool off,” a new voice interjected. Oliver’s face immediately contorted into a snarl.
Chase exited the hyperlift, hands on his hips. Skylar and Bree followed. They were all in civilian clothes by now and had variations of pissed-off written on their faces.
Kaz warmed his body temperature, evaporating the water on his skin and suit instantly. He still wasn’t great at it, so his nose lit up in flames. Oliver simply waved his hand, gathering the stray droplets into a ball and considering throwing it at the third boy.
“Explain yourselves, now ,” Chase’s eyes were cold. Kaz looked sheepish as he patted his nose out. Maybe if Oliver had a sliver of respect for him he’d feel intimidated.
“Today.”
“He’s bitching about the accidental ,” Kaz shot a glare at Oliver. “-burn. It’s not even that bad, but he’s pretending it’s the end of the world. When he got in the way. And he’s being a baby about it.”
“It’s the principal,” Oliver pointed accusingly. “You think you can just scald someone and walk away all peachy?”
“You’re the one who went off plan-”
“Enough,” Chase interjected. They looked back at him. He was pinching the bridge of his nose. “You two have been down here for thirty-four minutes over that? ”
“Yes,” both answered defensively.
He scowled. “You two listen to me and listen well . I’ll let you off this time because you’re rookies, but you have a role for a reason.”
Kaz stared at him. Oliver rolled his eyes.
“As team doctors, you cannot afford to squabble over nothing for even five minutes. What if one of us was seriously hurt, and you were too busy being childish to do your jobs?”
Oliver scoffed. “Then maybe you’d bleed out and we wouldn’t have to listen to your incessant bullshit all the time.”
Skylar and Kaz glared at Oliver. He bristled, off put by them acting like he was in the wrong. Chase simply raised his brow. Oliver barely dodged a half-built machine hurled his way.
Bree looked icy. “Oops,” she deadpanned. “My hand glitched.”
Chase shook his head at her. She huffed, folding her arms and hopping onto the near cyberdesk.
“We need to talk, Oliver,” Chase turned back to him.
Oliver curled his lip.
“Your performance was unacceptable today. When you’re given orders, follow them. I don’t know what hero high you’re chasing with your “I can do it myself” antics, running in front of Kaz’s line of fire despite your specific instructions, but it stops now. You can’t jeopardize the whole team for your ego.”
Oliver’s ears reddened considerably.
“Factor in the idea that maybe, just maybe, they’re shitty orders and my plan is better? Hm? Factor in that you’re the worst leader there ever was? That no one wants to listen to a glorified toaster, especially when said bot happens to be an arrogant asshole?”
“Oliver!” Kaz exclaimed.
“Oh, I’m sorry ,” he said condescendingly. “I just want a leader I can look in the face, not ones-and-zeroes. No damn offense.”
“Oli!” Kaz shouted again.
“Uh, that is super offensive,” Skylar folded her arms. “And you’re the dumbass who chose to go rogue.”
“I oughtta-”
Chase stopped his sister’s certain assault plans by raising a hand to silence everyone. He looked Oliver up and down.
There was a silence.
Chase sighed. “Hit the showers, Oliver.”
“Yeah, sure,” he laughed. “Use your super-ears. Why should I take orders from you -”
“Go. Now.” Skylar put a hand on Chase’s shoulder. “That’s an order from both of us. Leave.”
He stayed standing still for a bit. Then the four pairs of eyes glued to him seemed to convince him to stalk to the hyperlift.
Once the blue flash faded, Kaz exhaled. He turned to Chase.
“Sorry, man. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately.”
“Maybe you could stand learning some control. He isn’t wrong about your recklessness,” it sounded like Skylar had some bite to that sentence. Kaz glared at her.
“It’s fine,” Chase interrupted. “Go treat his burn.”
“Wh-” Kaz spluttered. “Why would I get anywhere near -”
“Because you feel guilty for burning your best friend,” Chase put a tentative hand on his shoulder. “I know you do. But you’re too stubborn to admit it. Go fix him up. And maybe discuss it through.”
