Okay, StaticXHotStreak. And Francis is possibly more than a little OOC. But hopefully not disgustingly so. Also, I exchange names and aliases at will.

(-)

Virgil was exhausted. All he wanted to do was crawl into the old gas station and die quietly. But Richie had just informed him that Hotstreak was wreaking havoc in a park while the fire men were putting out a house fire across town. And Gear was busy stopping a Bang-Baby rampage in a shopping mall. So instead of crawling off for a long sleep, Static got on his disk and headed to the scene.

When he got there, he could tell that something was different about this rampage. Nearly everything in the park was charred or burning at one place or another, and Francis stood in the middle, a bonfire engulfing his form. There were no people, but he continued to melt swingsets and set trees alight as if he had something to prove.

Virgil tried to slowly lower his disk down, but he was so tired he ended up losing control of his disk and crashing down instead. "Shit." he cursed, as Hotstreak approached.

"What's wrong, Static?" Hotstreak taunted. "You aren't quite so graceful today."

"Shut up, Hotstreak."

There was an unusually cruel look on Francis's face as he replied, "Bad news for you, I'm just getting started."

Virgil groaned and turned over. This had been a bad idea. Francis seemed to have extra fuel for his fire, so to speak, while Virgil was drained. Hotstreak was maintaining a distance that Virgil could feel his fire, but it was merely a comfortable warmth. That made Virgil sleepy. As he started to doze off, he heard Francis make an impatient noise. "I wanted to fight too. Stupid weakling."

(-)

When Virgil woke up, he was underground. It looked like an old subway station. He was on a small cot inside one of the ticket booths. He remembered the not-fight with Hotstreak and felt a stab of panic, but he felt fine. He wasn't restrained and his mask was still on. Of course, Francis could have snuck a peek when Virgil was unconscious. That was still something to be wary of.

Virgil was confused. Why would Hotstreak take him somewhere if not to unmask or detain and torment him? He had seemed pretty pissed off when Static couldn't fight him. Was this a trap? Was it a trick?

"Hey, Mr. Dead-Battery. You awake?" Francis's voice floated in through the open door and a moment later he entered, looking rather sullen.

"Yes. And rather apprehensive." Virgil admitted.

"Wha-?"

"Nervous and expectant." Virgil clarified.

"I'm not stupid." Hotstreak fumed. His famous temper seemed to have a shorter fuse than normal today.

"Didn't say you were. So what's going on?"

"What do you mean, 'what's going on'?"

"Well, I was really expecting to wake up with my mask off and restrained in some manner, if I woke up at all." Virgil told him.

Francis frowned fiercely at him. "Just because you're a goody-two-shoes who follows every rule doesn't mean that people who don't care about the law don't have limits. Killing a weak and unconscious opponent is pathetic, unless I was the one that made them that way. And unmasking you while you're asleep is just as gutless. If I take off your mask, I want to have beat you senseless to earn it."

In his surprise, Virgil's eyebrows attempted to escape all the way up to his hairline. "Well. Guess I underestimated you." He paused for a moment. "You really didn't look?"

Hotstreak smirked at him. "Why? Would I have liked what I saw?"

Virgil took that as a no, but replied, "I couldn't tell you."

"Sure you could. You could take off your mask right now and we could find out." Francis said, almost teasingly.

"But you wouldn't have earned it." Virgil pointed out.

Hotstreak eyed his rival with an evaluating gaze. "You're not quite up to snuff for me to beat you up."

"That's the only way you earn things?"

Hotstreak rolled his eyes. "That and burn shit up mostly, where have you been?"

"Point." Virgil conceded. "But if you aren't stupid, I'm sure you can figure out other ways too, ones that don't involve brute force."

Eyes narrowing, Hotstreak asked, "Is that a challenge?"

Virgil couldn't help but smile a bit, for some reason. "Would you be up to it?"

Francis frowned thoughtfully. "What kind of ways could we be talking about? Are there rules?"

Virgil blinked. Francis was giving thought to this before he charged ahead. Weird. "I'm not sure. I thought the challenge was for you to figure that out."

Francis thought some more. "I think I could get you. But what's fair game?"

"I thought if you earned something, that meant you did it fair and square." Virgil shrugged.

