Pietro dragged out a breath, the air hissing out between his teeth, as he slouched in his seat. The entire class bored him to death - everything moved too slow, the teacher was an old-timer prick, and his classmates were the classic straight-out-of-the-dictionary definition of bo-ring. His eyes drifted toward the open-panel windows of the classroom, where they settled on the burger joint across the street from the school.

I could run over there, grab a bite to eat, and make it back to this lame class before anyone would even notice I was gone... he mused, eyeing the tiny restaurant in the distance. Of course, actually doing so would require him to whip up a pretty noticeable gust of wind right in the middle of class, and he so didn't need another lecture from Mystique - or Principal Darkholme - about using powers in school.

Which means it was back to square one. Sighing. And drumming his fingers on the desk at a superhuman speed. And sighing.

When is this stupid class going to end?! he thought irritably. He was not made for this - sitting still in a classroom desk, listening to an old fart drone on and on and on for fifty minutes straight, about a topic that had he wanted to, he could have easily absorbed and mastered the information by reading the entire textbook in three seconds flat. But of course, he wasn't allowed to use his powers in school. His scowl deepened, as he channeled his pent-up frustration and energy into a full-on glare at the restaurant. Stupid Mystique... Pietro's fingers drummed faster, in sync with his irritated state. Stupid bell...

Why won't the bell RING already?! Why-

"Mr. Maximoff-" the teacher's obviously-annoyed tone cut into Pietro's mental rants, and the silver haired teen blinked as he glanced up blankly. "Since you're obviously so on top of things, that you feel you have the obvious luxury of not paying attention, perhaps you can tell the class what we've been discussing the last fifteen minutes?"

I hate you, sir... Pietro thought darkly, his azure eyes narrowing dangerously as a scattered round of giggles and smirks briefly ruffled the classroom. His thin shoulders squared defiantly, and he leaned slightly forward in his seat.

If all else fails... bullshit your way through.

"Properties of atoms at molecular level?"

"...Wrong. Care to try again?" The teacher did not sound amused.

Pietro felt his teeth snap together and jaws lock in irritation. Of all classes to end the school day on, why Chemistry?! Why not... gym? Or some random elective class that he could blow his way through? And if it absolutely had to be Chemistry, why this old geezer?! There were plenty of other teachers in this crummy school who taught the subject. But, no - he had to be stuck with Mr. Personality-

I really hate you, sir...

"...The Periodic chart," Pietro lazily threw out, rolling his eyes. "The properties of neutrons and protons. Hell, I don't know - maybe you should ask that nerd in the front row who's always kissing your ass-"

Where was that damn bell?! Pietro's eyes ticked impatiently up to the clock that hung on the wall for what felt like the millionth time in the last thirty minutes alone. From the way the teacher's brows were furrowing together, it was more-than-obvious that his patience was rapidly waning with the speedster, and that Pietro was one smart ass remark away from landing himself in detention for the week.

"...Strike two, Mr. Maximoff." There was a dangerous warning to the teacher's tone now. Pushing his thick glasses further up his nose, he glared down at the teen, looking like he intensely regretted with every fiber of his being going into the education field of work, and especially his decision to apply for employment at one Bayville High School...

Luckily, before Pietro's mouth could land him in seriously hot water with what he'd wanted to snap, the bell finally - finally - rang, and he grabbed his things and bolted out of the classroom, ignoring the surprised cries of his classmates and the teacher at the small gust of wind that his exit had kicked up in his wake.

The students in the hallways experienced a mini tornado, as Pietro blew past them all on his way to his locker. Yanking open the metallic door, he tossed in his books and slammed the locker shut all in one swift, fluid motion, before making for the front doors. The entire incident last period had put him in a foul mood, and he was desperate to get out of the suffocating building, away from these ordinary, mundane people.

People like the schoolmates he was forced to share an existence with for the duration of the school year. People like the Chemistry teacher - and the entire faculty - who didn't hesitate to look down on him and his teammates like they were nothing but scum on the bottom of their fancy shoes. Boring, ordinary people who had no idea who they were messing with.

Pietro's eyes narrowed. Mystique and no powers in school be damned. He needed to run (now in his agitated state more-so than ever) - to feel the wind in his face, and experience the immense satisfaction of leaving everybody behind in his dust.

He was one of the first - if not the first - of the students to burst through the front doors. As soon as the fresh, outdoors air hit his lungs, he put on a burst of speed - after all, out here, he was free to go as fast as he wanted. The school yard and the grounds blurred in his peripheral vision, as Pietro accelerated, testing the upper boundaries of his mutant speed. He was speed, and despite the fact that the world around him blurred worse the faster he ran, he also never saw the world more clear than when he was running at his top speed.

