To Love The Children More Than Yourself

The ‘School for Gifted Youngsters’ card that Peter kept from Charles’ wallet was currently in his hands being fidgeted with as he recalled the man and his companions when they arrived at his house. He still remembers the day he met Charles, Hank, and Logan ten years ago to help break out his dad—

Nope. No. Nuh uh. Not going down that road. 

Peter still didn’t know how to feel about that piece of information, and it has been ten years, which is a very long time for Peter to sit with any piece of information, let alone think of what to do about it. He still remembers the thrill of meeting people like him and his sisters. The feeling of being able to talk about his powers and use them without feeling judged or feared. It was really cool, until the man he broke out ended up trying to assassinate the President on national television, and now people hate their kind even more. As if life didn’t already suck for mutants.

Then he grimaces as he remembers the way his family reacted to the news of what he did — accidentally but not so accidentally breaking Erik out of the Pentagon — and the confirmation that Erik was his mom’s lover and ended up becoming an unintentional sperm donor. Peter still remembers the anger and disappointment in Wanda’s eyes as she learned about what Erik did — killed JFK — and how this impacted their family, and still is. 

She was beyond furious, where she didn’t hate Erik before knowing of him, but now she has some resentment lingering after seeing the news. Most of it was on behalf of their younger sister, Lorna, who as it turns out was triggered by seeing Erik manipulate metal. Peter only understood bits and pieces from what Wanda recounted, but Wanda wasn’t entirely sure herself either on why Lorna reacted the way she did. All they really know was that she remembered the day her parents died, that her mom spoke to her husband about Erik and how it was a one night stand, which upon hearing that piece of information made Peter realize in complete shock — and a little bit of cheerfulness — that Lorna had a high percentage rate of being their half sister. Then Wanda informed him that Lorna’s birth mother had revealed that information and had caused an argument between Lorna’s parents which led to their deaths. Peter had many questions and suspicions about the cause of their deaths and Lorna’s potential relation to Erik, but each time he attempted to bring them up to Lorna throughout the years, Wanda would shut him down. 

Lorna is much more stable now and doesn’t cower or go into a full on panic-attack meltdown at the mention of Erik, but she still has issues with trusting her powers now that she knows how dangerous it is for mutants in the world. She also knows that her particular mutation is too similar to Erik, so the less she uses it in public, the less attention is drawn to their family.

As for Wanda, she tried to live a normal life, ignoring any news about Erik. Peter knew that she was upset at the man because of how Erik’s behavior is impacting mutants, but Peter suspects that she was also angry that their father was a man of such great power, and Wanda had great power , so Peter assumed she hated that connection they shared. Peter had brought it up one time, but Wanda seemed to close herself off, and it felt strange to not know what she was thinking. They were twins, and usually they knew how the other felt, but lately, Peter has felt more like a stranger when around his sister. 

It also didn’t help that Wanda decided to go to college and leave Peter with Lorna and their mom. He didn’t mind staying behind with Lorna, considering he dropped out of school, but their mom was a different issue. She was gone mentally for longer periods of time after seeing Erik on the television. When that happened, Wanda took the first opportunity to go off to college, and Peter tried to cheer Lorna up by telling her that she had her own room. It worked for the four years that Wanda was away, and then once Wanda graduated at twenty-two, she bought a house with her savings, just a ten minute drive away. 

It wasn’t until Lorna turned eighteen that she asked Wanda if she could move in with her now that the foster system wouldn’t hassle her anymore, and Wanda agreed. Peter knew it wasn’t his sisters’ intention to leave him behind, but it still hurt a bit when Lorna jumped at the chance to be away from under the roof of their mom, who was turning more to alcohol when she wasn’t already trapped in her mind. Lorna said that their mom drinking reminded her of the men she stayed with in previous foster homes, and who was Peter to force her to stay just because he didn’t want to be alone with their mom? 

He wasn’t selfish enough to ask his sister to stay.

Which is why the minute they left, he ran to the nearest supply warehouse and sped as fast as he could into every single concrete block wall they had. That was the day he discovered he had some kind of superhuman durability and couldn’t injure himself gravely as he sped ran, but Peter didn’t mind much since the bruises still hurt and stood on his skin for at least half a day. If that was the best he could get, then he wouldn’t complain. Plus, it was the perfect release when he was angry, hurt, or troubled, and it worked wonders each time he needed it.

So now, Peter sees his sisters only three times a week when he can and isn’t busy tending to their mom. He decides to stay in the basement even though he’s twenty-five now and should get a job and a house, but he can’t find anything that interests him for long enough, and he wants to make sure he’s home in case he one day finds his mom face down on the ground and unresponsive. The thought should scare him, but these days he can’t seem to feel much for longer periods of time. It’s as if his emotions run away before he can decipher them. Most of the time he’s just blank. Blank and bored.

“Lehnsherr was identified yesterday, in this small town in central Poland.” Peter snaps his head to the television at the mention of Erik’s last name. “Leaders from all communities are urging their citizens to remain calm.”

Peter idly wonders if Wanda and Lorna are watching the news right now and what they must be thinking. Magneto , Peter reads the name on the screen right under the image of Erik threatening the President. What happened this time? It’s been ten years of silence and now this . Peter wonders if Charles will do anything about it. 

“As police and armed forces are mobilizing to find Lehnsherr before he can strike again.” The man continues to speak, and Peter keeps his eyes glued to the screen. Strike again? Who did he kill this time? Peter can feel his skin burning, strange emotions clouding his insides and it’s all too much .

Peter turns his eyes to the card in his hand, wondering if he should visit the school and see if Erik was there. He wonders if he could drop the ‘ Magneto you are my father ’ bomb on him and maybe it could make him rethink his murderous tendencies? Then he remembers Wanda’s words and it makes him unsure if it is the best option. Peter turns his head to the television as he hears the guy on the screen ask the public to provide any information on Magneto. The name ‘Magneto’ feels strange to Peter, as if it were a disconnect from the man under the helmet. It puts space between feeling anything other than fear when speaking of Erik, and Peter knows he’s dangerous, but he also knows that he wasn’t hurting anyone for ten years. 

I mean come on, the dude literally makes a spectacle of everything so why would he kill a bunch of men and then leave without making a grand speech? Peter thinks as he turns his attention away from the card and looks to the screen.

“...contact your local authorities immediately,” the man says. “And proceed with caution, as he is considered extremely-”

“Peter!” Peter tears his attention away from the screen and at the stairs as he hears his mom’s voice. He immediately uses his speed to change the channel and zips to his arcade game, pretending to play. Please don’t be drunk, please don’t be drunk—

“What’s up?” Peter calls, leveling his voice to sound disinterested. He keeps his eyes glued to the little Pac-Man character, his gaze flicking around all possible shortcuts to avoid the ghosts. He’s beat this level for the hundredth time but each game feels different than the last — and plus the game is fun and fast and easy and there’s no reason to not keep playing and my score is over a million so there’s always room to beat it — and then Peter hears his mom’s footsteps coming down the stairs and he makes sure to keep his eyes glued to the game.

Please don’t be drinking , Peter prays. He feels a little guilty for feeling that he’d rather have her mentally gone than drunk and aware of him. He really can’t take another round of her hounding on his inadequacies and all of his screw-ups. Not now.

“Just checking on you,” he hears his mom say, her voice high, but there’s an edge to it that makes Peter’s hairs on the back of his neck stand up. 

“I’m good. Playing Pac-Man,” Peter responds quickly, eyes now boring into the arcade screen. He feels his limbs jerk, causing Pac-Man to run into a wall and get caught by a ghost. He immediately restarts and pretends not to notice his mom flipping the channel back to the news. Peter is as straight as a rod, his heart pounding as he thinks of what his mom might say or do when she sees Erik. 

She’s gonna snap , Peter thinks, his heart sinking. He just hopes Wanda doesn’t blame their mom for his death because he’s so going to die right now. He should stop looking for trouble and actually help out his sisters and mom. Too late , Peter thinks grimly as he hears the news about Erik on the television. Always too late .

Maybe this time I don’t have to be , Peter thinks as he pictures himself finding Erik and telling him the truth. Maybe I can fix things this time.

“You sure you weren’t watching this?” He hears his mom ask. Peter closes his eyes and braces himself to force his features to stay neutral as he turns his head to glance at the screen before turning back to his game. He breathes in deeply before sighing, knowing that his mom caught him. What’s she gonna do? Peter thinks anxiously, forcing himself to stay in his spot and not appear afraid. She really hates when I ‘pretend’ to be afraid. 

Peter remembers the last time he showed fear to her when she went on a drunk rampage. She did not like to think that someone related to Erik could show fear, especially to her. Part of Peter didn’t blame her for lashing out and attacking him that day — he could always just run away so she didn't actually hurt him but he knew he deserved at least a little bit of the anger his mom threw his way so he never moved, plus he was practically indestructible and if he had a couple of bruises it didn’t really matter because he could heal quickly anyways — since she is still deeply traumatized because of Erik. Plus, Peter knows his mom loves him since who would allow their twenty-five year old child to live in their basement and rent-free while he’s at it? If he can repay that by taking care of her and providing her with a healthy outlet that is not directed at his sisters, then it’s not a problem. Even if sometimes she doesn’t want his help — that she actually hates it when he helps — when she’s drunk or so far gone inside her mind. He still wants to be the best son he can be to her after everything she’s put up with from him and his sisters.

“You’re going after him, aren’t you?” Peter hears his mom ask, hearing the smile in her voice. So she’s not upset , Peter thinks with an upward quirk of his lips as he keeps his eyes on the screen.

“You wanted me to get out of the house more, right?” Peter replies with a twist of his lips, failing to keep the sass out of his voice as he recalls his mom’s actual words everytime she was drunk saying, “When are you going to leave already? You just lay around all day and do nothing! Stop leeching off of me and actually do something good with your life! If you keep stealing and doing petty crimes you’ll end up just like your father Pietro!”

He internally shudders as he remembers his mom used his real name every time she was angry or sentimental and drunk. He really doesn’t like his real name. It’s not fair that Wanda has a cooler name and Lorna doesn’t sound bad either, but his name seems to fuck him over each time he’s in public. It’s probably why his mom always uses it when she wants his attention, as if it were a dirty secret and could be whispered in their home out of shame. 

“I can’t stop you. Nobody can.” Peter hears his mom say the last part whimsically. No one on this planet can stop me physically or metaphorically , Peter thinks proudly, but the thought dies when he hears his mom’s next words. 

“But trust me, this won’t end well.” His mom says, and her voice catches. “Nothing does with him.”

