This article contains spoilers for Runaways #34 by Rainbow Rowell and Andres Genolet.
The X-Men are (literally) hooking up with the Runaways. The mutant race has gathered on the living island of Krakoa, and it was only a matter of time before they came calling for the Runaways' Molly Hayes. Molly had expressed an interest in Krakoa, and the X-Men jumped the gun - with predictable consequences. Molly has a history of clashing with Wolverine, and she was happy to take the opportunity to show him up again.
With the traditional superhero misunderstanding out of the way, the X-Men and the Runaways move on to the obligatory team-up stage of the encounter. With the X-Men's Pixie out of commission thanks to a hasty spell from Nico, the two groups are forced to ride in the Runaways' wagon as they go hunting for a mystery mutant who has apparently been sending mixed messages to Krakoa. The mutant appears to be some sort of reality manipulator, and soon the X-Men and the Runaways are split up. That leads to Nico and Pixie having to work together - with surprising results.
At first Nico objects to Pixie, who treats her in an overly familiar manner because she's read files about the Runaways' sorceress and been told all about Nico by Lightspeed, a member of Power Pack. But Pixie has a way of disarming people, and a little self-disclosure gets Nico to feel more comfortable around her. And by the end of the misadventure, the sparks between Nico and Pixie are palpable.
There's just one problem; Nico already has a girlfriend. She's dating Karolina, one of her fellow Runaways, although their relationship is pretty strained right now after Karolina expended too much of her energy during a recent battle. On Krakoa, that would be no issue; the mutants don't seem to believe in monogamy, with Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Wolverine in a polyamorous relationship, but Nico and Karolina may have a different idea of how relationships should work out. Teaser images for Runaways #35 suggest an awkward and painful heart-to-heart between Nico and Karolina in which the latter thinks they're breaking up.
Rainbow Rowell's Runaways run is critically acclaimed, but sadly it hasn't always been one of Marvel's best sellers. This mutant crossover is a nice way of encouraging more readers to pick up a tremendous book and fall in love with the Runaways - but it would be fascinating to see Rowell establish a permanent link between Runaways and the X-Men, as a writer of their caliber is sure to handle this intriguing arc well. It's going to be fascinating to see where the story goes from here.