"Okay. I'll work on it and we'll see." Francis said, a slightly sly grin on his face.

"Wait, how did we get from 'where the hell am I' to 'find a fair way to unmask me'?" Virgil wondered.

Hotstreak shrugged. "Not sure. But now you're giving me ideas. You can leave if you want to. I don't care if you know where I live."

"Won't you have warrants out after the park?" Static asked skeptically.

Another shrug. "I think I might have to do some time before I can enact my new plan."

He could have knocked Virgil over with a feather after he said that. "You aren't turning yourself in." It was a statement, filled with both conviction and disbelief.

"Why not? I was getting bored with the same old stuff. This will be interesting."

"Don't take this the wrong way, because it sounds fairly insulting, but you're showing depth, and it's kinda blowing my mind." Virgil said, trying to keep his tone non-offensive.

And he got another shock. Hotstreak laughed. "You know, you have a surprising black and white view of the world, no pun intended. Just because I'm violent and aggressive doesn't mean that's all there is to me."

"I suppose not." Virgil admitted reluctantly. This was too strange. There had to be something wrong here.

"So what do you say?" Francis asked, sounding impatient. "You going to help me turn myself in?"

Virgil just blinked stupidly for a second or two, then said, "You want me to take you? Won't you lose cred or whatever?"

"I don't need the approval of others to do what I want. You know that. Also, if you testify that I cooperated, it might cut down my sentence. I also don't want to be sprayed with fire extinguishers the moment I approach a police officer." Francis said. It made sense. It made way too much sense.

Virgil gave Francis a hard look. "Why are you doing this? Is this a game? I don't buy that you would do all of this because you were bored."

Francis smirked. "Maybe you'll have to earn that knowledge."

Feeling annoyed, Virgil stated, "I don't intend to let you unmask me. I'll fight you."

Francis's grin grew wider. "Oh, that would make things really interesting."

Virgil rolled his eyes, and said, "Come on, let's get this crazy shit over with."

(-)

Francis's sentence was only a few months, which was very lenient, considering the damage he had caused. For once, Virgil made sure he knew what day Francis got out on, and marked it on his calendar. He knew something would happen that day.

But for those few months, Virgil tried not to think about the pyromaniac, not wanting to closely examine this...thing Hotstreak was doing before it really began. It was way too weird.

Virgil had told Richie everything about it, and when the day arrived that Francis was released from prison, they were very vigilant during school hours and spent extra time patrolling that afternoon and evening.

"I don't understand, Rich, what's he waiting for? I was expecting at least a few fires, maybe a couple of explosions." Virgil said, lying on his bed and talking through his Shock Box. It was late, and he should be getting some sleep, but he was still wary of whatever Francis might be up to.

"Well, you stipulated earning it through means other than force. If he really wants to win, he wouldn't want to start a bunch of trouble." Richie replied.

"I guess." Virgil sighed.

"You almost sound disappointed, V. You miss fighting Francis?"

"No!" Virgil objected, sounding very defensive.

Richie chuckled. "Get some sleep, V. Maybe he was prepping for an evil plan tomorrow. Don't want to be tired."

"Thanks, that thought makes me feel better." Virgil rolled his eyes. "Night, Rich."

He set his Shock Box aside and rolled onto his side, still feeling uneasy and curious as to the pyromaniac Bang-Baby's next move.

(-)

Virgil closed his locker with unnecessary force and said, "He's got to do something today. You're right, he must have been prepping yesterday...but for what?"

It was before school and he and Richie were discussing Hotstreak. Richie had lamented that Francis had been let out during school hours, so they couldn't tail him to see where he went after he was free.

"Uh, V?" Richie said, eyes wide as he looked over Virgil's shoulder. "I think he's made his move. And it seems pretty crazy."

Virgil turned to look. Francis was just a few lockers down, putting books in his locker and taking out a notebook. Head spinning, Virgil asked, "He's at school? Attending class? Taking notes?"

"I think I might be sick." Richie said, only mostly joking.

They weren't the only ones who had noticed Hotstreak's presence. Most of the hallway was shooting covert glances, if not outright staring, and whispering about him. Virgil saw a couple of kids hovering anxiously nearby, who probably had lockers near the Bang-Baby, but were too afraid to approach them while he was there.

