Metalhead (X-Men - OC)

[EmperorOfHeavyMetal]

*FASTER THAN A BULLET, TERRIFYING SPEED…*

João Teixeira woke up startled as Painkiller by Judas Priest was playing. That was the song he set as his alarm clock on his phone. He picked it up and turned the alarm off. He then groaned. It was Monday again after all.

"Ugh, back to school…" He slowly stood up and dragged his feet to the restroom to take his morning shower. João strongly disliked school since he struggled at socialising and also had to deal with bullies. He was 15 years old and a 9th grader.

After taking a shower, he brushed his teeth and looked at himself in the mirror. 174cm tall, skinny, unathletic, pasty white and a new pimple on his chin.

"Fuck…" He let out a deep sigh. "I hate myself…" He left the restroom with a depressed look on his face. He then went to the living room and there was toast and a strawberry yoghurt on the table.

"Good morning!" His mum smiled. She was finishing her breakfast while watching the news on TV. "Ready for a new school week, dear?"

"Of course..:" João rolled his eyes as he slumped onto the chair. He scarfed on his breakfast as usual. The teenage boy loved to eat. He was still growing, after all. It made sense for him to have a voracious appetite, like all teenage boys did.

---

Xavier was looking up some information on the supercomputer Cerebro in the Institute.

"What now, another mutant?" Logan groaned, with his usual surly tone.

"Correct, Logan." Xavier nodded, without taking his eyes off Cerebro.

"At this point we'll lose track of how many of us are out there." Logan folded his arms.

"We'll never be anywhere near the majority of the world's population, but there's probably enough of us out there that could populate an entire country." Xavier explained.

"A country with only mutants?" Logan chuckled. "As if mankind would ever allow that." He scoffed.

"Merely a hypothesis, Logan." Xavier glanced at Logan. "Remember, our goal is to get mankind to accept us and realise we're not a menace to society.

"I know. Just messing." Logan raised his hand defensively. "Anyway, where is this supposed new mutant? You seem unable to find it."

"Because their powers haven't manifested themselves yet." Xavier explained. "Therefore it's impossible to pinpoint their exact location. Let alone their identity."

"Whatever." Logan shrugged and turned around. "I'm going to tell the kids to go do some drills."

"Please do that." Xavier smiled slightly.

---

The train has reached João's metro station destination. He hopped out and climbed up the stairs. At the top, he turned right and walked in the direction of his school. He entered it and braced himself for the upcoming week.

"Bom dia, senhor Vasco." (Good morning, Mister Vasco). He greeted the doorman.

"B'dia." (Morning). Mister Vasco nodded and muttered, clearly paying more attention to whatever he was reading on his laptop. As João walked past his desk, he noticed mister Vasco was reading the news on the website of a sensationalist media outlet, as usual.

"Figures." João rolled his eyes as he muttered quietly and climbed up the stairs. He then walked down a corridor and entered the open recess area where everyone hangs out during breaks. He looks around nervously, hoping none of his bullies are there yet. He takes a seat on a bench and observes other kids chatting, playing football and basketball. As usual, he was spending the break alone. He had, maybe, a couple of people he'd call friends. And they clearly weren't enough to protect him from the bullies. João also noticed some couples kissing and holding hands. As a 9th grader, he was starting to see his peers getting girlfriends more and more often. A phenomenon that started in 7th grade, but only among early bloomers. In 8th grade, it was also still not standard. But now? It was getting closer to that. Not that it affected João, per se, but he did wonder how it felt…

"Hey, look who it is!" João looked up, snapping out of his thoughts. It was a tall blondeish guy with a smug face. He was one of his bullies.

"Oh, great, it's you…" João rolled his eyes and stood up. "The hell do you want?" And asked him with an annoyed voice.

"To play with you, of course!" He pushed João, who nearly fell back.

"PÓ CARALHO"! (Untranslatable Portuguese cursing insult) João cursed at him angrily and closed his fists.

"Oh yeah? Remember, I'm stronger than you!" The bully rolled up his sleeves, revealing his big biceps. He was the most athletic guy in his classroom.

"HIYAAH!" João tried a messy punch, but the bully just dodged and João nearly fell on the floor from losing his balance.

"Hiyah, this!" The bully then hit João in the gut with his knee.

"AAAAAAH!" João yelled in pain and fell on the ground, contorting and grabbing his belly.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" His bully taunted him with a sadistic smirk.

A crowd of students from 5th to 9th grade was forming and watching the fight unfold. Most were clearly feeling uncomfortable with the sight before them. They knew that what was happening was not right, and that a teacher or a janitor watching it would have to interfere.