Peter turns around, abandoning his game at his mom’s words. Her words sound so similar to Wanda’s that night when their mom confirmed their suspicions on who Erik was to them. I’m not afraid of him , Peter thinks, and it’s true. He isn’t afraid of Erik or what he’s capable of because he knows that the man can be reached — Hell Charles can reach the dude — and Peter knows that he can try. Maybe if he knows he has kids then he can be better for them? The thought dies when he looks at his mom and remembers how children tend to make things worse for parents who already suffered in life. He’s proof of it, and unfortunately Wanda and Lorna have accepted it too. It’s why everyone keeps leaving, and Peter wonders if he played a part in corrupting his sisters the way that Erik’s presence corrupted their family.

Maybe I am being naive and he could seriously hurt me if I go looking for him, not caring whether I’m his son or not , Peter thinks. Would he hurt Wanda and Lorna?

“I’m not afraid of him.” Peter tells his mom, knowing that he must sound like an arrogant child, but he isn’t lying when he says it. Whether he goes looking for Erik or not, he knows that he isn’t afraid of the man. 

“You should be,” his mom replies, staring into his eyes. Peter can see the tears forming and he feels his heart squeeze because he knows that his mom is grasping at straws to keep him here. This is the only way she knows how to show her love and care, and he wishes he could stay but he isn’t meant to stand still, and he really truly believes that he can reach Erik if he tries. He knows he sounds crazy, but it runs in their family — he mentally grins at the memory of the words falling from Erik’s lips — and he has to give it a shot. 

He watches his mom sigh and then roll her eyes as she drops the remote on the table before walking off. Peter squints as he watches her leave without a word, knowing that he picked a side in his mom’s eyes, and he feels like shit because of it.

I didn’t pick mom , he wants to tell her, but he instead chooses to look down at Charles’ card and he knows that he has made his decision. I have to fix this , Peter thinks, if not for me then for Wanda and Lorna. And maybe a little for mom too.

Peter zips into his closet and finds clothes that resemble what he wore ten years ago to break Erik out of the Pentagon. Maybe he’ll remember me easier if I look the same , Peter thinks with a small smile. Once he’s ready, he grabs a twinkie for the road and zips out of the house. 

As he’s running, he wonders if he should pass by Wanda’s house and tell her and Lorna what he’s going to do, and to also check on them since their dad was literally on the news . It isn’t until he’s outside their door that he hesitates. He takes a peek through their window and watches as Wanda hands Lorna a sandwich and the girls sit huddled together on the couch, laughing and talking. They look so happy, and the sight makes Peter smile. 

Don’t ruin this moment for them Pietro , Peter chides. He watches the scene for a second more, time seeming to slow as he tries to keep this image engraved in his mind, before he speeds away and in the direction of the school. You can let them know when you bring Erik back or when you fail to do so and have to apologize for another screw-up , Peter tells himself as he leaves D.C.

Peter arrives at the school, eating half of his twinkie when he senses something is wrong. He stops when he sees the cracks on the road, moving slowly as if they are going to erupt into the air like a volcano is underground. Peter turns to his side and sees a group of kids in a yellow car, all laughing and unaware of the cracking ground. At this moment, Peter knows that he’s the only one who can see what’s wrong and decides to slip his glasses on and speeds into the school. 

He rushes towards the source of the noise and heat, and he finds in the lower sub-levels an explosion — and wow that actually looks kind of sick! — but then he turns around and sees Hank and a couple of new faces. Peter turns back to the explosion and moves a stray metal shard away with two fingers, the actions bringing him back to ten years ago when he saved his dad from a stray bullet. The reminder and familiarity of the situation makes Peter feel grim, and he tries to smile, but his lips are turned down and he just hates these stupid conflicting emotions. 

Now isn’t the time for this Pietro! Peter yells at himself and he mentally shakes himself and snaps back into the present. He doesn’t hesitate to jump into action and take the blonde kid out since he’s the closest to the explosion, and then proceeds to take Hank out and the other new faces. Peter then makes his way up the levels, saving the children from their near-demise and who can blame him for having a bit of fun while he’s at it? If only Charles and Erik can see me right now. Or Wanda and Lorna. Either of them are fine , Peter thinks with a grin as he goes through each room and collects the children, a dog and a couple of goldfish while he’s at it. At one point, he decides to test another theory he had and sneezes into a window, shattering the glass — and that was so badass! Too bad no one saw it — which brings him back to the time he shattered glass over his dad’s head and—

Pietro! Enough! He internally flinches at his own voice yelling at him.

He makes sure all the kids are safe when he makes his way out of the mansion, hearing the explosions before he sees it. He watches in real-time as all the children look at their school, some confused, others shocked, and very few are crying. It makes Peter frown, but he doesn’t say anything as he watches the kids huddle together, calling for Charles and Hank.

“Wow,” Peter says to himself as he removes his glasses, blown away that he actually succeeded in saving everyone. I just saved these kids! Peter mentally screams, his lips quirk up. Peter sees the group of kids pulling up in the yellow car, a mix of confusion and devastation at the school being literal rubble. 

“Where did you…” Peter turns to Hank who speaks but doesn’t finish his sentence. He looks shocked at seeing Peter again, and Peter feels excitement at seeing the man’s face even if he’s a boring doctor. 

“I was looking for the professor,” Peter informs him, not patient enough to wait for the man to finish his thought as he turns towards the destruction. “I thought he lived here.”

“They took him,” Peter hears Hank pant out, his voice hoarse. Before Peter has time to ponder the thought, he hears the children gasp and whisper, pointing at a blue mutant woman, and as he looks at her more, he recognizes her as the woman who shot Erik. And saved the President, which was really awesome of her to do because if she killed him, then he’s sure people would have hunted their kind even more than they were doing. Like, they wouldn’t have stopped until each of them were dead.

“They look up to you,” Hank says to the blue woman, and Peter flicks his gaze to the children. “Right now, they need you.”

Do they? I mean what can she do but change form and try to assassinate my dad? Plus, I’m the one who saved you all and no ‘thank you’ once again, I mean come on you guys really—

“That’s not what they need,” the blue woman replies, ripping Peter from his thoughts and before Peter can blink — which is a big deal because he doesn’t miss anything, wellactually that’s a lie — she changes form into looking normal. Normal, Peter chastises himself, there’s no normal. 

Peter turns his head at the sound of a car turning the corner, and he squints as he tries to take in the kids, knowing that they probably stole the car without permission. He should know, he’s a criminal himself. Alleged , Peter reminds himself, they never actually caught you doing the crimes.

Peter looks at each kid, but his eyes stay glued on the blue looking devil and he can’t put his finger on it, but he feels like he looks familiar. Have we met before? Who do you remind me of? He wonders briefly, but then the guy with the glasses starts to run towards them, all frantic looking as he takes in the school. 

“What happened? Where’s Alex?” ‘Glasses dude’ asks, and Peter turns to Hank. “Where’s my brother?”

Peter doesn’t know anybody here except for Hank, so he doesn’t speak, but he knows he got everyone out of the mansion before it exploded so the kid’s bound to be around here somewhere.

“Pretty sure I got everybody,” Peter replies with a frown. Peter watches as everyone looks around and a sinking feeling forms in the pit of his stomach. I did get everybody, right? He questions himself.

“Alex was closest to the blast,” Hank says, and Peter hears everyone go quiet. Peter hears ‘glasses dude’ start to panic and before Peter can speak, the guy is running through the debris and pulling back stone and wood, screaming his brother’s name.

“You mean the blonde kid?” Peter asks, hoping that’s the one and that he wasn’t too late again. He sees Hank nod and Peter lets out a sigh of relief, the feeling of anxiety fading away.

“Yeah, then I totally got him. He was the first I brought out,” Peter confirms before looking around. Strange, Peter thinks with a frown, he’s not here.

Before ‘glasses dude’ and Hank can ask where he is, Peter zips around the area and looks for him. When he doesn’t find him, he starts overturning debris and finds an arm. His heart rate spikes as he looks at it, hoping the kid didn’t get crushed to pieces from flying debris. Before alerting the others — because why would he if the kid is just a pile of mush and bones? — he starts to uncover the body, hoping the kid is alive and in one piece preferably. When he gets the rock off the kid, he breathes a sigh of relief when he sees the kid in one piece, still breathing.

“He’s over here! Alive too!” Peter shouts, and cringes at the evident relief in his voice. Don’t give them a reason to doubt your capabilities Pietro , Peter hisses.

“Alex? Where?” Peter hears ‘glasses dude’ ask as he stumbles towards Peter. 

“Right here, he just passed out and some debris fell on him, but other than a couple of bruises the kid will be fine,” Peter responds as the dude kneels next to his brother. Peter would have laughed if he didn’t see the tears falling from the guy’s eyes as he cradled his brother’s face, and the sight makes Peter’s heart ache. That could have been Wanda or Lorna , Peter thinks grimly. 

Hank and the blue woman who now isn’t blue rushes to their side, checking the kid out for injuries. Peter stands to the side, unsure what to do since he came here for one reason and the reason isn’t even here. He wonders if he should ask where Erik is, or who took Charles, but before he can voice the question, the sound of a helicopter fills the space and everyone turns their heads in its direction.

“Medical assistance is on the way,” the speaker from the helicopter says. “Please remain calm.”

The phrase gets repeated and Peter turns to look at Hank, but the man is just as confused as him. Peter notices the kids get up and run — well more like the redhead is practically dragging the guy with glasses away from his brother as they hide saying the kid will be fine but they won’t if they stay there for much longer — behind a fallen stone. Smart kids , Peter thinks. He doesn’t move, because if they need to fight, then he can help with that. 

Peter puts his glasses on in case he needs to run and waits for either a signal from Hank or for someone in the helicopter to make a move. He won’t attack unless provoked, especially since the people in the helicopters could be just trying to help. 

When the door opens and men with guns step out, the sinking feeling in Peter’s stomach intensifies. Maybe they’re just cautious since the mansion did blow up , Peter thinks. 

“Hey! Moira MacTaggert!” A woman shouts as she waves her hand around while making her way towards the men. “CIA! Thank God you’re here!”

Peter walks towards the men with Hank, but everything seems a bit too slow, and Peter curses himself for letting his emotions dictate his powers. Sometimes his anxiety causes time to slow, as if the moment weren’t already stressful enough. He blinks himself back into normal time and watches as one of the men wearing glasses steps off the helicopter and removes them.

“Wait!” Peter hears the blue mutant shout and he turns around to face her. Before he can run towards her, he hears the man shout an order and then a loud sound — the loudest he’s ever heard and it actually hurts — reverberates across the yard and before he can think of anything else, everything goes dark. 

When Peter opens his eyes, all he sees is green and he shuts them again as he groans, turning to his side. When he thinks he is awake enough, he opens his eyes and the first thing he sees is a blue furry human sized animal in front of him, and the only reasonable thing a person — mutant? — can do in this situation is scream, and that’s what he does as he shoots to his feet and takes a couple of steps away from the thing. He also has no shame in screaming like a girl at this moment, so he ignores the looks the others send his way.

“What’s wrong with you?” Peter asks the blue thing. “Is that going to happen to all of us?”