"This is his big plan? This was what he turned himself in for? An education?" Virgil was still dumbfounded by this new development.

"Well, he couldn't go to public school if they had warrants for him." Richie pointed out. "So if part of his plan was coming here, he'd have to serve his time first."

"Think he'll last the day before he burns something down?" Virgil asked, calming himself. He was now trying to take it in stride, and he reasoned that Francis wouldn't be able to stay out of trouble for too long. He had a really bad temper.

"C'mon, V, let's get to class." Richie said, steering the hero away from his rival.

Virgil spent all of first hour waiting for sounds of mayhem and chaos to start. They didn't. Richie wasn't concerning himself as much as Virgil was, but then, Static was the one Hotstreak wanted to unmask, not Gear. Though it was obvious that once Static's identity was known, Gear's would be a given shortly after.

Second hour was one of Virgil's classes without Richie, an English class. And before the bell rang, Francis walked into class, carrying his book and notebook and looking annoyed. The desk next to Virgil was free. When Hotstreak sat down, Virgil thought of something. Was Francis guessing that he went to school with Static? Maybe he wanted to sort through the students to figure out who was likely to be Static. Virgil would be in that fairly small group, and one of the more obvious candidates.

Francis sat through the class discussion, continuing to look annoyed. Virgil wondered why. He had seemed eager to enact his plan when last Virgil saw him. Granted, that was three months ago that Francis spent locked up in a cell, but Virgil didn't know what would annoy the redhead that wouldn't drive him to arson. He had always had a ridiculously short temper.

Virgil spent most of that hour in his own world, until the bell rang and the teacher dismissed them, adding, "And if you'd like to talk about catching up with the class, Francis, feel free."

Virgil took his time with gathering his things as Francis approached the teacher. Virgil thought Ms. Peach was ridiculously brave before he remembered that she was new. She probably had never witnessed one of Francis's rampages on campus.

But Hotstreak was talking to the teacher, seemingly cooperatively, so Virgil headed out before his lingering made him look suspicious. "Hey, Hawkins." Francis said, and Virgil froze at the door.

Virgil turned slowly. "Yeah?"

"You should help me catch up on some of this grammar stuff. If you want." Francis said. He looked a bit sullen at asking, but Virgil didn't think Ms. Peach had prompted him to.

"Um, okay." Virgil said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Cool." Francis said, the smallest look of relief on his face. "You want to work after school?"

Was it a trap? It didn't seem like Virgil had much choice. "Sure. Meet me in the courtyard?"

"Okay." Francis said, and added, "Uh, thanks."

"Yeah." Virgil said noncommittaly, feeling awkward.

Ms. Peach smiled at him. "Thank you, Virgil, it's nice to see students working together."

Oh, yeah, you could tell she was new now. Virgil just gave her a close-lipped smile, nodded, and left. He found Richie at his locker, and said, "Francis just asked me to tutor him in English! Do you think he's onto me?"

Richie's eyes went wide. "Maybe. You should be very careful. But you might also use this as an opportunity to see what he's up to. Virgil Hawkins would be very curious about what Francis is playing at by coming back to school and actually attending, even if he isn't Static Shock. So superhero identity or no, I'd ask a few innocuous questions."

Virgil sighed. "I just knew you'd say that. Can you handle the after-school patrol by yourself?"

"Don't insult me. Of course I can." Richie scoffed, affecting lofty arrogance.

Chuckling, Virgil replied, "Let's get to Chemistry."

Virgil had two more classes with Francis, which seemed a bit strange given that Virgil was an honor student, whereas Virgil assumed Francis hadn't completed any courses since he became a Bang-Baby. Of course one of those classes was PE (which obviously didn't rely on intelligence to place students), and Francis had played soccer with a ferocity unmatched by the other players, and since his opponents seemed afraid to approach him too closely, he won their team the game.

Feeling nervous, Virgil waited at a picnic table in the courtyard for Francis. He really hoped that the redhead hadn't already learned his identity and was using this meeting as an excuse to call him out. A few minutes later, Francis showed up and sat down, the backpack he carried nearly bursting with books.