João got back on his feet and charged at the bully, trying to knock him down. The bully was caught off-guard but managed to stand firmly with his feet on the ground, and then pushed João away.

"AH!" João fell back.

"You have no chance." The bully kept taunting him. "I could kill you if I wanted to."

"I wish you fucking died!" João cried in anger.

"Hah! You're funny!" The bully laughed.

Then, the ground started to get darker, as if João's shadow was getting bigger.

"Look at the ground!" A 5th grader pointed at it in shock.

"Huh?" João, on his knees, looked down at it and his own shadow did seem much blacker and larger, indeed.

"Now, for the final move!" His bully advanced with a confident smirk on his face, little did he know that the large shadow on the floor was climbing up his body, quickly covering its entirety.

"Ugh!" João winced, bracing himself for more pain.

"Time to rearrange your face, Joãozinho!" The bully prepared a strong kick, but he stopped mid-way through it. "What the hell?! Why can't I swing my leg forward?!" He struggled, trying to move his leg forward, but something was preventing him from doing so.

"Huh?" João blinked rapidly as he looked at the bully. He was… engulfed in something black? João's own shadow? And it was restraining his bully's leg?!

"What's going on?!" A random girl from the bystander crowd seemed freaked out by what she was seeing, and the other students seemed very confused as well.

"I can't move!" The bully was letting out a cry of frustration.

"Oh yeah?" João was back on his feet and seemed to be regaining some of his lost confidence. "Too bad." And he swung his leg at him and connected with his stomach hard.

"OOOOOOW!" The bully's eyes nearly popped out of his face as João's hard kick connected on his gut. He then fell on his back as the mysterious black shadow remained wrapped tightly around his right leg.

"What is that shit, anyway?!" João was as perplexed as anyone else as he pointed at the shadow wrapped around his bully's leg.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Everyone's heads turned in the direction of the angry voice approaching. It belonged to teacher Ricardo Fonseca. João frowned as he saw him.

"Of all teachers to see us fight, why did it have to be HIM?!" João groaned in frustration as he rolled his eyes. João hated this teacher in particular because this teacher also hated his guts and clearly persecuted him. Last year he punished João simply for defending himself against a bully, and thus João hated him to death ever since.

"JOÃO TEIXEIRA! THIS IS THE LAST STRAW!" Fonseca yelled at him. "I WANT TO TALK TO YOUR MOTHER ASAP!"

"HE STARTED IT!" João yelled at his teacher and then looked around at the bystanders. "TELL HIM! YOU SAW IT, YOU COWARDS!" He closed his fist. But the other students were too stunned and scared to speak up or just didn't particularly care for João in order to stand up for him.

---

"What is this?! The mutant finally used their powers?" Xavier's eyes widened in surprise as Cerebro began pinpointing like crazy. It was showing a big red dot somewhere in Europe, it seemed. He zoomed in and the mutant was located in the Iberian Peninsula. He zoomed in a little more and the dot was pinpointing to Lisbon, Portugal. Suddenly, a big photo of a teenage boy wearing an Iron Maiden t-shirt and blue jeans popped up with additional information.

"João Teixeira, 15 years old. Seems to have a power of producing shadows?" Xavier rubbed his chin pensively. He has been all alone in the dome-shaped room since Logan left him a while ago. Not that it mattered much, since Xavier could communicate telepathically with other people within a certain range.

"Logan, the new mutant has been identified" Xavier sent a telepathic message with his brain to Logan, who was in the middle of a drill with the rest of the X-Men.

"Ugh!" Logan put his hand on his head. He hated whenever Xavier sent him a sudden telepathic message.

"You okay, Logan?" Scott raised his eyebrow as he was hiding behind a rock in the drill.

"Yes…" Logan replied. "I gotta go see Xavier. You guys keep on doing what you have to do." He pointed at Cyclops and then walked away.

"Okay…" Cyclops seemed a little perplexed at why Logan was being secretive.

"GOTCHA!" Suddenly, someone grabbed Cyclops by his collar. Cyclops turned his head forward and it was none other than Shadowcat, who used her power of going through things to get a hold of him.

"Way to go, Kitty!" Nightcrawler then popped up behind Cyclops, and held on to him, restraining him.

"No fair!" Cyclops cried in frustration.

"Too bad!" Shadowcat grinned. "You lost, Scott!" She teased.

"Seriously, Scott?" Jean Grey looked at him with a frown on her face, clearly disappointed. "How could you make a beginner's mistake like that?" She demanded.

"IT WAS LOGAN! HE DISTRACTED ME!" Cyclops shouted defensively.

Jean just facepalmed hard.

