Guido leaned back heavily into the couch and glared in frustration at Jamie, aka Multiple Man. They were firmly ensconced in front of the rec room TV, watching Guido’s favorite team get routed. Guido’s obscenely muscled torso took up most of the available couch space.

"Did you see that!?!"

Jamie lounged with one foot over the arm of the couch. "I’m tellin’ ya Guidster, they should’a gone for the field goal. Pass the chips willya?"

"No way they were in position – beer me – if that friggin coach–" Jamie tossed him a beer.

"Green Bay’s just got a better defense. That, though", pointing at the screen, "was a bad call."

As they debated the relative ancestry of the referees, several of Jamies dupes were engaging in an impromptu game of touch football on the other side of the room.

He was only dimly aware of one of his dupes going out for a pass, running toward the large entryway. Then he felt rather than heard the impact; Guido was yelling at his team again.

Jamie tore his eyes away from the screen to glance at his dupe and then shot straight to his feet when he saw who he had hit. Oh lord, anyone but him. In the entry way, partially covered by about three impact-triggered Jamie dupes, lay Havok.

"Oh ma-a-a-n, you’re in trou-b-l-l-e."

"Shut up, Guido!"

Guido started and looked curiously back and forth between Jamie and Alex.

Jamie stared at the pile of bodies and then, on impulse, shifted his consciousness to the dupe directly beneath the now-struggling Havok.

Havok was livid. Shaking off an errant leg, and sputtering, he swung his weight around to get his feet under him and found himself just inches from the face of Jamie Madrox. (Well, one of them at least.)

Jamie stared back at him, waiting, curious, and not just a little bit apprehensive that Alex might just lose it and decide to blast his way free. Alex held his gaze for a moment, looking, Jamie thought, like a deer in the headlights. Then he seemed to regain himself and practically exploded to his feet, shaking off the remaining Jamies.

Alex caught sight of Guido and Jamie by the TV, both on their feet now, and prepared to deliver his most blistering lecture on the evils of indoor football. His face was red and angry.

"You!…….guh!!" And then he turned and practically ran from the area.

Jamie jumped back into his own body to find Guido looking at him quizzically.

"What was that?!"

"Whaddya mean? Hey look, someone’s down on the field." Jamie feigned casualness and slumped back onto the couch, trying to shake off the sensation of Havok’s weight on him.

"Aw, man! That’s our quarterback! Lousy sonova –" Wa-a-i-t a minute Guido scanned the dupes in the room. As extensions of Jamie, they always seemed to reflect what the original was thinking. He had won a lot of poker games just watching Jamie’s dupes. Right now the dupes were in either picking themselves up off the floor or shuffling about the room aimlessly. All of them looked upset.

"Give, Jamie. Somethin’s goin’ on. Last couple ‘a days it seems you an’ Alex can’t stand to be in the same room together – an’ now he lets you off with a……well……what the hell was that?"

"S’nothin’." Jamie couldn’t meet his eyes.

Guido examined his best friend, debating weather to press the issue. It was a commercial, though.

"Aw c’mon – what you do? Stain his autographed picture of Vanna White? Reverse all his light switches? Make out with Lorna – NO! You didn’t!"

"I wish." Jamie chuckled a bit. "Nope, nothin’ like that……" He was staring sightlessly at the TV.

This must be bad Guido also turned toward the game and waited to see if his friend wanted to tell him more. The dupes had grown silent.

"You see…" Jamie started haltingly, "Alex walked in on me in my room…….during a private moment." He let that hang there, praying Guido would understand without him having to explain further. He kept his eyes firmly locked on the screen.

"A private……oh! Oh, well, humph. Well, no big, buddy. Every guy does it. You know even ol’ stick up the butt Summers prob’ly does it when Lorna’s away. Nothin’ to be embarrassed about." Guido was embarrassed though, and quite fervently wished they were still talking about half-mongrel referees.

"Guido, it’s not just that-" Jamie fell to examining his hands. "I have certain additional methods available to me for ‘private moments’" He darted a look to one of his dupes and then quickly resumed the study of his cuticles, face growing hot.

"Oh." Was all Guido could think of. He stared about the room at the now very red-faced dupes. I never even thought……Whoa.

Upstairs in his bathroom, Alex was violently splashing water on his face. He stared into his reflection in the mirror.

"Stop it! You are not thinking that! Snap out of it! You are not thinking that!!!"

He was.

Ever since he had walked in on Jamie and Jamie and Jamie, he couldn’t get the image out of his mind. He’d even dreamed about it last night, a dream he had desperately tried to forget. In the dream he was with him/them, and he angrily gripped the edge of the sink as he recalled the very real feeling just a few minutes ago of being literally covered in Jamies. Haven’t thought about this kind of stuff since-

"Okay get a grip. You like women, you know that. You love Lorna."

He sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Bet this never happens to Scott."

"Stop it!!"

"What?"

"Stop staring at my dupes like that!" A moment ago Jamie had been infinitely embarrassed. But now anger was starting to grow. He signaled his dupes and one by one they approached until he had reabsorbed them all.

"Never should’a told ya." When he first hit adolescence, every time he had a ‘private moment’ with his dupes, it had filled him with shame. It had taken him years to finally accept his ‘mutant gift’ and his enjoyment of it. He still recalled the time he had violently beaten one of his dupes in a fit of self loathing. Felt every blow. Now with Alex treating him like a leper and Guido going all wonky, he was getting that feeling all over again.

"Aw, c’mon James, don’t be like that – it just took me a minute, calm down. So………."

"So?" The TV played in the background.

"So…..are you gay?" Guido nearly bit his tongue off trying to stop from blurting that out – but it was the biggest question on his mind.

Jamie glared back and seemed ready to throw a punch at the big man, and then his face softened. Guido’s face showed only curiosity and concern.

"No, um, not exactly….I…."

Guido munched on some popcorn and waited, seeing his friend’s face contort.

"I like women, I lust women, I’ve been with women, but I also can be attracted to men, y’know?"

Guido continued munching, mulling that one over, before letting another tongue-biter go.

"Have you ever been with a man, y’know, that’s not you?"

Jamie grinned impishly "Nope. Have you?"

Guido’s head jerked up and he nearly dropped the bowls of popcorn and chips he was cradling.

"Uh, no, uh, no, I haven’t!"

"Relax bud, I know." Jamie was smirking.

"Guess I deserved that."

"Oh yeah. Now beer me and let’s watch some football!"

Jamie leaned back into the couch. He had told Guido the truth, he had never been with any other male but himself. The idea scared him slightly. But…..he let his mind return to the feeling of Alex on him. So different than one of his dupes, so new. As upset as he had been at the time, he had to admit, it had been exciting. He wondered what it would be like to be with a man he didn’t know inside and out, who wasn’t just an extension of himself. To have to explore…..

"So this whole thing between you guys is ‘cause Alex can’t wrap his Summers’ brain around this?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess."

"Doof."

Jamie smiled up at his friend, feeling better than he had in days.

"You’re a good guy, Guido."

"Yeah, I know. Don’t get all mushy on me."

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