Peter can’t help himself, he checks his hands and arms to make sure he’s not turning blue too. No offense to the blue girl , Peter briefly thinks. Peter hears the blue fuzzball groan as he looks at his own hand before sighing and shaking his head.

“No, I just…” the blue fuzzball lifts his hand and waves it, as if waving the nonsense away. “...left my meds in the house.”

Peter is panting now, staring at the fuzzball and he knows he shouldn’t stare, but wow , it’s freaky . Then he hears the voice and recognition fills his brain.

“Hank?” Peter asks.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Hank replies. “Plus, didn’t I already tell you that I turn blue sometimes? In the car on the way to the Pentagon?” 

Peter idly remembers the detail and he nods to himself. I completely forgot , he thinks with a sheepish smile.

“My bad,” Peter replies and then he turns his head to Moira who looks around the room they’re in. Is this even a room? And why’s it so green? Peter doesn’t voice his questions, knowing now is not the time for them.

“What happened? Where are we?” Moira asks, and Peter would also like to know the answer to that. I should have spoken to Wanda and Lorna, oh my God what if this is the way I die? What if I never see them again? This was so stupid! —

“Hey!” The blue mutant woman shouts and it makes Peter jump. I really need to give her a new name , Peter thinks. 

Or you could ask her what her name is, dumbass. Peter finds that thought more idealistic.

“Hello, Mystique.” The man with the shades that made the order back at the mansion replies. Mystique is her name , Peter thinks and is thankful he didn’t have to ask himself, because she’s a little scary and he really doesn’t want a bullet through his neck.

“Major Stryker,” Mystique replies, and Peter tries to get a good look at the man, but he’s so high up and his neck already hurts from the awkward position he was in before waking up. Is this because of the Pentagon? Peter idly wonders. Because that was ten years ago and that’s a long time to hold a grudge—

“Colonel Stryker.” Stryker responds, and Peter knows that he won’t be calling the man by any title he picks. “I wouldn’t get too close to the wall, if I were you.” Peter immediately steps away from the wall, not wanting to test the guy’s bluff. 

“It may create some discomfort,” Stryker continues, and Peter looks at the walls, wondering why he’s even here. 

“I’m Moira MacTaggert,” Moira informs the man, and Peter frowns, wondering if the hit from the impact of the ground to the girl’s head has impacted her memory, because he recalls her telling the man she was CIA and him not giving a shit.

“I’m a senior officer at the CIA,” she continues, and Peter rolls his eyes. They didn’t care then, they won’t care now.

“I know who you are, Agent MacTaggert.” Stryker responds, his voice sounding arrogant and authoritative and it grates on Peter’s nerves. 

“You cannot keep me here, in this-”

“Actually, I can.” Stryker interrupts Moira. “A psychic event just destroyed every nuke from here to Moscow.” Peter’s eyes widen at the information, but when he looks to the other three people in the cell with him, he notices none of them are surprised. It makes him wonder what they were doing before the explosion happened.

“That event emanated from exactly where we found you. At the home of the world’s most powerful psychic,” Stryker continues. Peter stares at the man, blank face and lost as to what he’s talking about. Charles is a psychic? He doesn’t remember learning what the guy’s mutation was ten years ago, but he now wonders how much the man read his thoughts when he found him. No wonder he wasn’t scared of me , Peter realizes. 

The man looks like he’s going to start another speech and Peter’s almost inclined to tell the man that he shouldn’t even be there, that he’s not even part of the school, but he keeps his mouth shut and eyes trained on the man. Right now, Stryker knows more than Peter, and Peter has seen enough movies to know that the less you talk the better, especially if you don’t know anything about what the person is talking about.

“So, you are going to tell me, where is Charles Xavier?” Stryker asks, his tone all dark and everything. Peter would have laughed if he weren’t sure that the man might hurt him, even from behind the glass. If the walls could hurt, he was pretty sure the floor could too, and Stryker was probably waiting for someone to trip up so he could reveal that little detail. I know about people like you , Peter thinks grimly as he looks at the man covered in shadows.

“It’s not him you should be worried about,” Moira says, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “There’s someone else. Someone more powerful.” Another mutant? Or something else? Peter isn’t sure he wants the answer, honestly.

“If you let us out of here,” Mystique adds. “We could help you.” 

Yes! That’s a great idea! As if the man will actually let us go , Peter thinks sarcastically. Do none of these people watch movies?

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” Stryker asks, and Peter wants to roll his eyes and groan and the cliche line. “You can put on any face that you want, but I know who you are. What you are.”

Peter wonders if he’s speaking to Mystique only, or all of them. He finds he doesn’t care, he just wants out. This is worse than anything he’s endured. Being in a closed space with no room to run and no way to get out. This is what I get for trying to find Erik , Peter thinks grimly, wondering if his mom would say ‘I told you so’ if she were here to see him right now. He’s thankful he didn’t involve his sisters in his plan, unable to imagine them here with him and trapped under this man’s eye.

Peter watches the man leave and then he turns his attention to the others, trying to avoid looking at the green light for too long. Squinting doesn’t even help, so he stops and keeps his gaze on the ground, every now and then glancing at the others.

“Hey, Moira, um…” Peter hears Hank speak. “What did you mean when you said someone more powerful than Charles?” 

Peter turns his head to Moira, intrigued by the question as well. If someone were to tell Peter that there was someone more powerful than Magneto or Wanda, then he’d be scared and want to know the answer to that too. Peter watches as she takes in a deep breath, and he’s nearly vibrating in his spot waiting for her to speak. 

“It’s some ancient being that got revived at the pyramid in Cairo. I-I don’t know who or what it is but it’s powerful and he’s collecting mutants to fulfill a prophecy,” Moira responds and Peter is taken aback by the information. Did this powerful entity take Charles? And could Erik be with him? Peter knew the two were inseparable at times as much as they claimed to despise each other, but he wonders if they both got snatched by the entity.

“They called him the Apocalypse,” Moira continues.

“Apocalypse? Like in the Bible?” Mystique asks, an eyebrow raised at Moira. 

“Yes. Although, it was depicted through hieroglyphs in the pyra-”

“So he’s worse than Erik and Charles combined,” Mystique interrupts, arms crossed and looking up as if exasperated by the news. 

Peter would have found it funny if he wasn't trying to think of the world ending because of Erik. Again. At this point, Erik is behind every single Earth shattering news and inevitable destruction that will be rained down on the planet. Peter mentally cringes as he recalls Wanda and their mom warning him about this, and then he remembers why he decided to even pop up at the mansion and end up getting kidnapped along with the actual inhabitants of the school. Peter glances around and makes sure no one is watching him when he makes his way over to Mystique, knowing that she must know Erik enough to want to shoot him in the neck. If she came back for him and Charles as well, then it must mean something. 

“You know him? Magneto?” Peter asks her, feeling stupid for asking a question with such an obvious answer, but he needs to come across as not knowledgeable if he wants an answer.

“I used to. Not so sure anymore,” Mystique responds, keeping her eyes up and trained on the glass window where the soldiers are all watching them on monitors. Hopefully she finds a way out because I’ll seriously die if I stay here for another hour , Peter complains to himself.

“What was he like?” Peter asks, wanting to at least find a semblance of humanity in the man, even if it’s very slim. Was he like his dad? Were his sisters like his dad? He needs to know.

“Was he, uh…like they say he was? Was he…” Peter trails off, trying to find the right words. He jerks his head side to side thinking, always a terrorist? Evil? A mass murderer? A person who wants to commit genocide? 

“...the bad guy?” Peter settles on, his mouth twisted in a frown as he looks at Mystique, hoping she provides a semblance of hope, because right now, it was looking pretty dim for him.

“No,” Mystique replies, a hint of a smile on her lips, and Peter perks up slightly. “I mean, yeah. He was.” He immediately deflates, frowning as he looks to the floor.

“Why do you care so much? You see his speech on TV or something?” Mystique questions him, her tone a little annoyed by his questioning. Peter looks away, wondering if he should tell her. Hey, this is practice for the big reveal right? Lorna always used to say baby steps before jumping headfirst. Peter steadies himself, ready to say it.

“Yeah, but, uh…” Peter has to look away, clearing his throat as he starts to get uncomfortable, shifting in his spot. He decides, fuck it , and just leans into mystique, eyes looking to the side and his lips twisting into a half amusing and half wry as he says, “He’s my father.”

“What?” Mystique turns towards him, eyes wide and eyebrows raised high.

“He and my mom, they did it.” Peter says, using hand gestures just in case she didn’t get it the first time. Honestly, some people are just too slow , Peter internally groans.

“No, I know…” Mystique interrupts, rolling her eyes at him. “Are you sure?” Peter looks into her eyes, she’s looking at him as if he holds all the answers, which is crazy because she’s holding all the answers for him right now. 

“Yeah, he left my mom before I was born,” Peter chooses to leave out Wanda and Lorna for now. “I met him ten years back but I didn’t know it was him. By the time I figured it out, it was too late.”

Peter tries not to think about the fact that he suspected it, and when he received the confirmation from his mom, it was already too late because Erik was trying to assassinate the President. Now, he was supposedly trying to end the world, so Peter feels that assassinating the President couldn’t be too bad when looking back on it now. He sighs internally at what he now perceives to be the lesser of two evils involving Erik.

“Then, this week I saw him on TV again, and I came to that house looking for him, but by the time I got there,” Peter sighs, taking a pause in between his rambling. “Late again.” He winces at the sight of the destroyed mansion, knowing that a lot of people lost a home and maybe if he was quicker, faster , then he could have stopped the explosion.

Peter then looks at Mystique and tries for a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes and it dies out anyways. He doesn’t know why he informs her of going to the mansion looking for Erik, as if she cares, and he doesn’t know why he’s word vomiting to her, but he just wants someone to understand where he’s coming from, to give him advice to figure out if he should really go looking for Erik or not.

“I just don’t know what to do,” Peter admits. Mystique looks at him for a second, searching his face for something and Peter tries not to shift under her gaze.

“He joined Apocalypse because he was vulnerable, and the thing took advantage,” Mystique tells Peter. He shoots his head up to look at her, his brow furrowed as he takes in her words.

“I came back to the mansion after all this time to look for Charles because it turns out that Erik’s wife and daughter, a child , was murdered by the police,” Mystique continues, and Peter’s eyes widen. His daughter? He has another daughter? I had a younger sister? Peter can’t believe it. He blinks several times, trying to process it. I had a baby sister, and she’s dead . Now it all makes sense to Peter, Erik thinks his only family is gone, he’s lost, and he needs an anchor. Peter looks into Mystique's eyes and realizes she is thinking the same thing.