---

João was waiting outside Fonseca's office. His mother was on her way to school, after being called urgently to school by the teacher. João was feeling a mix of anger, frustration, injustice and perplexity. How did he turn the fight around against his bully? What was that weird shadow-like thing wrapped around his bully's leg? And what chance did João have of surviving yet another disciplinary problem that was not his fault, but he got blamed for, regardless?

"Why the hell do teachers ALWAYS punish the quiet bullied kid who fights back?!" João closed his fists in anger and slammed them on his thighs.

"João, come in." Fonseca opened the door and signaled for the teenage boy to enter his office.

João stood up and entered it. Then he sat on the chair across from Fonseca's desk. Fonseca shot him a stern look.

"What do you have to say for yourself this time? Fonseca asked with a harsh tone.

"Why? Clearly you don't believe me and assume I just decked that clown without any reason." João groaned angrily.

"Of course I do!" Fonseca raised his voice. "You have a record, young man."

"Yeah, a record of being bullied and then getting punished myself when I fight back!" João raised his voice this time.

"Don't shout at me! That's rude! Why are you always so insolent?!" Fonseca scolded him.

João folded his arms and clenched his jaw. Fonseca cleared his throat.

"You know, you are getting this close to expulsion." He explained.

João just remained silent with a neutral look on his face.

"Got nothing to say?" Fonseca pressed.

João just scoffed.

"Typical." Fonseca groaned. "You know, João, how can a boy with such a classy mother be so rude and poorly raised?" He shook his head.

"My mother?!" João blinked rapidly in shock. "You dare question her parental skills, teacher?"

"Who else could be responsible for you being the way you are?" Fonseca asked, coldly.

"Is that so?" João scoffed with a bitter laugh. "Guess what, teacher, MY MOTHER THINKS YOU'RE AS MUCH OF A MORON AS I THINK YOU ARE!" João yelled as his words echoed all over Ricardo Fonseca's office.

Fonseca's eyes widened in shock at João's audacity. His anger was rising.

*KNOCK KNOCK* Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard, which took both João and Fonseca by surprise.

"Come in!" Fonseca cried after a bit of hesitation.

"Teacher Ricardo Fonseca?" João turned back on his chair. His mother was here.

"Mum!" João nearly cried his eyes out in relief.

"Please have a seat, Teresa." Fonseca pointed to the empty seat next to João. Teresa sat next to her son and smiled at him softly in order to ease him.

"Why have you called me from work? Where's the urgency? João seems fine." Teresa asked, perplexed.

"He is fine, yes…" Fonseca frowned. "But Bernardo is not."

"Bernardo?" Teresa blinked twice, recognising that name. "Bernardo Bettencourt?" She asked to confirm it was the safe one she thought about.

"Correct." Fonseca nodded. "João assaulted him during recess earlier today."

"Why?" Teresa glanced at João briefly, before looking back to Fonseca again. "Because Bernardo provoked him or hit him once again and all my son did was defend himself?" She frowned.

"No. Your son has caused way too many disciplinary problems in this school by now, Teresa. And looks like he's been lying to you as well…" He gave João a hateful look.

"My son is not a liar, teacher!" Teresa cried in indignation.

"Parents often don't know the true colours of their children…" Fonseca sighed.

"Neither do teachers know of the students who kiss up to them." João boldly blurted out with a sarcastic tone.

"See?!" Fonseca pointed at João as he looked at Teresa.

"See what, teacher?" Teresa folded her arms as she looked at Fonseca dryly.

"Your son is so rude! He literally called me a moron before you walked in and had the nerve of saying you'd be in agreement with his words as well!" He cried.

Teresa stared at Fonseca in silence for a while and then looked at João for a while as well. She then went back to looking at Fonseca. She seemed to be, not necessarily in shock, but quite frankly surprised that her son uttered such words to a teacher's face.

"And he's right about that." Teresa broke the silence with a stern look on her face.

João couldn't help but muster a smirk.

"Excuse me?!" Fonseca was shocked at Teresa's words. He could not have heard that right.

"Teacher." Teresa stood up and also signaled to her son to stand up, which he did. "My son has been unhappy in this school for a couple of years now. It's clear to me that you don't like him and are failing to do your job as an educator. Your lack of pedagogical skills are, quite frankly, appalling!" Teresa delivers her criticism in a firm, yet calm tone.

"Parents do not tell teachers how to do our jobs!" Fonseca cried.

"I'm also a teacher, and you bring shame to our profession!" Teresa now raised her voice. "Let's go, son." She looked at João, who nodded and followed her.

"João will most likely be expelled!" Fonseca shot up from his chair and cried.

"No, he won't." Teresa looked at Fonseca as she opened the door. "I'm submitting a transfer request to transfer João from this school to another one… the one I work at." She explained coldly, before leaving Fonseca's office with her son and shutting the door.

