Chapter 28

After coming back, everything was surprisingly… ordinary. Exams, training sessions, experiments with McCoy—now joined by Banner. The latter, however, had completely immersed herself in work, which was… mildly annoying. She'd returned my stuff, thanked me warmly, and then proceeded to act like nothing had ever happened. It was a bit insulting, honestly. All my life, I'd heard how special guys were supposed to be, how every girl dreams of them and yada yada. And here I was, a certified member of the male species, used for sex and then forgotten about.

I mean, I get it. Jennifer was keeping her distance because I'm a 'highschooler', and any sort of relationship between a teacher and a student would be highly inappropriate at school. But still, not everything is processed purely through logic, you know? Despite her keeping me at arm's length—and my minor sulking over it—we still had a warm relationship. In private, we still called each other Toby and Jenny, talking casually without any formalities.

After thinking about it for a while, I decided not to push her. She's an adult; she knows how I feel about her and will draw her own conclusions. We'll see what the future holds.

The week flew by in a blur. I'd passed all my exams and started preparing to leave. I loaded up on a bunch of books for self-study—sticking around for high school-level classes didn't seem worth it anymore. Putting in the work could help me test out and move up to the next grade early. Hell, I'd love to finish school entirely and start a college program ASAP. Sure, I've got a knack for getting into trouble, but that doesn't mean I can afford to ignore formal education. Life won't always be a chaotic mess, after all.

Thinking about leaving filled me with a strange sadness. It had only been three weeks, but I'd grown attached to the girls. I didn't want to part ways with Kristi, and there was still so much I hadn't done with McCoy and Banner. On the other hand, that little house where I'd lived with Blob, Toad, and Sabretooth… Those four months had been incredible. For all their reputation, the Sisterhood of mutants had shown me nothing but kindness. That place reminded me of my grandma's countryside cottage—a place where you were always welcome.

At least I'd gotten a phone and laptop. Now I had internet access and could reconnect with friends and family through social media. I hadn't actually tried it yet, but I was planning to dive into the digital world that evening. I was looking forward to catching up with Penny, hopefully over a video call. I'd call my moms and Gigi, message Harry, troll Thompson, and hell—I was even ready to hit up MJ, the drama queen himself. I missed that life.

While lost in thought, I heard a knock at the door. I invited my visitor in, and it turned out to be Erika Lehnsherr.

"Hello, Tobias. May I come in? I'd like to talk," she said, gesturing toward the chair by my desk.

"Of course, Miss Lehnsherr. Please, have a seat," I replied politely, offering a smile before sitting on the bed, ready to listen. She sat down as well and got straight to the point.

"Tobias, Charlene and I were discussing you a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to speak with you earlier, but I'm free now. Tell me, how do you like the school?" Her sharp gaze was both curious and probing.

"Well… I like it, overall. The girls and guys are great, the teachers are excellent, and the atmosphere is… pleasant, I guess." I had a pretty good idea of where this was heading.

"That's good to hear. You see, the house you stayed in with the Sisterhood was arranged specifically for you," she said, thoughtfully rubbing her chin. "Those who lived there with you were taking a break. They've all been heavily involved in our community's activities for quite some time, so I combined their 'vacation' with your protection. A few months of peaceful living—Blob and Toad got nearly half a year of family life, and Sabretooth finally got some rest and recovery after endless missions and battles."

"Miss Lehnsherr," I interrupted gently. It wasn't the most polite thing to do, but I could tell she was trying to soften her point. "You want me to stay at the school, don't you? If that's the case, I don't mind. I understand that it's wasteful to pull valuable specialists away for one kid when there's an entire facility here designed for children and teenagers."

I smiled and continued, "Besides, I'd like to finish the school program early. It's definitely easier with teachers than on my own. And Toad, Blob, and Sabretooth will visit, right? You and Mystique are here often, too. And Miss Maximoff, I'm guessing?"

"Well, that settles it then, Tobias," she said, smiling warmly. "And you're right; finishing school here is a smart move. Now, since we're on the subject, what are your thoughts about the future? Where do you see yourself? A couple of weeks isn't a long time, but the world is shifting in how it perceives us. If the current push to normalize mutants succeeds, many opportunities will open up for us."

She grimaced slightly, as if tasting something bitter. "I'll admit, I'm skeptical about all this optimism, but Charlene has high hopes for a positive outcome. So, if the professor's vision comes true, what would you like to do, Tobias?"

"That's… a tough question, Miss Lehnsherr," I admitted, genuinely at a loss. I didn't have any solid plans. As the saying goes: no roads, only directions. "The only thing I know for sure is that I want to stay connected to the community. Whether I venture out into the wider world or stay in one of the enclaves, I'll always be grateful to the people who've done so much for me. Wherever I go, I'll make sure it doesn't harm mutants—and hopefully even helps them. That's the gist of it, ma'am."