It was exhilarating. It was freedom at its very best.

He'll deal with Mystique and her lectures when the time came. For now, though, it was time for some free food, and Pietro knew just the place to get it from...

By the time he arrived back at the old Victorian-styled house on the outskirts of town, his mood had dramatically improved, courtesy of the burger and fries that was currently making its way now through his metabolism. Entering the decrepit house, Pietro heard mutterings coming from the kitchen, and picked up the words "love" and "a fair".

...Which could only mean one person.

"Heya, Lance - whatcha doin'?" Pietro asked, zipping over to the dark-haired senior's side, and snatching the piece of paper up.

"Pietro- wha-?!"

"Ahh, to gaze upon the beauty of your presence," Pietro read, easily ducking out of the way of Lance's swing, as he made a desperate - but futile - grab for the paper. "Your love is like a fair flower blooming in spring- Hahaa! Are you kidding me?! This is gold!"

"Give it back, Pietro!" Lance snarled, making another grab at it, but missed yet again as the speed demon side-stepped him, waving the poem tauntingly in Lance's face.

"Or you'll what?" Pietro smirked. "Man, you've really got it bad for Little Miss Meow Meow, don't you?" He scoffed, and rolled his eyes when a noticeable tremor rocked the foundation of the house.

"Fine, fine, fine. Here's your sappy poem back. Now watch it before you cave this place in and Mystique freaks and have our heads for this!"

"What's your deal, Pietro?" Lance grumbled, shooting him a still-irritated glance. "Isn't there anybody else you can go bother? I'm trying to finish this poem here! Like Daniels. You guys are rivals, right?"

"Ha- rivals?" Pietro scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. Daniels can't even come close to my level of talent, and he knows it, and so does everybody else."

"Fine, whatever. Spare me your ego tirade. I don't care if you go pester someone off the streets, just-!"

"I'm bored!" Pietro whined. He had a ton of homework to do, but just did not feel like tackling the tedious pile right now. Besides, it was Friday... Wasn't there an unspoken rule that prohibited working on schoolwork until Sunday evening? And if Sunday evening didn't work out, he could always just do it on the way to school on Monday, or something... It was the freedom of the weekend! Now was the time to have some fun, and what better way to have fun than go annoy the X-Men?

A devilish smile crossed his pale and pointed features. "WannagoannoytheXgeeks?"

Lance hesitated. Folding up the poem, he stuffed it into his pocket, before turning back to Pietro, the tiniest of creases to his brows the only indication of his uncertainty. "But what if Ki-"

"Jeez, you're gonna make me taking over the leadership position of the Brotherhood way too easy at this rate..." Pietro muttered. He rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, your precious Kittycat's not gonna be there. She has German club activities after school on Fridays, remember? Besides, even if she is there, you getta go see her...! And I'll have VIP seating to see you turn yourself into an idiot in front of her, so hey - win win for everyone!"

Lance scowled, but rose to his feet to follow Pietro out of the house anyway.

"Just keep your mouth shut, if we do happen to see Kitty there, got it, Pietro?" Lance hissed, as the two teens got into Lance's beat up old Jeep and drove over to the Institute.

"As if you need my help in screwing up royally in front of Pryde," Pietro scoffed dismissively. He really had no idea what Lance saw in the annoyingly perky freshman, but the pair's often-times dysfunctional relationship was always good for a laugh, so Pietro had no problems with it. His mind flickered to the love poem - now carefully tucked away in Lance's pocket - and he smirked.

This should be interesting...

The scenery out the window changed dramatically the closer they got to the mansion. The tree lined path that led up to the X-Men's place of residence was lush and perfectly pruned, in stark contrast to the deplorable conditions of the Brotherhood house and surrounding property.

"Someday, I'm gonna rob this place blind..." Pietro muttered bitterly, as the Jeep pulled up to the front gates. He glared up at the impressive mansion and the sprawling grounds, eyes narrowing against the afternoon sun. He hated it. His entire life, he'd had to claw and fight his way through just to survive. And even with all the struggles, what did he have to show for it? A world that not only hated his kind, but looked down on him just because he wasn't as well-off as those who were more financially secure?

The fact that those Xavier kids got a mansion to go home to at the end of every day without having done a damn thing to earn that right, while the Brotherhood were forced to live in filth and rot and decadence, really drew the speed demon's ire, and he resented the hell out of them for it.

"Hey-!" Lance's voice broke Pietro out of his thoughts. "What's Toad doing here?"

"Huh?" Sure enough - following after Lance's gaze, Pietro spotted Todd perched in a crouched position on the branch of a nearby tree. The younger boy didn't seem to immediately notice his two housemates' presence - so engrossed was he in peering through a pair of binoculars towards the direction of the mansion. Every now and again, a gleeful heh heh... of a chuckle would escape past his lips, that definitely promised nothing good...