---

"A new mutant has been discovered?" Scott asked, somewhat surprised, while standing in the middle of the main room of the Institute.

"So I've heard." Ororo nodded.

"Was ist this one like?" Kurt asked as he rubbed his temple.

"That I don't know." Ororo shook her head.

"Mister Logan and the Professor went looking for him, then?" Kitty asked.

"Where did this one pop out?" Rogue asked, right after sipping some cold water.

"I'm not sure. But he's from abroad." Ororo looked pensive.

"Is he a fellow skateboarder?" Evan smirked as he carried his skateboard under his arm.

"Evan, there's no way I can know such a detail." Ororo answered her nephew with a look that was half-dry, half-amused.

"We'll just have to wait until they return." Jean pointed out to the room.

"The more the merrier, I'd say." Bobby chuckled.

"Another student will be added to the team, then. If it's a teenager, that is." Mr. McCoy rubbed his chin.

"Why was Logan being secretive about it, though?" Scott raised his eyebrow. "Him and the Professor are never vague or try to hide from us whenever a new mutant is identified. Especially not one that might join our team."

"That is a good point…" Kitty looked pensive.

"Don't overthink it, everyone." Ororo said. "Logan just simply did not want to interrupt your drill earlier today." She explained.

"Ja, makes sense." Kurt slammed his palm with his fist.

---

"Mum, thank you so much for standing up for me in school against Costanza." João smiled at Teresa in borderline adoration.

"Costanza?" Teresa raised her eyebrow in amusement.

"Yeah, that's the nickname I gave teacher Fonseca." João explained.

"Why? Because he's bald like George from Seinfeld?" Teresa chuckled.

"Yeah… bald and stupid!" João laughed.

"Anyway." Teresa cleared her throat. "You should not have called your teacher a moron to his face, dear." And gave him a serious look. "Even if this one very much deserved it."

"I know, sorry!" João lowered his head in shame.

"Anyway, don't worry." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "At my school you will not suffer from bullying ever again." She smiled softly.

Suddenly, something black came out of João's hands.

"What on Earth?!" João was in shock as he saw the black substance coming out of his hands.

"João?! What is happening?!" Teresa cried in shock and concern.

"I don't know!" João cried as his hands kept shooting the black substance that was wrapping itself around random items in the household, from chairs, to books, to the Nintendo Switch, etc. After a while, it stopped.

"Dear! Are you alright!" Teresa rushed over to her son and checked his hands.

"I don't know!" João cried in fear.

*DING DONG* The bell suddenly rang, which surprised mother and son.

"Mum, are you waiting for someone?" João blinked twice.

"No…" Teresa shook her head and then walked over to the door. She peeped into the hole and saw two men standing outside in the hallway. One of them being in a wheelchair.

"Quem é?" (Who is it?) She asked with a rather confused and worried tone.

"What did they say?" Logan looked at Xavier.

"Most likely wondering who we are." Xavier explained. "Teresa Teixeira?" Xavier asked with a thick accent, clearly giving him away as a non-Portuguese speaker.

"Sim?" (Yes?)

"Tsk. How are we going to communicate with a woman whose language we don't speak?" Logan groaned impatiently.

"That is indeed a hassle." Xavier nodded.

But, suddenly, the door opened and Teresa stood in the doorway.

"Mrs. Teixeira…" Xavier blinked in surprise as he looked at the attractive middle aged woman with dark brown hair and green eyes.

"Posso ajudar?" (Can I help you?) She raised her eyebrow.

"Lady, do you speak English?" Logan asked with his gruff voice.

"Yes?" Teresa raised both her eyebrows this time. "Are you two gentlemen foreign?" She asked.

"...yes." Xavier tried to get back on track, feeling somewhat relieved that this woman spoke English, and thus they could communicate properly with her. "We'd like to talk to you about your son, João." He calmly explained as he butchered the pronunciation of her son's name like most native English speakers do.

"And why's that?" She frowned and looked at them distrustfully and also with perplexity. Who were these two foreign men? Why did they want to talk to her about João? And how did they even know about her son, anyway?!

 

[EmperorOfHeavyMetal]

João had his head practically spinning. He was just a teenage boy yesterday who dealt with bullying in school and now he was on a flight to the US with his mother and two strange men whom he met less than a week ago. They told his mum that he was a mutant and that it would be best for him to join Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, in order for him to get help for his predicament.

The four individuals weren't even taking a regular commercial flight, but something called the X-Jet, which was unlike any other plane that João and Teresa had been on. Logan was piloting it, while Xavier was further explaining to both João and Teresa what would happen from then on.