"We mutants need to stick together, Tobias. You, me, Professor Xavier, Kristi, Logan—we're all like family, close or distant," she said, wincing slightly. I braced myself, half-expecting her to pull out a pipe, don a funny hat, and start talking about the Will of Fire. Or maybe go full Vin Diesel: 'It's about family, Tobi.'

"Like any family, we have both good relatives and black sheep. We strive to help all mutants. Even your friend"—Erika gave me a conspiratorial wink and a mischievous grin—"Jennifer Banner, who isn't a mutant herself, but whose struggles resonate with us. We accepted her largely thanks to your… spirited PR campaign."

Erika chuckled, clearly amused. "Oh, you played that brilliantly, Tobias. You presented one truth to Logan, another to Raven, a third to your friends, and Jubilee—the walking disaster—got her own version. You didn't lie, but you told everyone exactly what they needed to hear. Clever, Tobias. Thanks to you, our community gained another talented scientist, Jennifer found a home, and you earned her gratitude while boosting your standing with us. I know you didn't do it purely out of self-interest, nor was it just blind altruism—that's exactly how it should be. Keep it up, Tobias!

"Be kind, but not naive. Be selfish, but in moderation. Be brave, but don't get yourself killed. And no matter what you choose in life," she said, her tone turning serious, "remember, you have friends here. We'll always be waiting for you, and we'll never turn you away when you need help."

"Thank you, Miss Lehnsherr." Damn, something got in my eye. Granny sure knows how to say things beautifully. Well, she is one of the leaders of our mutant brotherhood… or sisterhood?

"No problem, Tobias, and sorry I didn't visit sooner—you've got to unpack all over again now." I just waved it off, like, "No big deal, part of life." She stood up, ran her hand over my buzz-cut hair, winked, and left my room. It's amazing how different Magneto is in this universe compared to the one I knew from the movies. Is it because the films needed a charismatic villain or because of this world's quirks?

And so, the days began to blur together. Intense studies, grueling training with Oyama, who seemed hell-bent on turning me into Mister Deadly Strike. The woman somehow got her hands on swords—a mix of training bokkens, shinai, and a pair of actual metal blades—and started teaching me kenjutsu, well... swordsmanship. When I asked why, she just said, "Because you need it," and proceeded to beat me into the ground until my energy tank ran dry. Sadist. Honestly, every training session felt like she was expecting something from me. Maybe for some kekkei genkai to awaken, or for me to break down and run crying to Logan, who occasionally shot me these sympathetic looks. For a moment, I even wondered if she was jealous of Banner, but I quickly dismissed the idea as ridiculous.

As for Banner, things remained as warm as ever, but nothing beyond that. However, our experiments finally made some breakthroughs:

First, I figured out how to manipulate light. Just the basics for now—I could turn myself into a human light bulb. I could adjust the intensity and even control the area of illumination. This let me unveil my top-secret (because I haven't shown anyone) "Light Dong" technique, which I used to crack myself up in the bathroom. Sadly, I couldn't shoot laser beams yet, but masking my face with a glowing light was simple—and it didn't blind me. I even developed a trick called "Strobe Light"—a series of bright flashes to blind and disorient opponents. It worked pretty well; I even caught Yuriko off guard once during training. Though, after that, she didn't make the same mistake twice and gave me a thorough beatdown.

Second, I learned to generate a thin layer of heat around my body, up to four centimeters from my skin, but only outward. This meant I wouldn't accidentally torch my skintight suit or my precious four centimeters of hair. You wouldn't believe how happy that made me. I was so overjoyed, I hugged Jubilee as I walked back from the lab, though I regretted it the next day. Half the school thought I'd proposed to her, and the other half thought I'd knocked her up. Gossipers, man.

Things with Kristi were also progressing smoothly. I told her about my unusual first meeting with Dr. Banner—honestly and without holding anything back—but asked her to keep it a secret since I'd promised not to blab. I'm all for being upfront with people I care about. Within reason, of course, but some things are better said outright and face-to-face. It's better than letting drama bubble up and explode later. She sulked for a week… at Jennifer. For, apparently, "using me and tossing me aside." Yeah. Still can't fully adjust to how things work around here. Though, to be fair, most girls would be upset. But Kristi's faith worked in my favor—her church doesn't count a man straying as a sin. Historically, there weren't enough men around. Back in the Middle Ages, entire villages of a couple hundred people might've had just ten men, not all of whom were of age. Some guys literally fucked themselves to death. Quality "toys" for lonely hearts only appeared relatively recently, as did artificial insemination programs. So, in the end, she even felt bad for me.

I reconnected with friends from my pre-mutant life but avoided meeting them in person. Xavier's School is one thing; arranging a meetup through the internet? That's just asking for trouble. Asking mutants to cover for me just so I could hang out? Come on, I'm reckless, but not that dumb. I found out that MJ harshly rejected Parker when she finally worked up the courage to make a move. Petra got upset, got laser eye surgery overnight, and ditched her glasses. Suspicious as hell. 

