Chapter 1: Pryde and Prejudice

"Do you ever stop bragging?"

John Allerdyce flicked his Zippo lighter on and off, sitting at the lounge couch and staring at his best friend, Bobby Drake, tiredly. The two of them had been friends for a few years, ever since John arrived at Xavier's School for the Gifted but had always kind of butted heads at the same time. It was a strange friendship but one John silently cherished greatly considering he barely had even a handful of people he'd consider actual friends.

Sitting beside Bobby was his girlfriend, Rogue, a relatively new student there and John had come to see as at least somewhat of a friend but never more. Unfortunately, his best friend instincts with Bobby told him that Rogue was just stealing his pal even though John deep down knew that that wasn't the case.

The person John cared most about though, the one who he'd come to love and care for more than anyone else in his entire life, was Kitty Pryde. A rather petite young woman with a bit of an overachiever complex, she sat very closely next to John on the couch, having just sat up from nestling her head on his shoulder. Although to most kids at the school, John Allerdyce was just a show off with an attitude problem, Kitty had seen something more…and had been the only one to really see something else that was there beneath the surface. They had been dating for a few months now after John so subtly rescued her in a Danger Room session by practically burning down everything else in the room to protect her. She was the bright light in his life and for her, he was the man who could balance out her perfectionist ways with some fun and happiness. Because truth was, no matter what people said… John made her happy.

"How's that showing off?" John asked Bobby, the small flame on his lighter continuing to go on and off. "I was just saying how I could've taken Magneto and his goons easily. Don't see why that Logan guy had so much trouble."

Rogue shifted in her seat uncomfortably, moving the strands of white hair out of her eyes, but not really certain what to say. Kitty seemed to notice this and put a hand gently on John's arm. He almost automatically stopped his constant fiddling with his lighter and shut the Zippo's lid, allowing the shark design of the lighter to be fully seen.

"Well from what the professor's said, Magneto is one of the most powerful mutants on the planet and it wasn't just about beating him up." Kitty explained to him, trying like she usually did to get John to see other people's perspectives. "They also had to-"

"Save her from that machine that was going to turn all of the people into mutants. I know." Said John, nodding at Rogue. "But they keep treating us like kids no matter how many Danger Room sessions we go through. Don't you ever get tired of it?"

John had cooled his jets a bit, his body growing less tense as he put an arm around Kitty.

"They know what they're doing. We just have to wait until they think we're ready. Then we can stop being treated like kids. So try and understand that not everyone wants to talk about what Magneto did to us lightly." Bobby said, putting his own hand on Rogue's gloved one.

"If you say so." John said, opening his lighter again but Kitty nudged his elbow. He glanced sideways at her in confusion and she just raised an eyebrow at him. He loved it when she did that. So cute. Though this was one of those times he wanted to argue with her, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out against her charm so he just nodded. "Sorry I brought it up." He said to Rogue before getting off the couch and walking out of the lounge, running his fingers along the handles of the foosball table as he did so.

John climbed the stairs of the Xavier mansion to his room where he shut the door behind him, taking a seat by his bedside and placing his lighter on counter next to his bed as he usually did. Tumbling onto the soft cushion with his back, he stared at the ceiling. After a moment of complete and utter silence, John heard a knock at his door.

"Yeah?" He called, without moving his body even an inch.

"Can I come in?" Kitty's voice rang from the other side of the wooden door.

"Sure, why not."

Kitty phased through is door like she usually did with her mutant abilities. She didn't like doors. Too needlessly time consuming to turn a knob and opening them when you could just pretend they weren't there with her gifts. She entered the room and walked over to John's bed where she laid down beside him on her back, staring up the same way he was, the two of them laying shoulder to shoulder, both fixed on the ceiling.

"Why do you do that?" Kitty asked after a quiet minute.

"What?"

"Try and show off or act like you really don't care about anyone when you and I both know you actually do." Kitty's voice was shaky, as if nervous on how exactly to phrase what she was saying. "You have all of the other kids at the school thinking you're some hot shot who would rather be lighting things on fire than having a civilized conversation with someone. But that's not you at all, John."

"Maybe it is." John said, with a whiff of sarcasm. "Bobby and Rogue weren't that angry anyway. It's not like I said she anything too horrible."

"No but you talked about a real sensitive topic for Rogue. She's still pretty new here. She doesn't need that right now."

"I said I was sorry."

"Only cause I told you to."

"I don't recall you saying anything to me." John laughed. "You were too busy making those cute faces you do."

Kitty took a break from looking at the ceiling to turn her head to John, who seemed to not notice, still looking up almost hypnotically.

"You know you're a real jerk." She said, a smile forming on her lips.

"So I've heard."

Kitty raised her hand and grazed her fingers along John's soft face, putting her hand on his slicked back hair. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Just don't be too much of one."

With that, she got off the bed and slowly made for the door. John suddenly sat up.

"Kitty."

She turned, still smirking, beaming at him with her beautiful eyes that he loved to stare into.

"Yeah?"

"You're going on the trip to the museum next week, right?"

"We already talked about this remember?" She said, taking a few steps back toward him.

"Sorry I must have been dozing. Our conversations have that effect on me." He grinned and she continued to approach him.

"I've got lots to study for and I don't really have time to be going on some trip where all we're going to be doing is listening to Storm and Jean and Scott and probably the professor even all just talking about things that we already read about in class."

"I didn't read any of that stuff though so it'll all be new to me." John said. "Come on, I want you to go."

Kitty raised an eyebrow again, a bit surprised.

"Oh?"

"Yep." John said simply.

"Well…" She took a few steps to her side and plucked his Zippo lighter off his alarm clock and into her hand, dangling it in her fingers to show him. A wide smile stretched across her face, she started to step back. "Maybe I'll think about going….if you can catch me."

John let out an agitated sigh before climbing wearily to his feet, his eyes narrowing in humorous anger. He stretched out his hand, expecting his prized possession back. With a laugh, she ran through his door and out of sight, leaving him to just put his hands on his hips, watching the spot that she had left from.

Boy did he love that girl.