"João, you are a very gifted young man." Xavier clasped his fingers.

"I find that hard to believe…" João rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"But it is true." Xavier furrowed his eyebrows. "Mutants are less than 1% of the world's population, and you are one, just like me and Logan and your future classmates.

"I worry about my son's education…" Teresa said, sounding worried.

"João will enroll at Bayville High School." Xavier smiled reassuringly.

"What about mum? Where will she work?" João asked.

"You will work at Bayville Middle School, Mrs. Teixeira." Xavier explained. "We will take care of that fast as well."

"OK, but how about our visas? Don't we need one to enter the United States?" Teresa raised her eyebrow.

"It's all been taken care of by us at the Institute, Mrs.Teixeira." Xavier raised his hand.

"Just who are you guys??" João asked with a mix of fear and increased confusion.

"We are the X-Men, João." Xavier smiled.

"The X-Men?" Teresa furrowed her eyebrows. "What kind of name is that?" She folded her arms.

"It's a name for us mutants at the Institute. The X comes from the x-gene, which is the gene that causes us to mutate, in the first place." Xavier explained.

"But how can my son have such a gene?!" Teresa just couldn't believe it. "No one in our family has had superpowers!" She exclaimed.

"The x-gene, Mrs. Teixeira, does not work like your typical gene for, let's say, hair or eye colour, does." Xavier pointed out.

João just looked at his open hand palms, still confused and scared about his so-called mutant powers. Did this mean he was some sort of freak?

The X-Jet was pretty remarkable not only in terms of design, but also in terms of speed. It was faster than any other commercial aircraft on Earth. A flight that normally would have taken about 8 hours, took half of that at best. They had arrived at their destination: Bayville, New York, USA. The X-Jet landed in the bunker of the Institute.

"And we're here." Logan turned around and looked at João and Teresa.

Xavier nodded and the door opened. João peaked outside and his jaw nearly dropped at the sight of the bunker. Both him and his mother stepped out as did Xavier and Logan. Or, more like, Xavier rolled out since he's bound to a wheelchair. The 4 went to Xavier's office and João and Teresa sat down. Xavier gave the mother a set of keys.

"These are the keys to your apartment we got for you, Mrs. Teixeira." Xavier put his fingers together as he explained. "It's about a 30 minute car ride from here. And these are your car keys, by the way." He gave her another key. "We were able to get you a cheap, used but reliable car."

"Thanks… I didn't expect such a level of generosity." Teresa smiled. She was taken aback.

"João will be living here from now on, but in case you change your mind and decide to withdraw him from the Institute or João decides to quit, you will be reachable. That's why we moved both of you to the US, Mrs. Teixeira." Xavier smiled.

"Will he really be fine here?" Teresa protectively placed a hand on João's shoulder.

"Our Institute is very well reputed and, by far, the safest place in the world for mutants, Mrs. Teixeira." Xavier reassured her.

João was a little distracted looking at the windows. It was night time.

"It's getting very late." Xavier checked his watch. "Logan, accompany Mrs. Teixeira to her car outside. As for you, João, follow me." Xavier rolled away and João looked at Teresa with hesitation. Teresa smiled softly at him and gave him a quick hug before following Logan out of the office. João then followed Xavier down a large empty hall. He wanted to ask why the Institute was so empty, but Xavier told him not to make any noise.

"Right, I guess everyone is sleeping by now…" João whispered quietly as followed Xavier down the hall.

Xavier finally stopped next to a door and opened it gently and quietly. He motioned for João to go inside.

"This will be your bedroom, João." Xavier pointed out.

João nodded and entered it. The bedroom was a bit larger than the one back in his apartment. But it had no personality. It looked more like a generic hotel bedroom. No decoration. But it looked clean. The main difference was it lacked a bathroom. João groaned quietly, dreading the fact he'd have to share a common bathroom with other students.

"Tomorrow…" Xavier broke the silence. "Breakfast will be served at 7AM. And then you will be heading to Bayville High School, alongside most of your fellow X-Men. You will get to know them better at school. And after school, we will be looking into your powers and see how they can be used and to which extent. Now I suggest you get in bed and get some good rest, young man." Xavier smiled after being done with his explanation. "Oh, and by the way…" He had something else to say. "Don't use your powers in front of others. We must keep the existence of mutants a secret for now." He warned before leaving the bedroom and closing the door, leaving João all alone in his new bedroom.

João took a deep sigh and slowly sat and lay down on his new bed. It was comfy and didn't seem to have any bed bugs.João took a deep sigh. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Not only did he find out he was a mutant but he also was basically 'forced' to leave his home country for a foreign one.