"Why don't we ask him?" Pietro smirked. Faster than one could blink, he disappeared, and seemingly re-appeared instantaneously beneath Todd. "Hey-! Toad!" When Todd made no show of having heard Pietro's hissed whisper, the silver-haired speedster scowled, and chucked a small piece of rock at him. "Hey! Psst! Stink Boy!"

"Wh- WAAHH?!" Todd yelped in surprise. Unable to keep his balance, he toppled over backwards out of the tree with a high-pitched scream. Luckily, several clumps of shrubberies were there to somewhat cushion the fall, and he landed with a loud WUMP. "O-Owww..." came the wobbly groan of pain from within the bushes. "Whatever it was, I didn't do it, yo!" he yelped.

"Will ya relax? It's just me," Pietro rolled his eyes. He grinned. "WannagoannoysomeXgeeks?"

"Pietro?" Todd squinted up at him, before he frowned. "Well, gee, sure why not? Since ya nearly killed me Speedy, by makin' me fall outta a tree!" He pulled himself to his feet. "I can just see it now." Todd made an imaginary headline gesture in the air with his hands. "Cause of Death: Heart Attack by an Insane Lunatic. Victim Falls Out Of A Tree."

"Oh calm down, it wasn't that big of a deal," Pietro waved him off dismissively.

"Not that big of a deal?!" Todd squeaked indignantly. "Pietro, I just saw my life flash before my eyes!"

"Will you morons knock it off?!" Lance snapped. "Do you want the entire Geek Brigade to come storming out here?! Shut i-" Before he had a chance to finish his sentence, the Institute's alarm system went off. All around the trio, weapon systems on the lawn activated and all pointed directly at the Brotherhood members.

"Great," Lance muttered. "When will I learn my lesson? Next time, I'm coming alone when I want to see Kitty other than at school..." His eyes narrowed, when he caught sight of the group that was now running towards them, led by none other than -

"Alvers, what are you jerks doing here?" Scott Summers snapped. He was in full-battle regalia, visor flashing in the sunlight, and accompanied by a small horde of the younger years. The recruits looked visibly excited at getting a break from whatever they'd been in the middle of when the alarms sounded.

Danger Room session...? Lance briefly wondered, taking note of the slightly singed appearances of their uniforms.

"What's the matter, Summers?" Lance challenged. "Are we not good enough to breathe the same air as you goody-goody X-Geeks here? Last time I checked, we have just as much freedom to go where we want as you losers."

"Well, last I checked, this is private property," Scott glared back. One hand started to rise to his visor, which glowed crimson. "And unless you guys have some kind of s- Maximoff, quit flirting!"

Seven pairs of eyes snapped to the speedster, who was going around flirting with all of the female new mutants and some new recruits. His current target was Rahne, who looked flustered and more than a bit overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

"Get away from my girl, you loon!" Roberto snapped.

"Who's gonna make me?" Pietro taunted, enjoying this immensely. "You? I don't think so!" He continued flirting with Rahne, if for nothing else other than to annoy and antagonize the hell out of Roberto.

"Why you little...!"

"Ooooh!" Pietro's fickle attention span shifted faster than one could blink, as he caught sight of a new recruit standing amongst the X-Men and who was staring openly at him. His lips curled into a smirk.

Ahh, yeah, she can't resist me!

"Rwar... who are you?" Pietro was by her side in an instant. She's pretty cute, for an X-Geek... I like it - The charming type. The sexy type. She reminds me of me. "Hey, don't think we've met," he said, grinning at her. "Name's Pietro Maximoff. But you can call me Quicksilver. Or Speedy. Or Resident Demi God."

"Oh, so you've demoted yourself to just 'Demi-God' now?" Todd snickered, hopping over just in time to catch the tail end of Pietro's as usual over-the-top introduction. "Whatever happened to 'God' or 'Your Highness', yo?"

"Well, if you just absolutely insist on calling me that, you may," Pietro smiled. "In fact, I have no objections to that."

Todd rolled his eyes. How anybody could have that big of an ego and not burst was beyond him. Of course, one look at Pietro and Todd could see just how the speedster could develop an ego problem. In the span of literally ten seconds, Pietro already had the poor girl gazing up at him in total and utter adoration. Todd felt a pang of envy. Oh look... Speedy's got himself another girl in his fan club... What a surprise... He gave a sigh, wondering, not for the first time, what it would be like to be Pietro Maximoff for just a day. To be Quicksilver. To have about ten girls fawning and giggling over him for a change...