I can’t be that for him when I don’t even know what I want yet , he tries to say with his eyes as he looks at her, he doesn’t even know I exist and if I tell him, he’s gonna think I wanna replace her. That my sisters want to replace her. That’s if they even want anything to do with him. He reminds himself. He knows he came out here to find answers from Erik, to maybe tell him, but now that he knows the man had a kid with a woman he loved enough to marry, Peter isn’t so sure if he should taint that. 

Wanda and mom told you this was a bad idea Pietro , he reminds himself, and he feels his heart clench as he thinks of how long he’s been sitting on the knowledge of being Erik’s son, and now with having been too late to try and save his little sister and step mom from death. If only I’d gone when Wanda was in college, or when Lorna moved in with Wanda, or when mom had gone on her drunken rampage. His life is a series of ‘if onlys’, and there doesn’t seem to be an ending in sight.

“For a guy who moves as fast as me,” Peter indulges, his eyes downcast and voice low. “I always seem to be too late.”

He looks up at Mystique, hoping she understands that believing he could try and help the situation now that he knows the reason for Erik’s turn to the darkside again, is false hope. He will either make the man angry or Erik won’t believe him and then everything will be even worse and for nothing.

“Let’s hope not this time,” Mystique says instead.

“Yeah,” Peter tries to agree, nodding his head solemnly. Let's hope.

Just then, Peter heard a voice in his head and he nearly jumped to the ceiling. He looks around and sees that everyone else is clutching their heads, so at least he knows he’s not hearing things. The voice tells them of a plan to bring all mutant kind together and show how powerful they are in comparison to the ‘humans’. Must be Apocalypse , Peter thinks and then wonders how powerful Charles really is. Was he able to read my mind all those years ago? Did he know Erik is my dad? Peter suddenly feels exposed. 

Just as the voice finishes his speech, Peter hears a commotion coming from the room that’s looking over the cell through the glass window. He turns his head up and sees the little blue guy again emerge from the shadows and look down at them. He really looks familiar , Peter thinks and when he glances at Mystique to see what she’s going to say, he pauses. He sees her eyes widen at the kid, and in that moment, something clicks inside him and Peter wants to laugh. Guess I’m not the only one with secrets , Peter thinks sardonically. 

“Does the kid know?” Peter whispers to her. Mystique’s head snaps to him and her eyes narrow at him.

“What?” She responds, and her voice is deadly, her eyes glaring daggers. Peter almost regrets opening his mouth. Almost. 

“You know, the little blue devil that’s suspiciously got patterns like-”

“Watch yourself, kid . Implying things that you don’t know about can get you hurt,” Mystique says darkly.

“Is that a threat?” Peter smirks. She doesn’t respond and instead tilts her head to the side, as if challenging him. Peter raises his hands in mock surrender and looks up when the kid creeps closer, as if afraid to get near the glass window.

“Kurt?” Peter hears Hank say. Kid’s name is Kurt , Peter thinks, and then wonders if Mystique knows that already or not. He can’t tell by her face if she’s happy to see the blue mutant or not. 

He watches as the kid starts talking to them, signaling at the window, but all they hear is silence and it’s so frustrating because he just wants to get out and the kid can’t even hear them.

“What?” Both Hank and Mystique ask. 

“What?” He repeats, hoping his voice can carry through the glass the way it breaks through it sometimes, but nothing happens, and his voice came out low anyways so it was bound to fail. 

Peter sees Mystique signal at her ear to the kid, and he tries not to get taken aback by her amusing smile. Would Erik ever look at me like that? Immediately, Peter shoots that thought down. Now isn’t the time and he still doesn’t know how the man will take the news.

They watch as Kurt fumbles with some buttons before his voice comes through the speakers, distorted and broken up. Well great , Peter thinks grimly. 

“Stay avay from the…”

“What?” Hank interrupts the kid, and Peter jerks his head, wanting to slap the top of his head because — why would you interrupt him? I was hearing him slowly so I could decipher what he’s saying and you are ruining it! — now it’s harder to hear. Sometimes Peter wonders how adults function because right now, they suck .

“The do— stay away from the…” Kurt makes a gesture with his hand. 

“Door!” Peter shouts at the same time as Mystique pushes them all away from the door.

“Get away from the door!” Mystique shouts, and they turn their backs to the door and cover their faces. Is he gonna blow the door away? What’s he gonna do? Peter isn’t sure what the kid’s mutation is other than his blue skin and devil tail. 

“On three,” Peter hears the kid tell them, his accent thick. 

“One…”

“Two…”

There’s a pause and then the sound of an explosion and Peter tenses as he feels stray debris fall against his back. He said three! That wasn’t three and he didn’t finish counting! Peter wants to shout this at the kid, but he’s scared Mystique will hurt him and he really just wants to get out of here. Peter follows Mystique out of the melted exit and stops when he sees the redhead and ‘glasses dude’.

“We know where the Professor is,” the redhead says.

“I think we might have a way out of here,” ‘glasses dude’ adds. Peter is brought back to the time he broke Erik out of the Pentagon and wonders if this is a family thing. But one that just passed down to the males because he doubts Erik’s daughter went to prison, and Peter’s sisters have never seen the inside of a jail cell, so yeah it must just be the males. 

“Well, you’ve been busy.” Mystique responds and Peter frowns, not understanding why the kids can’t get a ‘thank you’. He would have loved a ‘thank you’ from Erik after breaking him out of the Pentagon when the man practically did nothing and Peter did all of the work .

“We had a little help,” ‘glasses dude’ replies. Peter turns to see if the others assisted the kids, but they all look just as clueless as him. 

“Let’s go,” ‘glasses dude’ orders.

They all follow him out and Peter watches his surroundings in case he has to run and save everybody again, but honestly, he’d rather if they didn’t bump into trouble. He can only carry so many people, and making rounds will tire him out, and he already is low on energy since he hasn’t eaten anything except for half of the twinkie that’s lying on the grounds of the destroyed school. Peter wants to cry just thinking about the half eaten snack left abandoned on the ground. 

As they’re running, a puff of smoke appears in front of Peter and he shouts in alarm as Kurt materializes. Kurt apologizes and as they keep running Peter stares at the kid, both weirdly disturbed by his mutation and fascinated. Peter also starts to see the resemblance between the kid and Mystique and it’s uncanny. He risks a glance at the woman, and immediately tears his gaze away when he sees her look at him, a warning in her eyes. So the kid doesn’t know , Peter confirms, and then immediately feels guilty for judging Mystique when Peter is no better. 

“This way!” ‘Glasses dude’ shouts and they follow him. They come face to face with a door and watch as it opens, moving up, and Peter remembers the sliding doors at the Pentagon and wonders why government people love their sliding doors so much. Just use a normal door, man. Peter criticizes. 

He follows as Mystique makes her way through the doorway and they come face to face with a jet. Peter thinks it looks a little rusty, but if it’s their only way out, then he’s not complaining. 

“Hey, Hank, do you think you can fly this thing?” Mystique asks. 

“Yeah, I can figure it out.” Hank replies, and anything after that is passing his mind briefly because the more he takes in the jet, the more he realizes how crazy this all is. And he loves it! 

Peter’s attention gets drawn away from the aircraft when ‘glasses dude’ calls them. He sees a bunch of suits lined up on the walls and Peter can’t stop the excitement from showing on his face, so he tries to keep his mouth in a straight line at least.

“Flight suits,” Hank observes. Peter counts each of the suits and is pleased to know that each person in their group gets one. 

“You got your warplane, let’s go to war.” Mystique tells Hank, and Peter’s eyes widen. Warplane? Who are these people , he suddenly wants to join them if everyday is an adventure like this. I never thought I’d find the cure to my boredom ever, but here it is , Peter thinks excitedly. 

It takes Peter a second to change into his new flight suit and he taps his foot impatiently as he waits for the others to catch up. ‘Glasses dude’ is the first to finish and redhead helps Kurt with his outfit while Mystique assists Hank.

“So, did you guys get taken too?” Peter asks ‘glasses dude’. The guy shakes his head with a smirk.

“No, we snuck on to save you kids,” he replies. Peter frowns and narrows his eyes at the guy.

“I’m pretty sure they’re not kids, no matter how young they look,” Peter says as he points in the direction of Hank, Mystique and Moira. 

“And you’re not?” He responds. Peter shakes his head.

“I’m twenty-five and probably older than you, kid. ” Peter says.

“I’m twenty-five too.” ‘Glasses dude’ replies. 

“Whatever,” Peter groans out and the guy huffs a laugh in response. 

“What’s your name?” He asks.

“Peter is my American name. It’s really…Pietro,” Peter cringes as he says it, anxiety curling in his gut as he hears it aloud. “But you can just call me Peter.”

‘Glasses dude’ nods his head, making no comment on the reaction or the name change.

“I’m Scott,” the guy says instead and Peter nods his head in acknowledgment. Just then, redhead and Kurt join them and Peter gives a smile to the blue kid.

“Thanks for getting us out, Kurt.” he tells him, and then turns to the others. “All of you as well, thanks for that because it was getting too cramped in there and I was sure at one point Mystique was gonna kill me.”

Redhead snorts in amusement and stands by Scott while Kurt grins sheepishly at the praise.

“You’re welcome, Peter.” Redhead says and Peter’s eyes widen.

“How do you know my name? I never told you,” Peter asks and at this the redhead looks down, a tinge of shame in her eyes and cheeks colored with embarrassment. 

“Sorry, sometimes people’s thoughts or memories flow into my mind accidentally. I’m still learning to control it.” She replies.

“You’re a psychic like Charles?” Peter asks. She nods her head.

“It’s okay, you’re forgiven.” Peter says, wanting to remove the sad and scared look from the girl’s face. She smiles at him before turning to Kurt and zipping his suit properly. It’s almost sisterly and Peter smiles as he remembers helping Lorna into her clothes when it was just them with their mom.

“So, what’s your name? Or would you rather have a cool nickname?” Peter asks her. 

She grins at him as she says, “my name’s Jean. I’d rather just be called Jean.”

Peter nods his head and turns towards Kurt before leaning in and whispering, “I’m Pietro but go by Peter.”

Kurt nods his head enthusiastically and holds out his hand for Peter to shake. Peter grins as he shakes his hand and then his eyes widen when he notices the kid has three fingers. How does he hold things or write? It must be hard to—

Peter is ripped from his thoughts when Mystique calls them all into the jet. Peter grins at the group before zipping inside the jet and fastening himself inside in less than two seconds. His leg bounces impatiently as he waits for the others to follow and he thinks of how much cooler the day is getting. How much more eventful his life is right now since ten years ago when he met Charles, Hank and Logan.

“So, where are we off to?” Scott asks. Peter watches as Hank and Moira get the jet ready to take flight as everyone takes their seats and buckles up. 