"I'm going to be basically living in a boarding Institute as if I'm some kind of orphan..." João's eyes widened in realization. "This is like an orphanage?!" He grabbed his head and buried his head in his pillow.

"Aaah!" He let out a muffed scream into his pillow. He, then, rocked about on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "I wonder if other kids will like me and if I'll like them. Will they just be jerks like most kids at my previous school? And what about those at Bayville High?" He whispered to himself, clearly anxious about his new life in a foreign country.

---

Kurt woke up and yawned. He used his powers and teleported directly to the bathroom.

"AAH!" A voice cried in shock, dropping their toothbrush.

"Woah!" Kurt looked at the teenage boy who cried. "Who are you?!" He blinked twice, not recognising the boy standing before him.

"WHO are you?!" The brunette teenage boy asked him back.

"What's going on here?" Scott opened the bathroom door and looked at Kurt and the strange guy. "Who is this?" Scott asked Kurt as he pointed at the stranger.

"I don't know!" Kurt cried and shrugged.

"Identify yourself!" Scott pointed at the strange element and demanded him to explain himself.

"I-I-I'm J-João!" The boy stuttered and put his hands up in the air as if he was surrendering. "I'm new here!" He explained nervously.

"He's telling the truth." Scott and Kurt look back and see Xavier. "Scott, Kurt, this is João Teixeira. A new member of the team." He explained.

"Oh?" Scott looked back at João. "I'm sorry, I didn't…" He looked a bit embarrassed.

"Ja, me neither." Kurt rubbed the back of his head.

"Let's head downstairs and eat breakfast. João, I'll introduce you to everyone." Xavier signaled for João to follow him. Scott and Kurt also follow them.

"So much for a good first impression." João took a deep sigh.

"Don't mind them." Xavier smiled softly. "It's just that we've had tough situations before and the X-Men are always on high alert, especially when a stranger is spotted in the Institute."

"Huh?" João blinked twice in surprise at Xavier's statements. Just what kind of place was this?!

---

"Hey!" Rogue bristled as Kitty used her phasing powers to steal her apple. Kitty's hand went through from under the table and snatched Rogue's apple off her hands.

"Sorry, but I gotta have that last apple." Kitty smirked.

"Can't you go one single day without an apple?" Rogue groaned.

"Hey, an apple a day keeps the doctor away." Kitty teased.

"You two…" Jean rolled her eyes.

Bobby used his ice powers to make his glass of orange juice colder. He then sipped the glass and let out a satisfactory sound.

"Ah, that hit the spot!" He flashed a somewhat goofy smile.

"That's a clever usage." Evan chuckled.

"Good morning, everyone. May I have your attention, please?" Everyone's heads turned as Xavier entered the kitchen with João, Kurt and Scott. Their eyes also noticed the new strange element. "This is João Teixeira. A new member of the X-Men. He will be living in the Institute with us from now on." He pointed at João.

"Joo-wow?" Rogue raised her eyebrow. "That's quite a name."

"He's from Portugal." Xavier smiled and nodded at João, subtly telling him to introduce himself properly.

João gulped and stepped up. His eyes scanned the kitchen in a mix of anxiety and self-consciousness, as everyone stared at him. He could feel the pressure.

"N-nice to meet you. I'm João." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he introduced himself. Everyone could tell how different his name sounded pronounced by him than by Xavier.

"Yo!" Evan waved excitedly. "Welcome, bro!"

"What are your powers?" Jean smiled.

"Well…" João began sweating.

"João can produce shadows, but his power is still raw and he cannot control it well yet." Xavier cut in and explained.

"Shadows?" Rogue blinked twice in surprise.

"Explains the shirt!" Bobby laughed and pointed at João's metal band t-shirt.

"What band is that?" Kurt, who was standing in front of João, pointed at his t-shirt.

"Rotting Christ… Greek metal band." João slowly answered.

"With the Baphomet and a bunch of crosses…" Rogue described it with an amused tone. "Broody powers for a broody guy."

"I mean…" João tried to explain himself, but suddenly a black shadow shot off his hand and grabbed the orange juice jug on the kitchen table.

"WOAH!" Kitty cried in surprise.

"That's your power?!" Scott's eyes widened.

"Das ist crazy!" Kurt was a little shocked.

"Ugh!" João clenched his jaw and looked nervous and confused. He pulled his arm, and the shadow coming out of it also pulled the jug of orange juice with it. The jug basically hit João on the stomach and fell on the floor, breaking.

*CRASH* The sound of the glass jug shattering on the floor echoed throughout the kitchen.

"Ah!" João gasped in shock and embarrassment.

"What a waste of OJ!" Evan cried in exasperation.

"Are you alright?" Xavier looked up at João.

