Chapter 16
The next day, after breakfast, Erik found himself in the nursery with David and Peter.
Today was a test day for the students, meaning Charles would be gone for a few hours. Before leaving, he had encouraged Erik to take this time to talk to Peter—to grow more comfortable with each other's presence.
And so, that was how Erik and Peter ended up in the nursery together.
Peter seemed slightly hesitant, not just around Erik—which was understandable—but also around the baby, his stepbrother.
"You can hold him; he can't bite yet."
Peter smiled slightly at that.
It felt a bit strange to think of himself as an older brother. At first, he had wondered if he might feel jealous—after all, David had their father from the moment he was born, while Peter had grown up without him. But he didn't feel jealous. He just felt... content.
He couldn't change the past, and there was no point in dwelling on the years he'd spent without his father.
Erik reached down and scooped David up from the floor, adjusting the baby's weight in his arms before handing him over to Peter.
Peter hesitated for only a second before accepting the baby, cradling him a little awkwardly at first. David blinked up at him, studying his face with wide, curious eyes. Then, after a moment of silent observation, he broke into a toothless grin.
Peter felt something shift in his chest. He hadn't expected such an immediate reaction, like David already knew him somehow—like family was just something instinctual to him.
"He likes you," Erik remarked, watching the interaction closely.
Peter huffed a small laugh, glancing down at David. "Guess I must have a friendly face."
David cooed in response, reaching out with tiny fingers, grasping at the silver rings Peter wore. His grip was surprisingly strong for someone so small.
"Or maybe he just likes shiny things," Peter added, smirking as he let David tug at his fingers.
Erik smiled at the scene, watching his two sons interact. It was still strange, seeing them together like this—one so new to the world, the other having spent so much of his life without him. And yet, something about it felt right.
After a moment, Peter spoke honestly. "I can't lie—this is all so... unexpected." He sighed, shifting his hold on David as if grounding himself. "I don’t even know how to explain it. I mean, I spent years thinking I didn’t have a dad, and now here we are. And not only do I have a dad, but I’ve also got a baby brother?" He huffed a short, breathy laugh. "Life’s weird."
Erik nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I know what you mean."
They didn’t speak after that, simply settling into the quiet, letting it say what words couldn’t. The nursery was peaceful, filled only with the soft sounds of David’s quiet babbling and the occasional rustle of fabric as he shifted in Peter’s arms.
Peter glanced down at his little brother, watching the way David’s tiny fingers curled and uncurled against his sleeve. He felt strangely at ease—something he wouldn’t have expected a few weeks ago. If someone had told him then that he’d be standing here, holding his baby brother, with his father just a few feet away, he would have laughed it off as some ridiculous fantasy.
Yet here he was. And it wasn’t weird. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It just... was.
Erik, too, seemed content, his gaze soft as he watched his sons. He wasn’t the type to fill silence with empty words, and Peter found that, for once, he didn’t mind. There was no need to rush, no pressure to force something neither of them was ready for.
They had time.
Months, years, a lifetime to figure this out—to figure them out.
For now, just existing in the same space was enough.