“Cairo,” Mystique responds. No one else speaks for a couple of seconds, everyone just wanting to experience the take off in silence. Peter tries not to think of how high he is, he’s not scared of heights, it’s just he’d rather be on the ground where he knows he can run from any danger. It’s a bit hard to run in the air, and he hasn’t developed the ability to fly yet, so he’d rather land over the sky. It makes Peter think of Erik, and how he could fly. Peter wonders if Wanda or Lorna could fly, since Lorna has similar abilities to Erik, so maybe it is possible, and Wanda is kind of like a witch — although he’ll never say that to her face if he wants to keep his limbs intact — so maybe she could fly too? He might ask them to test that theory next time he sees them. Or, I could ask them to help grow their power at Charles’ school and maybe talk to Erik if this all works out? Peter thinks, and he doesn’t ponder the thought much longer so he can’t talk himself out of it.

“Does anyone have gum?” Peter asks. He hears a few mumbled ‘no’s’ and then Moira pulls out a packet of bubble gum and tosses it to Peter who catches it swiftly. 

“Thank you! You are a lifesaver!” Peter shouts enthusiastically. He ignores the huffs of laughter from the others and shoves six sticks of gum into his mouth. 

“Don’t be rude, Peter.” Mystique gently scolds, a hint of a smile on her face. Peter gives a tight lipped smile in return as he chews the gum, trying to get it flattened enough to blow a bubble. Once he gets it the way he wants it, he blows a bubble and is satisfied at how big it gets, making a show of it for Scott and Jean who are watching him before it pops.

“Were you scared?” Jean asks, turning to Mystique. Peter stops blowing bubbles and decides to listen in on the conversation, also interested in the answer.

“That day in D.C., were you scared?” Jean continues when Mystique turns to her, a question in her eyes. 

“No.” She replies, facing forward again. Peter frowns at the answer, wondering if he mistook the furrow in her brow for fear instead of indifference. 

“But I was scared on my first mission,” Mystique continues when Jean sighs. Peter keeps his eyes pinned on Mystique as she looks at Jean. “I was on a plane like this with my friends. About your age. We called ourselves the X-Men.” 

Peter’s frown deepens when he sees Mystique face forward, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she gets a faraway look in her eyes. He’s seen that look enough times to know she’s inside a memory, but where the look always shows hints of fear or anger in Peter’s experience, Mystique looks more wistful. He wonders what she sees, who she sees. He wonders if Erik is a good memory for Mystique, or if he’s instilled fear and hate inside her as well. If Peter weren’t so hyperfocused on her face, he would have missed the look Mystique sent to Kurt, a mix of fear and longing. There was also a trace of pride. Peter wishes someone would look at him that way for once.

“Your brother was there,” Mystique says to Scott. Peter wonders how long the kid was with them, and why he joined before Scott when Scott was older. If Lorna or Wanda had to attend the school, he would have fought to join them to make sure no harm came to them.

“We call him Havok,” Mystique continues, and Peter thinks the name sounds badass. The school is really a place for family , Peter thinks, and then wonders if Wanda and Lorna would consider visiting the school once it gets fixed up. Maybe we could all stay together , Peter thinks, full of hope. Then he remembers that the decision will be up to Erik, based on his actions and what he feels once Peter confronts him with the truth. 

Please don’t be too late , Peter begs as he glances at the front windows on the jet, wondering how much longer they have until they reach Cairo. What will we even find there? How big of a threat is Apocalypse? Peter has so many questions but holds back from voicing them for two reasons. One, he’s pretty sure nobody on the jet knows the answer, and two, he can see the repressed fear in the eyes of Kurt, Jean, and Scott. Well, Scott’s eyes are covered, but the crease in his brow line and his downturned lips hint at his nerves, and Peter can empathize with them all, even if his nerves are for different reasons. He just hopes he doesn’t fuck up telling Erik the news. He really can’t afford that when the weight of the world falls on their shoulders at the moment.

“He’s a real handful, but when it came down to it, he was brave at the moment.” Mystique continues, and Peter sees Scott turn his head away, taking in the words. They know what Mystique is telling them. 

“Vat happened to the rest of the kids vu vent vith you?” Kurt asks, his voice level and calm. “The X-Men?”

The jet goes quiet, and Peter hears Hank shift in his seat. Oh. Peter thinks grimly. He notices that the others haven’t picked up on it yet.

“Hank and I are the only ones left,” Mystique responds, looking into Kurt’s eyes and pinning him under her gaze. “I couldn’t save the rest of them.”

“I told you, I’m not a hero.” Mystique finishes, her eyes red as she looks away from Kurt. Peter frowns in sympathy, knowing that it must kill her to look like a failure in the eyes of her son who doesn’t know he’s her son. I can relate , Peter thinks, not catching the look Jean sends him from across his seat. 

“Well, you’re a hero to us.” Jean replies, turning to look at Mystique. “Seeing you that day on TV changed my life.” Peter winces at the reminder of that day, but glad that it was good for Jean. 

“Mine too,” Kurt adds and Mystique’s eyes snap to his, hope lingering beneath the surface. Peter smiles to himself as he sees the exchange, happy that Mystique gets this, even if it could be more without keeping the secret. When Mystique doesn’t take her eyes off of Kurt, and Jean starts to look between the two, eyes squinting, Peter decides he can do her this favor and draws her attention away from Kurt.

“Mine too,” he says and everyone’s eyes are on him now.

“I still live in my mom’s basement but, you know…” he blows a breath out, looking everywhere but anyone’s faces. “Everything else is, uh…Oh, it’s pretty much the same.” He huffs a breath and looks at Mystique, knowing that she will understand what he’s trying to say without actually saying it. He smiles as everyone laughs, including Mystique.

“I’m a total loser.” Peter continues, his smile fading as he recalls his reality while the other huff out laughs, unaware of Peter’s inner turmoil. He tries to smile, at least glad that he brought the mood up. Even Mystique was smiling. Peter chose to bask in this moment, not thinking ahead and hoping this memory stays buried in his mind, and isn’t another fleeting memory that he will regret not being able to hold on to. 

The clouds surrounding the pyramids are enough to spike anxiety inside of Peter’s bones. He feels the atmosphere in the jet shift into unease and fear as they get nearer, the angry clouds taking up their attention. Flying through it is worse, and Peter finds himself clutching his straps tightly, hoping they don’t crash. 

When they break through the clouds, Peter’s jaw drops at the sight before them. There is metal and sand lifting from the ground and spinning into intricate patterns in the sky and Peter sees Erik’s power on display for the first time in front of his eyes, and he’s a little anxious. He finds it cool but also a little intimidating.

“Seventh wonder, twelve o’clock.” Hank says, his voice ringing loud above the noise of the wind and clanging metal against the jet. Mystique is on her feet and in the cockpit in an instant. Peter admires how quick she was with the jet jostling around.

Peter keeps looking out the window, amazed by what he sees. It’s like the world is turning to dust but being pulled apart first. Like the Earth’s core was flying away in tendrils, and the closer they got to the new and shiny pyramid, the more Peter felt they would be next.

“He has the professor in the center of the pyramid,” Jean says. Okay, good we know where he is , Peter thinks.

“He’s going to transfer his consciousness into the professor,” Jean says, turning to look at Mystique. Okay, that’s not good , Peter adds and Jean flicks her gaze to him before looking back at Mystique. 

“If he does that,” Jean continues. “He’ll have the power to control every mind in the world.”

Erik wouldn’t allow Charles to get hurt, right? Peter thinks to himself, trying to believe it himself.

Peter jerks as the wind blows against their jet, and they start to near the shiny pyramid. Peter tries not to think of the jet crashing or the confrontation with a being that seems to be more powerful than he originally thought. He casts a glance at the others and sees their worried faces and anxious body language.

“What the hell is that?” Peter hears Moira ask. Peter can’t see what she’s looking at, but now he wishes he could because whatever she pointed out is now making him paranoid, and it’s getting worse because he can’t see it.  

“It’s Erik,” Mystique says. In a split second, Peter is out of his seat and zipping behind Hank, peeking through the window.

“Huh?” He says as he squints at the figure below. He sees a figure, floating and surrounded by a sphere of metal pieces, and it seems to be the source of the floating metal and sand. A kind of metal core that is pulling the metal from the Earth. He’s powerful , Peter thinks, and a chill creeps up his spine. 

“You guys help Nightcrawler get into the pyramid,” Mystique orders them, and Peter reluctantly tears his gaze away from Erik to look at her. “Get Charles, I’ll take care of Erik.”

Peter looks back at Erik, eyes wide as he sees the man pull more metal into his little sphere. He chews his gum, needing to work a muscle in his body to quell his nerves, the dude is literally ripping the Earth’s core apart right now, how strong is he?! Peter can’t stop the thoughts from surfacing. 

“How are we gonna get through that?” Hank asks. Peter glances at the man — beast? — before turning towards Mystique. This is my chance , Peter thinks eagerly. 

“I can get you in there,” he says, sure that he could get Mystique to Erik by running. If he could run on walls, then he could run up flying metal. “I came here for him. Let me help you.” Peter looks into Mystique’s eyes, pleading for her to allow it. She nods her head at him after looking at him and he nods back eagerly. He tries to calm his palpitating heart, knowing that he’s probably walking into danger.

“The rest of you,” Mystique says as she looks towards the others in their seats. “Get Charles on this plane and get him out of here.”

“We’re not leaving without you!” Kurt protests, and Peter grimaces as Mystique turns around and away from him, her expression grim. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll catch up.” Peter responds as he glances at Mystique. He really cares about you , Peter thinks as he takes in Mystique’s expression.

“Hold on,” Hank instructs them as he sharply turns the jet to better land by the pyramid and out of sight from Erik. 

They land the jet and Peter is out in a flash, watching the destruction falling on the city. He sees Erik in the distance in a metal sphere, not even looking at the destruction he is bringing and eerily still as he floats in place. Peter remembers his mom’s words about how he should be afraid, and he remembers when Wanda told him that Erik could ruin everything even more, and this makes him pause before turning to Mystique.

“Hank, you go with the kids.” Mystique orders. “Moira will be waiting on the plane.”

“Wait,” Scott calls, and Peter turns along with the others. 

“What?” Mystique questions. 

“Not all of us can fully control our powers,” Scott replies. Everybody still learns to improve even when they can control it , Peter thinks, remembering Lorna who would practice even if she had better control than Wanda.

“Then don’t.” Mystique responds. Or do that too , Peter conforms, wondering how much more destruction Scott, Jean, and Kurt could bring when they just let loose. 

“You need to embrace them,” she continues. “We all do.” In that moment, she turned into her natural form, and Peter would find it nice if it weren’t for the fact that the ground was trembling the more that Erik kept pulling metal from the Earth.

Peter then puts his glasses on and spits out his gum, ready to run towards something that could change his life forever. This could change Wanda’s and Lorna’s as well , Peter reminds himself. He looks at Mystique, gently holding the back of her head as he runs with her in his hold. He dashes across the floating metal, a singular path to Erik and it makes him internally giddy as he thinks about how he’s running on metal that’s floating in the sky, created by his dad. This is like a power combo , Peter mentally screams. 