“I don’t-”
“Please, Kaz.”
Kaz went quiet. He stared at Chase before looking away.
“...Fine. For you . Only because of you, for the record.”
It was obviously meant as a prideful refusal to do it for Oliver or because of the girls, but Chase still blushed as he walked away. Bree managed a little smile. Skylar raised an eyebrow in surprise, but not unpleasantly so.
Once he was gone, the remaining team stayed in awkward stillness.
Skylar broke it. "Oli's upset because we fought people linked to his mom. And that's why he's taking it out on everyone, because he has no idea what to do with himself. I bet he's guilty. Which explains why he was demanding Kaz be guilty. And speaking of he and Kaz-" She leaned against the cyberdesk opposite the one that Bree sat on. “We need to give them more training. They’re raw to this. Too new. Too overconfident in their powers.”
“Or maybe you could keep your goddamn Rugrats on leashes.”
Chase and Skylar turned to her.
“Excuse me?” they said in unison.
Bree looked up from her nails. “Ballsy for you to talk about overconfidence when that’s like your only personality trait.”
“Bree, what the hell?” Chase sounded more tired than anything.
“She thinks she’s better than me. Better than all of us. And it’s painfully showing.”
Skylar squared her shoulders. “I beg your pardon?”
“You’ve had your powers for like, what, a week? And you’re already high and mighty. When we all know you wouldn’t be a sliver as insufferable if you were still powerless and about as useful as gel lip gloss.”
Skylar’s ears stiffened. The air around her became charged. “What, at least I didn’t voluntarily give up my powers like a certain selfish bitch who was too busy crying over nothing to care about saving innocent lives.”
Bree’s cheeks grew hot.
“Stop it,” Chase stepped in between them, leveling his hands as if to ward off animalistic attacks, which was about what the girls' glare threatened. “That’s enough fighting for now-”
“You’re the one who makes me miss my solo days,” Skylar ignored him. “I’ve never liked the idea of teams because I’m carrying you four amateurs-”
“Amateurs?” Bree laughed humourlessly. “Honey, please, I've been training since bionic diapers. And my success rate is much higher than yours, Martha Martian. Who’s the idiot who lost her powers to her sworn enemy and moped around a hospital like a pill for years-”
“You-”
“Stop!” Chase repeated, louder and firmer. “What part of childish arguments as a no didn’t you get?”
“Maybe the part where I didn’t fucking ask for your opinion?” Bree turned on him. “Oliver’s right, what the hell have you done that gives you the right to boss us around? Mr. egocentric "I'm-better-than-everyone-because-my-whole-identity-is-the-little-label-my-daddy-gave-me".”
Chase furrowed his brows at her. Regret wrote on her face.
She scowled, pivoting on her heel towards the rock wall.
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business! I’m gonna go exist on my own if that’s okay with you, great and wise leader. Promise I won’t smash my chip while I’m out!” she flipped him the bird, speeding into the tunnels.
Chase exhaled, scrubbing a hand down his face.
“Well, that was a flop.”
“No kidding,” he replied.
“We just need more training or, like- a teambuilding exercise-”
“What’s the point?”
Skylar gave him an odd look.
“We all hate each other. Even Kaz and Oliver are fighting. The closest people here."
Skylar rubbed the back of her neck. She was pretty concerned, seeing them fight like that. It wasn't unheard of for them to argue over stupid things, given they were basically brothers at this point, and it wasn't uncommon for Skylar and Kaz to throw playful barbs at each other, but the fact that they were willing to attack the other honestly scared her. She was awfully worried about her "Rugrats", always plagued with the ever-present whisper that the arcturion meddled with their minds too, implanted darkness and rage and cruelty, changed her best friends irreparably.
"Name one mission that hasn’t ended in failure, injury, or pointless arguments like today. In retrospect, that’s exactly how today went.”
Skylar averted her eyes.
“This team was doomed from the start,” Chase sank down in his chair. How the hell was he meant to lead this dumpster fire?
Skylar hovered off to the hyperlift.
Chase massaged his temples. His father was wrong. They were a train wreck.