"I'm sorry!" João apologised, feeling very embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it." Xavier waved his hand. "You cannot control your powers yet. Which is why we're going to help you learn how to deal with them."

"How?" João asked, after taking a deep sigh.

"After school, come to the Danger Room." Xavier smiled.

 

[Zerak]

Nice, tis own thread. Is it being reposted here or are you rewriting it?

 

[EmperorOfHeavyMetal]

Nice, tis own thread. Is it being reposted here or are you rewriting it?

Click to shrink...

I'm posting here alongside a couple of other places.

 

[EmperorOfHeavyMetal]

After breakfast, it was time to go to school. Bayville High wasn't that far away from the Institute. It was about a 30 minute walk. Of course, a car ride would have been preferable, but João did not have a car. He was only 15, after all. So he just opened Google maps on his Samsung smartphone, typing in the directions for his new school and began walking, with his black backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, wait up!"

João looked back and saw Kurt and a girl wearing a pink cardigan and a ponytail running up to him. She was in the kitchen earlier that morning, but João did not catch her name. Or anyone else's besides Kurt's and Scott's, really.

"Oh… hi." João greeted both awkwardly.

"Let's walk together to school, shall we?" Kurt flashed a friendly smile.

"Sure…" João nodded and the 3 teenagers began walking.

"So… João." Kurt tried to pronounce his name.

"It's a difficult name to pronounce, I know." João sighed.

"I like the way it sounds, though. So different!" The ponytail wearing girl, standing on Kurt's right side, leaned her head over and looked over at João with a smile. João nearly blushed, but fortunately, neither Kurt nor the girl noticed a thing.

"I'm from Europe too." Kurt smiled. "Germany."

"Guten Morgen." (Good morning) João chuckled nervously.

"You speak German?!" Kurt's eyes lit up.

"Mehr oder weniger." (More or less) João hovered his hand.

"JA, WIE GEIL!" (Yeah, how cool!) Kurt threw his fists up in the air in celebration.

"Your English is pretty good, by the way!" The girl smiled. "You also have a really cool accent. Better than Kurt's." She smirked and covered her hand.

"Hey!" Kurt cried, borderline offended.

"But it's so, like, true!" She teased him.

"No fair, Kitty!" Kurt pouted.

João didn't really know what to make of Kurt and Kitty yet. They did seem like nice people, but João was not used to other teenagers being friendly with him, so he didn't know whether to trust them or not. He got bullied heavily back home and didn't want to go through that all over again. Granted that Kurt and Kitty didn't have bully demeanors at all, but looks could be deceiving.

"You're really quiet, you know?" Kitty walked over to João and looked at him while she carried her books in front of her chest.

"Huh?!" João snapped out of his thoughts as his brown eyes met Kitty's blue eyes.

"Tell us more about yourself!" Kitty smiled.

João just shifted his gaze away from Kitty's eyes. Why was it so hard for him to look that girl in the eyes for more than a couple of seconds, especially when she was standing right in front of him?

---

The Brotherhood was at the boarding house. Mystique, the owner of said boarding house and also their boss, was in her bedroom. She was not alone. Magneto was also there. Both were having a meeting.

"Mystique, I need you to bring me someone." Magneto said with his usual serious tone.

"Who?" Mystique asked with a neutral tone.

"The X-Men have a new mutant." Magneto explained.

"Really?" Mystique raised her eyebrow. "Since when?"

"Since yesterday."

"And what is so special about this one that you need him/her?" Mystique folded her arms, awaiting Magneto's explanation.

"This new mutant has a very interesting power that is still very green. If we help him control his power and unlock its potential, then we will be able to convince him to join us." Magneto's eyes widened.

"A solid plan, but what makes you so sure this one would join us?" Mystique raised her eyebrow.

"I did some background research on him. He was a loner back home and had no friends. He's the kind of kid who can easily be manipulated since he will be in a desperate need of fitting in." Magneto smirked.

"Oh, I like the sound of that." Mystique smirked as well. "Tell me his name and what he looks like, then."

"His name is João Teixeira." Magneto pulled out his phone and showed Mystique a photo of a thin teenage boy of average height with brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin. "His power is producing shadows he seems unable to control yet."

"He will be attending Bayville soon?" Mystique asked.

"He's on his way to school." Magneto resumed "The Brotherhood are still attending school, I hope." And then frowned.

"Yes, they are." Mystique chuckled.

"Good!" Magneto took off and left through the window.

"João Teixeira…" Mystique looked at her phone now. "Let's see what you're all about." And smirked.

---

João's first period was Maths. He sat down on his seat and, a couple of minutes later, someone familiar sat next to him.