Peter, please stop yelling! I’m trying to concentrate. Peter’s heart rate spikes at Jean’s voice in his head. 

Sorry , he replies mentally, a sheepish smile on his face.

By the end of the metal floating bridge, there was no other way to go but up, so Peter tests another theory and just goes for it. He jumps, leaping into the air and making it to the top. Peter sighs as he stops, letting go of Mystique’s head as he tries to relax. I can’t believe I did that! He barely has time to register it when he looks up and sees Erik floating right in front of him, encased in a metal sphere and looking equal parts badass and terrifying. 

I’m not scared , Peter tries to remind himself. 

Peter walks up to the metal sphere, pushing his hands against it, but it doesn’t budge. He tries to make his hands tremble, the way he did when he broke the glass in Erik’s cell, but again, nothing works. Huh , he thinks, I guess blood relation isn’t going to physically break this metal death trap apart like an access code for mutations. Peter looks up to Erik, but the man seems to be in his own world, not even aware that they are there. Thinking of no other way to get through, he zips to Mystique. 

“The magnetic field is too strong,” Peter tells her. “I can’t get us in there.” He tries not to feel like he failed the mission as he says it, but he feels the familiar feeling of disappointment and inadequacy seep into his bones. I’m sorry , he thinks as he looks at Mystique, a small frown on his face. 

Mystique turns to Erik, and Peter follows her gaze, trying to see any semblance of humanity in the man, or something other than cold indifference and numbness. Well actually , Peter thinks, I’d rather anything other than anger and hate .

“Erik!” Mystique shouts. Peter freezes as the man turns his gaze in their direction, eyes locking on Mystique. 

“Mystique,” Erik states. Peter tries not to shift, suddenly not wanting to draw attention to himself when the man looks ready to risk it all for any little nuisance. 

“I know you think you’ve lost everything,” Mystique tells him and Peter watches Erik’s face twitch. “But you haven’t.”

Peter sees Erik hold her gaze, his eyes longing and so sad that it makes Peter pause, not sure what to think or do. He has Lorna and Wanda’s eyes , Peter realizes sadly. 

“You have me. You have Charles.” Mystique tells Erik, before looking at Peter. He looks at her, seeing the desperation in her eyes, and he holds on to it, but also feels like running from it. He looks away, glancing down as he takes in a deep breath before looking up at his dad.

We have Charles , Peter hears Jean’s voice in his head and he notices that Mystique’s lips quirk up for a second before flattening again, knowing that she received the message too. We’re in the jet now , Jean finishes in their minds.

“You have more family than you know,” Mystique tells Erik, her voice firm and desperate. Peter knows that she wants Erik to join them, to leave Apocalypse for good and help them not kill the world. “You never had the chance to save your family before, but you do now.”

“That’s what I’ve come here to tell you,” she finishes. Peter can see tears building up in Erik’s eyes at her words, and he knows they’re reaching him. He feels a flicker of hope light up inside him, and then Erik’s eyes slide to his, and Peter is frozen, pinned under his desperate gaze and it suddenly becomes too much and Peter wants to run .

“And you?” Erik asks Peter. Peter is shocked the man is even acknowledging him. Peter feels Mystique’s gaze on him and he doesn’t know what to do . He remembers why he’s here, to actually tell Erik that the man is his dad, but then he sees the man’s desperation, the pain and fear in his eyes, and Peter feels overwhelmed.

“I’m your…” Peter hesitates, eyes glancing around as he looks at the destruction. If I tell him and he gets angry, disappointed or thinks I’m playing a joke, will he kill us all even quicker? Peter questions. He looks into Erik’s eyes and sees the man holding his gaze, eyes watering and so desperate — why is everyone so desperate I can’t-I don’t know what to say — Peter feels his jaw opening and closing, knows that he looks stupid and scared, but he swears he’s not scared. He then thinks of his Wanda, Lorna, and his mom. He looks in Erik’s eyes and also thinks of Erik, and everything he’s lost and could gain, just not now . Now isn’t the time. So he instead says, “I’m here for my family, too.”

Peter sees Erik hold his gaze for a second longer, a question in his eyes, and Peter gets anxious when he sees the man’s gears in his brain work. He can’t have figured it out , Peter thinks desperately, why is he opening his mouth? What’s he gonna say?

Peter doesn’t find out, because the sound of the jet flying behind them startles him and he snaps his attention to it. Peter watches as the jet flies straight up, then flips and shoots straight down. They’re in there! Peter realizes and he sees Mystique’s eyes widen in alarm as the jet keeps speeding towards the ground. Peter’s eyes widen as the jet crashes into the ground, the explosion loud and bright. They just…are they…? He can’t even finish the thought. 

“Charles…” Mystique whispers, and Peter is stuck watching the flames flicker over the jet. They can’t be. Did we just lose? Peter feels hope withering in him, dying with each second that Erik does nothing and the flames grow higher in the jet. Peter sees Mystique snap her head to Erik, and Peter turns to him as well, trying to see what he’s feeling, or if he’ll join them. He isn’t able to read anything on his face, or maybe you’re too scared of what you’ll see Pietro , his consciousness hisses.

“I’m going to fight for what I have left,” Mystique shouts at Erik, anger in her voice. “Are you?”

Mystique doesn’t wait for a response and turns around, signaling Peter that it’s time for them to go. Peter places his hand gently on the back of her head, and for some reason — probably because of a masochistic trait that he got from his dad — he looks back at Erik again. He sees Erik lock eyes with him, and Peter frowns as he sees the man not make any move to help or stay. As if he were lost and numb, but the look in his eyes were begging Peter for something, or maybe he was just begging whoever he saw Peter as in this moment. When Erik doesn’t move to speak, Peter turns around and runs with Mystique securely in his arms.

He releases her when they’re on the ground and startles when he hears a voice shout for Charles, echoing across the city and filling his mind. He sees Mystique freeze, and she looks at Peter.

“He’s still alive. Charles is still alive,” She whispers, relief on her face. 

“We’re not too late yet,” Peter tries for a smile and feels relief when Mystique smiles back at him. Peter feels hope kindle inside him again as the voice calls for Charles to come out, shouting that he knows he’s alive.

“Let me introduce this Apocalypse dude to one of his horsemen’s children,” Peter tells Mystique with a smirk. “Maybe he’ll think twice before messing with Erik when his kid kicks his ass.”

Mystique smirks and grabs his shoulder before leaning in and saying, “just be careful. Come back if it gets too much.”

Peter nods and then zips to Apocalypse, finding it pretty easy with the man shouting. When Peter sees the guy, he’s almost creeped out by the way he looks. Beast looks like a pageant queen compared to this guy , Peter thinks as he looks the guy over. Dude looks like a blue blobfish , Peter ponders.

He scoffs as he looks at the dude, jerking his head as he looks at him, not even close to frightened at the guy who’s supposed to be a big bad villain. He punches him in the face, and then again, then delivers a kick, and watches as he flies around. Peter stops the guy, tilting his head to look him in the eyes, wanting the thing to know that Peter is kicking his ass. He punches him again, this time for his dad and everything he made him believe to want to end the world after ten years of peace. He delivers more punches, no emotion on his face as he keeps his lips in a straight line, not wanting to spend any energy on this thing that is ruining his chances at telling his dad, and wanting to end the world that his sisters and mom live in. I hate you , Peter thinks as he keeps hitting Apocalypse, holding him off a bit longer for the others to get away.

He starts to run around the guy when he feels something grab his foot and hold him in place. He looks down and sees the ground has literally swallowed his foot, and he tries to move it but it won’t budge. Panic seeps in as he looks at Apocalypse and realizes that he’s the one doing this. Shit , Peter thinks as he realizes he can’t move away .

I can’t run! Peter mentally shouts to Jean or Charles, or anyone who’s listening. I can’t run! I can’t run! He’s got me trapped and I can’t run!

“Foolish child,” Peter looks at Apocalypse as he stalks closer, and Peter grunts, gritting his teeth as he tries to jerk his foot out of the ground. Ground is supposed to be safe, it’s my element and I can’t move! Peter desperately tries to get free, but it’s useless and he’s starting to panic. Never has he felt less safe on land, and less reliable on his legs. 

Peter panics when Apocalypse gets too close so he tries to throw a punch, but his speed is useless against the guy and he grabs his fist instead, twisting his arm back and making Peter groan out in pain. The next thing he knows, his leg is kicked and he hears a snap before he feels the blinding white pain shoot up his leg and run through his spine, driving up until it makes his eyes sting. He hears himself scream, not recognizing the agonizing wail that rips from his lips. He keeps groaning, shouting in pain as he hears Charles’ voice in his head call his name. Peter is in so much pain, his cries echoing across the space that he doesn’t notice Erik looking his way or the metal floating in the air faltering. 

Peter is on the ground, groaning and crying out in pain, begging mentally for someone to help him. He really doesn’t want to die, and now he can’t run and he doesn’t want his sisters and mom to die in this world. He doesn’t want to die without telling Erik who he is to him and his sisters, he doesn’t want to die! 

Peter feels his hair get gripped by Apocalypse, and he winces as it’s jerked back, pulling a whimper from his lips. He groans out, in an awkward position and squinting as one of the horsemen is making her way towards him. She’s watching him intently, and Peter tries to jerk his limbs free, but any slight movement to his right leg sends spikes of pain through his entire body and it makes him cry out again. 

“End him,” Apocalypse orders, yanking Peter’s head back and making him let loose another whimper. The feel of Apocalypse’s hands in his hair makes Peter’s skin crawl and he feels cold. I’m scared , Peter admits to himself, and he feels his eyes burn, the world blurring, as he remembers his mom’s words and he thinks how stupid he was for wanting to do this in the first place. Erik doesn’t want you, Pietro , his consciousness leers. You’ve saved him two times already, and he doesn’t even think twice about you as you’re about to die. He’s not here. 

Peter grits his teeth, breaths coming out rapidly as he sees the horsemen get closer, intent on carrying out her order. He sees her produce a blade from her hand and looks at him. Peter feels the color drain from his face and he squeezes his eyes shut, clenching his teeth together as he realizes this is it for him. He feels terror consume him and he thinks of his sisters, his mom, and even Erik — the last person’s face playing in his mind makes his heart clench — and he wishes he had more time with them. He doesn’t cry, but he feels a sob catch in his throat as he thinks about Mystique revealing to Erik who Peter was to him once he’s dead. He’s going to either suffer, or feel indifferent , Peter thinks, and he hopes selfishly that the man feels indifferent so he won’t feel the loss of another child, and if Wanda and Lorna ever want to tell him they’re also his daughters, they can decide that after his death.