Flash and Harry are officially a couple now, somehow managed to get Nora's approval, and even let Petra into their group. Flash started being nicer to her back when I was still studying with them. We shared a laugh over Thompson's "egghead friends," got a distant "go to hell" from Harry, and a tongue-out emoji from Parker. Honestly… I missed those guys. I genuinely did. Gigi and I messaged each other daily, and I called my moms without fail on weekends.

The only issue was Penny—we still couldn't get a decent video call. There was always some image issue on her end, no matter the device. It wasn't a big deal; we just talked instead. Our first call lasted over six hours, and we only hung up when she had a couple of hours left before dawn. That day, I blew off everything, and Yuriko beat the crap out of me the next day… several times. Still, Penny and I called daily. I even introduced her to Kristi. Thank the Goddess, the Emperor, and everyone else—their meeting went well. They got along, found common topics, and weren't polar opposites in temperament. I was almost happy. All I needed was my dark-haired sunshine beside me. She's planning to visit New York for a week next month, and she's threatened to move into my room, so I can't escape her. I didn't even try to argue. What, do I look like an idiot? She'll head back after that since her mom's treatment is showing results and will continue for another six months.

Penny promised to visit occasionally, and we'd spend time together. Her moms support this, and her birth mom, Sylvia, even insists on it. Penny asked me about my life, my kidnapping, and that video. She also shared stories about her new friends and school. When I half-jokingly and half-jealously asked about boys, she promised a smack upside the head and to show me how much she'd missed me—her tone made that very clear. After our call, I walked around for half an hour with a goofy smile and a serious case of drooling.

Raisa had some changes, thanks to me, that absolutely cracked me up—though only me. One time during training, as she was shifting into her Colossus form, I couldn't hold back.

"Raisa, listen. After you transform, you've got to say: 'Iron Within, Iron Without!' It'll be mega dramatic, especially with that metallic tinge in your voice!"

"Where's that from?" The girl asked, intrigued. "Some kind of movie?"

And then I really got into it. For a good ten minutes, I rambled about the Fourth Legion from "some sci-fi book I read." Their strength, their honor, and their dedication to battle strategy. I conveniently skipped the part where their Primarch royally screwed up but couldn't help myself from sharing my respect for the loyalists like Barabas Dantioch or Kyr Vhalen. When I quoted a line from the "Unbreakable Litany" and explained its meaning, Raisa actually left to grab a notebook and jot it down.

Now she proudly struts around wearing T-shirts with the Legion's symbol that I sketched for her, and prints on the back that read:

"From iron cometh strength! 

From strength cometh will! 

From will cometh faith! 

From faith cometh honour! 

From honour cometh iron!"

And I have to admit, when she transforms and drops the line, "Iron Within, Iron Without!" it hits differently. Honestly, it feels like the phrase was made for her.

Today was Friday, and outside the window, snow was falling. A pleasant exhaustion from all the tasks and training settled over me. After sending goodnight wishes to my friends and family, and a last message to Penny, I fell into a satisfied sleep. Tomorrow was the weekend. Although with my intensive prep, "rest" would only last about three to four hours. Oh well. Once school is over, life should get easier… unless I come up with something new to complicate it.

I was sitting on a plastic chair. Across from me sat a figure drawn in graphite pencil, their face entirely shaded. The surroundings? Utterly unfamiliar. Somehow, I knew this figure was amused. How do I describe it… A faint sense of delight? Appreciative curiosity, laced with playful irony? Yeah, something like that. I could feel they were about to "tell" me a joke.

Not far from us, a black-and-white sketch started forming, like it was being drawn with the same pencil that created my "companion." The scene showed a woman riding a massive motorcycle down a road. A black leather jacket with metal accents, heavy combat boots, and sturdy jeans completed her look. Her face was hard to make out, though, because beneath it glowed a flaming skull.

I knew she was headed to New York. I knew she was irritated, curious, and struggling to piece together her memory. She was trying to remember—had she ever had a son? Or any male relatives?

Honestly, the sight gave me goosebumps. But why? What did this have to do with me? My companion radiated another wave of amusement, and the image shifted:

Stryker's office. I was holding her by the head, and above my own floated a comic-style speech bubble that read:

"You are guilty. Look into my eyes. Your soul is stained with the blood of the innocent. FEEL! THEIR! PAIN!"

The realization hit me like a sledgehammer, and my goosebumps hopped onto Harleys to stage a full-blown biker bar brawl across my spine. This was exactly what I didn't need.

Meanwhile, my pencil-drawn neighbor was absolutely losing it with laughter. I knew I hadn't interested him at first—then came mild curiosity, followed by amusement—but now, he was outright thrilled. He was invested. And, apparently, he wanted to give me a gift.

A speech bubble appeared above his head, and as I read it, the bizarre "dream" ended. I woke up to find Yuriko Oyama standing over me, dressed in outdoor gear and holding a stack of items under one arm. Judging by the darkness outside, it was still the middle of the night.

As I stared at the woman in confusion, two questions rattled around my brain: What the hell was she doing here? And what the hell did "You'll get your Dojutsu" mean from the pencil guy?