"Oh, we have Math together?" Kurt smiled at him.

"Huh?!" João was a bit startled to see him again. "Yeah…"

"Are you good at it?" Kurt asked.

"Eh, more or less. I need practice." João rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Tell me about it!" Kurt took a deep sigh.

"So, is this school cool?" João asked, fidgeting.

"It's alright." Kurt nodded. "Most of the troublemakers are members of The Brotherhood. "He snorted.

"The Brotherhood?" João raised his eyebrow. "Who are they?"

"A group of mutants." Kurt frowned.

"Like us?" João whispered.

"No!" Kurt waved his hands dismissively. "They're jerks who work under Magneto. They're not part of the X-Men."

"Magneto?" João blinked twice.

"It's their leader. A mutant who's basically the opposite of the Professor." Kurt sighed.

"How so?" João rubbed his temple.

"The Professor wants for humans and mutants to live peacefully together. Magneto wants to divide both humans and mutants and considers mutants superior to humans." Kurt explained.

"No way…" João was a bit taken aback by Kurt's explanation.

"He's trouble." Kurt warned João. "And he's our enemy. We fight him occasionally."

"F-fight?!" João's eyes nearly popped out of his face in surprise.

"Das stimmt." (That's right) Kurt nodded with a serious look on his face. "But don't worry. With us, you'll be fine and learn to fight!" Kurt felt his own bicep and smiled confidently.

João seemed too stunned to speak. He had to FIGHT?! Something he sucked at doing? He was starting to miss Portugal dearly.

---

Jean was taking stuff out of her locker when a blonde guy wearing an athletic jacket made his presence known, by firmly placing his broad hand firmly on the locker next to Jean's.

"Duncan." Jean blinked in surprise and smiled weakly at the guy.

"Looking lovelier than usual today, Jean!" Duncan smirked cockily.

"Thanks." Jean said, a bit taken aback by his compliment.

Scott was watching the situation from across the hallway and frowning hard. He didn't like Duncan at all, especially not when he was anywhere near Jean. Kurt and Kitty have told Scott before that he was jealous, but Scott always lashed out at them defensively. Duncan also did not like Scott.

"Virgin Scott looking at Chad Duncan." Scott frowned and clenched his jaw. He looked down and saw an ugly short guy with greenish teeth.

"Beat it, Toad!" Scott cried at him.

"Looks like I struck a nerve!" Toad laughed.

"Oh yeah?" Scott grabbed Toad by the collar. "Say that again and you will regret it." He warned.

"Okay, okay, chill!" Toad nervously apologised and held his hands up in surrender.

Scott let go of him and Toad fell on his butt.

"Ow!" Toad groaned as he rubbed his butt cheeks after landing on the floor.

"Piss off!" Scott cried and walked away.

Duncan and Jean were still talking, and unaware of the little altercation between Toad and Scott. After the bell rang, Duncan placed his hand on Jean's shoulder and walked her to the next class.

---

Kitty and Rogue were done with lunch break. They parted ways for their respective afternoon classes. Once Kitty was alone, a hand was placed on her shoulder from behind.

"Hum?" Kitty shivered a bit in surprise and turned around. She was met with a tall and tanned brunette boy.

"Hey." The boy smiled at her.

"What is it, Lance?" Kitty frowned.

"Nice to see you too..." Lance slightly frowned as well, as he noticed her slight hostility.

"Humph!" Kitty turned away from him.

"What's your problem?" Lance touched her shoulder again.

"What's my problem?!" Kitty turned around to face Lance again, slapped his hand away and kept the frown on her face.

"Yes. I'm here being nice to you and you're being rude to me." Lance was starting to get frustrated.

"You got some nerve!" Kitty cried. "After you and your Loserhood friends have fought with us several times, you expect me to be courteous with you?!"

"The Brotherhood and the X-Men have been rivals for a long time already!" Lance closed his fist in frustration. "And yet you and I managed to go on some dates together!" He reminded her.

"Yeah, because I was naive and thought you'd open your eyes eventually!" Kitty cried. "But not only you kept on hanging out with the Loserhood, but you and your friends have also done some deplorable things! Face it, Lance, you're nothing but a hood!" Kitty pointed at him.

"Is that so?" Lance's eyes widened at Kitty's accusation. "You think that lowly of me, Kitty?" His tone had a bit of hurt in it.

"Damn right!" Kitty didn't back off and yelled in his face. "I thought you were just a wannabe bad boy with a heart of gold deep down, but I was wrong. You're not a good guy at all!" Kitty turned around again and walked away from Lance, leaving him all alone in the hallway.

"Fuck!" Lance cursed in frustration and used his earthquake powers to shake the hallway walls slightly.