Peter hears the sword slash in the air and he braces himself, then he hears it collide with flesh, and he opens his eyes when he realizes it wasn’t his flesh. He looks at Apocalypse and sees that she aimed at his neck, and Peter doesn’t know what to think, but at least he’s not dead. He watches as Apocalypse grabs her neck and lets go of Peter’s hair, making him fall to the ground with a grunt. Peter watches helplessly as Apocalypse squeezes his fingers around the girl. Then she starts to change, and the familiar blue skin reveals itself and Peter wants to scream. No no no no no—

Raven , Peter hears Charles say in their mind, and Peter knows it’s Mystique he’s talking about, and he feels so guilty for hearing her real name without her saying it. I’m going to know her true name before she dies , Peter thinks sorrowfully as he looks at Mystique- No. Raven . Raven is her name , Peter amends, and he wishes he could do more for her. For them all.

I’m sorry , Peter can do nothing but watch as Raven struggles in Apocalypse’s hold. 

“The great hero,” Apocalypse says to Raven, leaning into her face. “You are feeble. Just like the others.”

Peter watches the exchange, wishing he could help. He pants out as he shifts, but feels his muscles lock, protesting against any movement. Peter ignores the wet trails falling from his eyes as he looks up at Raven.

“Charles! Come!” Apocalypse shouts. “Rescue your weaklings!” 

Peter looks down at the comment, feeling Apocalypse gesture at them. Weaklings , Peter already knew this, but now he really has the proof. He feels his arms trembling under his weight, hoping he doesn’t fall and injure his leg even more. 

“Give your life for theirs!” He screams, taunting as he looks at Raven and Peter with disgust. Peter looks in Erik’s direction and sees the man is watching the scene but not moving to help. Please help, dad. Please. Peter mentally begs the man, but he knows the guy isn’t a psychic and a part of Peter knows the man probably doesn’t even care. If he doesn’t care enough knowing Peter now, he won’t care if he knows the truth.

Peter feels his heart drop when Raven’s hands start to fall to her sides, her yellow eyes getting hazy as she starts to go limp. He has never felt so useless in his life.

“Will you do nothing?” Apocalypse continues. Then, Peter sees Apocalypse let Raven go, and she falls to the ground, still breathing. Thank God! Peter gratefully praises. Peter sees Apocalypse standing still, his eyes glazed over, and Peter tries to move towards Raven, but his leg is still stuck and the ground won’t let him go .

Peter freezes and looks up when he sees Apocalypse raise his hand and the house in front of them turns to dust, revealing the others. No , Peter is devastated as he sees Apocalypse grin at them, eyes landing on Charles. Peter sees the fear in their eyes as Apocalypse makes his way slowly towards them. He’s going to kill them , Peter grunts as his leg jolts and stabs his entire being. 

Just as Apocalypse reaches the front, a metal beam drops in front of Apocalypse and Peter’s heart skips a beat in surprise. Another beam drops against the other, making an ‘X’, and Peter mentally grins at the message. He turns his head as best he can to look behind him and sees Erik floating above them, arms outstretched to his sides as he looks at Apocalypse.

“You betray me?” Apocalypse asks as he looks up at Erik. Peter hopes to God that Erik says ‘yes’, because if not, then he will cry. 

“No,” Erik replies, and Peter feels his heart drop. “I betrayed them.”

Peter nearly shouts ‘I’m your son!’ at that but bites his tongue, literally bites his tongue and instead lets out a sigh of relief at Erik’s words. Peter groans as he watches the metal around them lift into the air from a wave of Erik’s hand and watches as he sends it towards Apocalypse. He watches Erik’s power for a moment and then feels a sharp pain in his leg again and groans as he remembers his predicament. He looks down, trying to stay as still as possible — which is very hard to do since his mutation is the complete opposite and is begging him to run — but he has no way to move or get loose from the ground, so he tries to breathe through the pain and calm his racing mind. 

He tries to keep his head low, realizing that either Erik is unaware of how close Raven and him are to the fight, or he doesn’t care, but either way, Peter knows that he’d rather not be in the actual middle of this fight when he can’t move . It isn’t until Apocalypse starts moving towards Erik that Peter starts grunting and actually whining at the metal flying over his head, just inches away. Please don’t hit me , please don’t accidentally kill me dad . 

Peter looks up when the fight takes place behind him, and he sees Hank and Scott a few feet away from him. He grits his teeth as he hears the fire and metal crashing together behind him, and it’s terrifying not being able to see what’s happening. He hopes Erik has good aim, because he would like to not get impaled, thank you very much .

Peter sees Hank rush towards Mystique, falling over her and rolling her out of the way, and Peter knows it’s meant to be cute, but he can’t help thinking that now is not the time . Peter looks back to see how Erik is doing and sees Apocalypse shield himself from any metal coming his way, but Peter feels a sense of pride at seeing his dad fight back. It makes Peter want to cheer for the guy, if he weren’t in so much pain, and if some of this pain weren’t because of Erik not doing anything in the first place. 

“Come on!” Hank rips his focus away from Erik as he uses his fist to try to break the ground holding his leg down. Peter flinches when two laser beams zip above his head and he looks back to see Scott shooting eye beams at Apocalypse, helping Erik. Peter struggles even more when the heat from the blasts and metal start to reach him, and then Hank slams his fist down extra hard and the ground splits open. When Peter’s foot is free, he feels relief rush through him, and it’s enough to make his eyes sting. 

Hank helps Peter up and they wobble their way towards a broken down wall of debris. Peter throws himself against the wall — upset with himself for being such a coward and a loser that he couldn’t stop Apocalypse or even slow him down — groaning as he slides down. He barely registers Raven be placed next to him or Hank running off, too lost in his pain and panting out as stabs of pain shoot from his twisted leg. He keeps his eyes pinned on the broken limb, gritting his teeth but unable to stop the whimpers as he thinks about how bad this all is. If Wanda were here, she would have kicked his ass no problem , Peter thinks and then immediately hating himself for even thinking of putting her in this kind of danger. 

Peter tears his gaze away from his leg to look at the fight, and sees Scott yelling, pushing himself past his limits. Peter winces in sympathy, knowing that everyone is pushing past their limits like he did. Peter just hopes no one else pays dearly for it the way he did. Peter then turns his gaze to Erik and sees the man straining against Apocalypse, whose eyes are pinned on him. Is he afraid? Peter wonders as he looks at Erik’s tight face. He knows Apocalypse scares the shit out of him now, but he wonders if Erik feels the same, or if it’s another difference between them when faced with danger.

Are we going to lose? Peter thinks to himself, wishing he could have said good-bye to his sisters. That he could apologize to them for failing them and bringing more problems to their life since that day ten years ago when Peter broke Erik out of the Pentagon. Would you have changed your decisions if you knew the outcome? Peter asks himself, and he honestly doesn’t know the answer. 

Peter watches Hank get flung away, and Scott closes his eyes, exhausted and beyond his limit as he gets flung to a wall and Peter blanches as the dude gets swallowed by the wall. What the hell! Who is this guy?! Peter then turns his attention back to the fight and sees Apocalypse still standing as if they didn’t even touch him, as if they were nothing to him. Peter turns his eyes to the last standing man. Now, it’s just Erik. 

Erik, who is struggling. Who hasn’t landed a blow or made a dent. Peter watches helplessly as Apocalypse makes his way towards the house where Moira and Jean are guarding Charles. 

We’re too late , Peter hears his motto in his head, replaying on a loop. 

Peter watches the ‘X’ melt as Apocalypse gets closer to the house, and it’s as if the world were moving in slow motion, mocking Peter when he couldn’t use his power but could see their demise unfolding before his eyes.

Just as Peter is about to accept his fate when Apocalypse reaches the front of the house, he sees Jean step forward and the sight makes Peter’s heart spike in fear. No , he silently begs her, you’ll die! Don’t do it!

He watches as Jean starts to walk on air, her eyes pinned on Apocalypse. Peter startles as he watches her hair float up, fire erupting from her skin as she screams. Apocalypse is hit with the blast, his armor peeling off as Jean uses her power to break him apart. Peter grins when Erik traps Apocalypse with metal, making a cage and binding him tightly. Then Scott uses his beams to melt the metal together, and Peter can’t believe it’s working. 

“He’s getting away,” Hank says as a purple sphere of energy is enclosing Apocalypse. Peter feels his heart stutter, but then one of his horsemen shoots lightning at the orb and it breaks away. They’re actually doing it! Peter cheers as he sees them overpower Apocalypse. Peter watches as he turns to dust before their eyes, and when the land settles, all the sand and metal falling from the sky, Peter lets himself breathe in peace. Then his leg sends another spike of pain and he groans out. He turns when he hears Raven groan out, glancing at her to make sure she’s okay. 

Peter turns his eyes away, looking at Erik who descends to the ground and nods at the white haired lightning girl. He tries not to show any trace of physical pain on his face when Erik looks towards him, and then at Raven. Peter then tries not to shift when Erik makes his way towards their direction.

“You should…tell him,” Raven whispers to Peter, grimacing at her hoarse voice. Peter feels his throat dry up at the suggestion.

“I have a twin sister and a younger half-sister, and they’re also his kids,” Peter whispers quickly, eyes pinned on Erik who is getting closer. His face is unreadable, but he’s looking between the two of them curiously. 

“WHAT?!” Raven shouts and Peter winces and then shushes her as he sees the man get closer. 

“ Please don’t say anything! I’ll tell him when I’m ready,” Peter begs. Raven makes no reply, just stares at him with her eyes wide. 

“Do you need help standing?” Erik asks Peter when he stops two feet away from him. Peter looks up at the man, throat closed off. He shakes his head and tries to stand himself, but collapses back on the ground with a shout. 

“Peter…” Raven starts but he shoots her a glare, to which she responds with an eye roll. 

“Just let me, please. It’s the least I could do,” Erik says as he grabs Peter’s arm and lifts him to his feet, holding him steady as Peter balances on his left leg. 

“Thanks,” Peter mumbles, looking down. 

“No problem,” Erik replies before he helps Raven up as well. She begrudgingly accepts it, but then shakes off his hand when she’s on her feet.

“I should check on Charles,” Erik says after a moment and then leaves with a nod in Peter and Raven’s direction. Peter says nothing as he watches the man go.

“You’re a coward, and that you didn’t get from Erik,” Raven says. I know , Peter thinks as he remembers his mom and then immediately feels guilty for thinking it. 

“I’ll tell him when I’m ready,” Peter repeats.

“When will your sisters tell him?” She asks. “Do they even know?”

“Yes, they do. Well, Wanda does. Lorna knows deep down, but she blocks it.” Peter responds. “As for them telling him, that’s a whole other story.”

“You should tell him as soon as you can. It will do him good, and you too. Maybe, it could help your sisters as well,” Raven supplies, and Peter looks at her, unsure what to feel about the statement. He wants his sisters to tell Erik as well. He wants to tell Erik who he is to him, to his sisters, but he needs to discuss it with them properly first. Preferably, away from their mom. 