"Now I remember why I gave up on this crap. Too complicated." Francis griped by way of greeting.

"Hello to you too." Virgil said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, hi." Francis said, not too bothered by his belated manners.

"So you wanted help with grammar. But it looks like you have a fair amount of catch-up work to do." Virgil noted.

"Obviously. What's your point?" Francis asked.

"Well, time allowing, I might be able to help you a bit in those as well. I can't promise you a lot of help, my scheduling is crazy, but I could at least get you started." Virgil said. When the bad-tempered Bang-Baby had arrived loaded down with work, Virgil felt kinda sorry for him. He wouldn't let it cloud his judgment, but he figured a bit of help couldn't hurt.

Francis just blinked at him for a few moments, looking confused. "Why? Why would you help me?"

Virgil shrugged. "I don't know. Why did you choose me to ask in the first place?"

Francis frowned in thought, then said, "You were the nicest smart guy I picked on. I figured you'd be the least likely to hold a strong grudge."

Virgil snorted. Yeah, if that was Hotstreak's reasoning, he probably didn't know Virgil was Static. "Well maybe I'm offering my help because I'm a smart nice guy." Virgil said, a note of humor evident in his tone.

Francis didn't say anything to that, and after several moments of tense silence, Virigil asked, "If you don't mind me asking, why are you in school and actually doing schoolwork?"

"There's something I want, and this is part of getting it." Francis told him with a shrug.

Virgil tried to look puzzled, but he was kind of shocked that Francis had told him something so direct. Hotstreak wanted to unmask Static. And going to school was going to help him accomplish it how?

"Um, okay, whatever. Let's get to work on English. How many grammar worksheets do you have left to do?" Virgil asked, opening his own English book.

"Only a hundred." Francis groaned, opening his bag and pulling out lots of papers.

"They don't take too long once you know how to handle their subject. And I can help with that." Virgil assured him.

They worked on English, moved onto History, and completed a Biology take-home quiz before Virgil called it quits. "My pops will be wondering where I am." he said, feeling a bit guilty. It was a misleading statement; his dad would be wondering, but Virgil was usually out and about, so it wouldn't be an issue unless it got very late.

"Okay." Francis agreed. "Uh...thanks for all the help, Virgil." He wouldn't meet Virgil's eyes as he said it, and he looked resentful at forcing himself to say it.

"You're welcome." Virgil said, grinning. "I'll see you later, Hotstreak."

(-)

"So he told you that school is part of his plan to get what he wants?" Richie asked. Virgil had gone to the Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude to meet up with Gear after his patrol, and Richie was fiddling with his inventions.

"Yeah. I think he figured out that Static goes to our school, and is trying to narrow down the possibilities." Virgil told him.

"That would be bad, V." Richie said seriously. "If he asked you specifically to help him, he probably has you high on his list of suspects."

"Well, even if he thinks that Virgil is Static, he has to fight Static to unmask him. I'm not gonna let him win." Virgil said with determination.

"I kinda think there's more to this than we know." Richie said, his face troubled. "And it sounds like he isn't planning on fighting you, at least not now."

"What makes you say that?" Virgil wondered.

"This whole thing is very atypical behavior for Hotstreak, so I think we can only expect atypical planning. Meaning Hotstreak doesn't want to burn things, beat people up, or generally cause havoc." Richie explained.

"But what do you mean 'more to it'?" Virgil clarified.

Richie frowned, seeming to think of the best way to describe his hunch. "Hotstreak is going to a lot of trouble to seemingly reform himself. This can't be just a plan to discover your identity because he's bored, V."

"Guess that's true. He's up to something else." Virgil agreed. "Agh! This is making me paranoid!"

Richie grinned a bit a Virgil's frustration. "Okay, we don't need to worry about his deeper motives yet. Let's just remain vigilant and keep our options open."

"Sounds like a game plan, Gear." Virgil sighed. But he still couldn't stop thinking about Francis.

(-)

I know Hotstreak was very OOC, but hopefully it is decent anyway. And hopefully I'll have him display more temper in future chapters, if they exist. Also, he got a ridiculously light sentence for all the damage he did, I am aware. Let me know what you think.