And while I'm still dreaming, it wouldn't hurt to give me a million bucks, would it? Todd thought wistfully. A silvery blur and a gust of wind told him that Pietro was on the move again, and it didn't take long for him to pinpoint the speedster's next target for his mischief.

"Maximoff-! Hold still, you crazy-!" Scott snapped, frustration tinging his tone. Flashes of scarlet beams sliced through the air in random directions, as he tried without much success to hit the elusive Quicksilver.

"Too slow, Summers!" Pietro taunted, laughing maniacally as he easily dodged the optic beams. No longer having a definitive target, the concussive force of the single blast slammed into an expensive concrete birdbath that was in the middle of the lawn, shattering it to pieces and drenching everyone in the near vicinity. Shrieks of shock and surprise rose up from the new recruits, as they all ran for cover from the falling water.

"...Someone's gonna get it...~~!" Todd snickered in a sing-songy voice. He was about to rub more salt into the wound, when a savage roar froze everyone in place.

"What is going on out here?!"

Wolverine was stalking over, heading their way with a You-Punks-Are-Gonna-Be-Fishfood-When-I'm-Done-With-You scowl of supreme irritation. Veins throbbed visibly at his temples, and the corner of his eye twitched, when he witnessed the mess that the lawn was in.

"Whaa-? What happened?!" Logan's eyes narrowed, when his glare landed on the half-soaked new recruits. "Aren't you small fries supposed 'ta be in a Danger Room training session right now?" He growled pointedly, and with a few yelps of fright, the New Mutants scampered off, making a beeline for the mansion. Logan's gaze then fell on the trio of Brotherhood boys, and a low snarl ripped past his bared teeth.

"And you... I ain't in the mood to mess around with you boys right now, so somebody start talkin' or I start dicin'! What are you up to, or do I have to rip you open and pry it out for myself?"

"Hey- I'm just here to see and talk to Kitty!" Lance protested hastily. "But if you wanna know what happened, why don't you ask Mr. Fearless Leader here?" He glared at Scott. "He was the one who attacked us for no reason!"

"Was that before or after you guys set off the security alarm, destroyed the front lawn, broke the Professor's birdbath, and traumatized our girls with that egomaniac's flirting session?" Scott snapped, glaring pointedly at Pietro.

"Traumatized?!" Pietro snapped back. "Please. As if you X-Geeks have anything better to do in your dull and boring lives without us coming over here every once in awhile to liven things up. You guys should be thanking us, instead of being so ungrateful-"

"Also, that birdbath is on your head, Summers - not ours, yo!" Todd pointed out innocently.

"We need to have a talk, Charles, about wages..." Logan grumbled to himself. He stalked forward towards the group of squabbling teenagers. "Alright - break it up. I ain't getting paid to babysit you lot, so-"

"You know what? I am so sick of you Brotherhood guys always coming here thinking you can do whatever you want, whenever you want!" Scott shouted, one hand at the side of his visors. "Last warning, Alvers! Get that crazy team of yours out of here now, or so help me-"

"Oh... mah... god..." a familiar voice drawled. Rogue and Kitty had just arrived home, and both girls stood staring at the destroyed lawn and wild chaos before them.

"What's going on?" Kitty blinked. Her wide-eyed gaze roved over all those present, until they settled upon Lance, where they widened even further. A faint blush crept up onto her cheeks, when his face immediately brightened upon seeing her.

"Lance?" Her brow furrowed, half in genuine confusion over what was going on, and half in dread of actually finding out. Taking cautious steps forward, Kitty glanced between the gathered Xmen and Brotherhood members uneasily. "What are you-? What happened? ...Do I even want to know...?"

"It- It's not what it looks like, Kitty - I swear!" Lance defended. "I came by to see you, and-"

"-And to give you this," Pietro swiped the folded up piece of poem from Lance's pocket in a flash, and tucked it into Kitty's hand.

"Wha-? Pietro!"

"I had to drag his butt out of the house, just so you can get this note, because he'd have never gotten over his chicken shit ways to give you this note on his own, so yeah -" He smirked, and winked at her. "You're welcome, Pryde."

"Pietro..." Lance snarled. The ground rumbled ominously, in sync with his irritation. "Next time you think you're 'helping', don't."

"Hey-! Alvers, watch it!" Scott snapped, fighting to keep his balance as the earth beneath his feet shifted and rolled in uneven waves. With great crashes, trees and defense systems alike toppled effortlessly in the wake of Avalanche's bludgeon powers. The ground split, the ugly jagged crack zigzagging and shooting along the former perfectly manicured lawn.

"...Why are you with him again...?!" Rogue shouted, over the roar of the complete and utter chaos around them. "Not that I care or anything, but... well... that." She gestured to the destruction and fighting.

"...Sometimes, I ask myself the same question..." Kitty sighed in exasperation.