“Well then, since we’re on the subject, you should tell Kurt,” Peter replies, watching Raven’s eyes darken. She says nothing as she stalks off, leaving him leaning against the wall. 

Peter really wishes he were in the jet right now, because then he would see the inside and only that, not like now where he is currently being held around the waist by Erik as they fly off the ground and make their way towards the school. He wasn’t given much of a choice when Charles told them they would need to travel through other means, and the now bald headed guy decided it would be perfect if Peter traveled with Erik and him since Kurt would use too much energy teleporting them all — Peter had to admit, it was amazing to see how strong Erik really was to carry Peter in one arm and Charles in the other — and it wasn’t until he looked into Charles’ eyes that he noticed the mischievous glint in them, and he realized that either Raven told him his secret, or the man figured it out himself, hence influencing this decision to be made.

Peter tries not to notice Erik’s amused expression as he clings to him, clenching his eyes tight to not see how far he is from the ground. Peter finds it ironic that not ten minutes ago he hated being stuck to the floor, and now, he wanted nothing more than for his feet to touch land. 

Calm down Peter , a voice rings in his mind.

I am in the air right now, don’t tell me to calm down! Peter mentally shouts at Charles and takes satisfaction in the grimace on the man’s face. I must have inherited Erik’s sadism as well , Peter absentmindedly thinks, ignoring Charles’ huff of laughter. 

“Are you both communicating?” Erik asks, his tone flat as he glances between the two before looking straight ahead. Peter’s heart spikes, and he honestly doesn’t know why .

“Peter here is scared of heights,” Charles says, his lips turning up at the corners. 

“Ah,” Erik replies before squeezing Peter’s side in what he assumes is meant to be comforting. “I didn’t take into consideration your mutation. You must feel most comfortable on the ground. I apologize for this, we’re almost there.”

Peter sees Charles’ eyes soften and it makes mixed emotions bubble up in Peter. He mumbles a ‘no worries’ into Erik’s shoulder, hyper aware of the man tensing at his action, and Peter tells himself that he keeps his face buried there the whole way to the mansion because he’s scared and not because he feels a little safer in this spot and craves it deeply.

It’s okay to want this , Charles says in Peter’s mind. You’re allowed it, as much as Erik is, and I know you’ll tell him when it feels right, when it feels right for the three of you. 

Peter doesn’t respond, and at this point isn’t surprised at the mention of his sisters being mentioned. He just keeps his face tucked into Erik’s shoulder, eyes closed tight and pretending that he could have this because he wants it. 

When they arrive at the mansion, Charles is devastated by the state of his school. Erik, feeling a little guilty, decides to assist in building it, knowing that it would take a few weeks, even with the help of Jean and Charles, and any of the other children who are old enough to assist. Peter tries not to feel ecstatic at the idea of Erik staying a couple of weeks with them. 

Then, he gets hit with the worst news of his life. Hank informs him he needs to wear a cast for at least two weeks — informing him that his quick healing will mend the bones quicker — but Peter still feels like someone shot his puppy. Two weeks of no running , the thought fills him with dread. He takes to allowing some of the kids to draw and write on his cast as he watches Charles set every child up with a tent to sleep in until the school is built. 

When the last kid signs their name, Peter stands and uses his crutches to make his way over to get a better look at Erik and Jean rebuilding the foundation of the mansion. He watches Erik in the air from the ground, still surprised at such raw power emanating from the man. It’s almost amazing at how much control he has with his power that Peter wonders if he ever had trouble to begin with. 

“Mystique told me he is your father,” Lightning girl says beside him, and he turns to her before looking back at Erik. “Are you gonna tell him?”

“I might…” Peter replies. I need to speak to Wanda and Lorna first. I need to prepare myself. I’m still not ready. “One day.”

“I think for now, I’m just gonna stick around here for a while,” Peter says as he puts on his silver tinted shades, smiling to himself as he watches Erik work, knowing that he has at least a couple of weeks to prepare himself to tell Erik and convince his sisters to speak with the man.

He hears the girl huff a laugh before replying, “me too.”

“You thinking about joining the X-Men? Mystique said she’s thinking about recruiting us,” the girl adds. Peter can’t keep the grin off his face.

“Hell yeah,” he replies.

“Me too.” She says back. 

“Also, sorry to have to ask, but what’s your name?” Peter asks. 

“Ororo,” She replies. He smiles at her.

“My name is-”

“I know, Mystique told me,” Ororo says, and Peter wonders what else Mystique has been telling people.

“Also, don’t get upset, but the others know about Erik,” Ororo says with a wince. Peter shoots his head to her, eyes wide.

“What? Mystique told them?” Peter questions, voice high and fast.

“Jean was walking by, and she heard my thoughts were loud and it traveled from there,” she responds. Peter feels his throat tighten. 

“Who knows?” He asks.

“Jean, obviously. Scott, Alex, and Kurt,” Ororo responds. Peter wants to scream . “Oh, and Hank too because he was walking in the direction when it came out.”

Peter notices that she gives him a pitying look, and he feels like dying. Okay, calm down, it’s like a small handful. At least it’s not the whole school , he tries to convince himself it will be fine.

Jean, how could you?! Peter mentally screams at the girl. He watches her nearly drop a piece of the floor for the foundation.

I am really sorry, it wasn’t my intention , Jean responds.

Yeah, but you still told the others , he replies sarcastically.

I’m sorry , she replies and Peter drops the conversation as he looks at Ororo.

“They all swore they’d keep it between them,” Ororo adds, trying to make him feel better, unaware of his mental conversation with the redhead. Ororo’s words only slightly help calm his nerves, but it’s really only about five percent better.

“They better,” he growls out, but there’s no heat behind it. He just feels tired. Then he remembers that it’s Friday and he’s supposed to be meeting his sisters.

“Ah shit,” Peter mumbles. Ororo turns to him immediately.

“What’s the matter?” She asks. 

“I need to see my sisters, but I can’t run or drive to them,” Peter says, his voice low and frustrated. 

“They are his daughters too?” Ororo asks. Peter nods his head to make sure his words don’t reach Jean.

“Just don’t tell the others yet because I still don’t know if they even want to come here or meet him,” Peter tells her. Ororo mimes zipping her lips and throwing the key away.

“I won’t be able to even tell them he’s here anyways since I can’t go to them,” Peter replies, voice low. Ororo is silent for a couple of seconds as she observes him before perking up.

“I can take you,” she offers. His first thought is to shake his head and deny her offer, not wanting to bother her, but then he remembers that he almost died and he still needs to talk to them about Erik, who looks like he will be staying around for a bit, and did help save the world, even if he switched sides last minute.

“I wouldn’t want to bother,” he pushes because he still feels she shouldn’t want to make up for something that wasn’t really her fault.

“It would be no problem,” she says. “Besides, I need to practice more.”

At that Peter’s brow furrows and he looks at her, gaze questioning. “More practice?”

“Well, we’ll have to fly there,” she replies. Peter’s eyes widen at the response and his heart spikes.

“ No. Absolutely not ,” he says, shaking his head. “I’m not leaving the ground ever again.”

She smirks at him, her eyes twinkling with mischief. He frowns at her expression, dread pooling in his gut.

“I will call for the professor, don’t try me.” Peter threatens.

“Go ahead, you’ll still be unable to run,” Ororo replies before wrapping her arms around him and taking off into the sky, dropping his crutches on the ground. Peter shrieks as he wraps his arms around her, securing his hold. 

Professor! Help! Peter shouts mentally at the man.

Enjoy your trip, I’ll make sure Erik is still here by the time you get back. Charles responds and Peter swears he can hear a smile in his mental voice.

I hate you , Peter spits, trying to add as much venom in the mental thought as he can. Then, he hears the professor laugh. Actually laugh!

I would like to meet your sisters if they are willing to come , Charles adds a final message before Peter feels him slip from his mind. 

“I won’t drop you, don’t worry.” Ororo tells Peter as he grumbles aloud. He doesn’t say anything to that and keeps his eyes closed, not daring to look down or else he’ll squeal like a girl again.

They arrive at his sisters’ home in less than fifteen minutes, which is surprising considering Ororo doesn’t have super speed. She places him down gently and he hobbles towards the door since he doesn’t have his crutches. When he nearly trips, Ororo grabs his arm and helps him the rest of the way. This is so humiliating , Peter thinks. 

He knocks on the door and waits for it to open. When it does, he’s met with Lorna’s face and he immediately smiles as she rushes into his arms, hugging him tightly. When she pulls away, she’s smiling, but then her expression falls when she sees his cast.

“What happened?” She asks. Peter grimaces and instead pulls Ororo forward.

“Can we come inside? It’s hot out,” Peter says, trying to prolong the conversation for a bit. Lorna frowns but opens the door wider and helps Ororo guide him to the couch. 

“Where’s Wanda?” Peter asks. 

“Right here,” Wanda speaks from the doorway and makes her way towards the side chair. She eyes his cast, her expression serious as she turns her gaze to Peter’s eyes.

“Why do you have a cast?” Her voice is hard and Peter looks away, eyes catching on the television and his heart drops when he sees the channel it’s on. He tries not to show any emotion on his face as he sees the destruction in Cairo and the events that happened being broadcasted. 

“This is Ororo, she’s my friend and saved my ass when we fought Apocalypse,” Peter internally cringes at the bluntness. He sees Ororo tense beside him before she gives a small smile at his sisters.

“I just wanted to do what was right,” Ororo adds.

Wanda looks at her, nodding her head in acknowledgment and Peter is taken aback by her similarity to Erik. Lorna smiles at Ororo and introduces herself, and then Wanda.

“So, how’d you get the cast?” Wanda brings the question up again. Peter looks to the side before looking back at her.

“I was fighting Apocalypse, and actually winning ,” he says. “Then he got the jump on me and broke my leg.” He sees Lorna wince and Wanda narrow her eyes.

“How long until it’s healed?” Wanda questions, her voice level. 

“Two weeks,” Peter replies.

“We heard you left mom to find Erik. Is that true?” Lorna asks, her voice quivering on Erik’s name. Peter huffs out a sigh, feeling his skin prickle at the nonstop questions. They’re at least talking about Erik , he tells himself, isn’t that what you wanted?

“Yeah, but I didn’t leave her. I just went on a road trip,” he responds, ignoring the fact that it was the complete opposite to a road trip. His sisters are silent for a while.

“Did you find him?” Lorna whispers. Peter feels Ororo shift next to him, clearly uncomfortable with being present for such a private moment. Peter nearly feels bad for her, but he lets her suffer through it for making him fly with her.

“I did, and he’s not that bad .” Peter responds, keeping his voice light. He knows he’s not being entirely truthful, but he does want his sisters to at least speak to Erik and see him for themselves, wanting them to know the guy and not the televised version of him. Or mom’s version of him , he adds to himself.

“Really? ‘Cause last I checked, he was helping that Apocalypse dude to end the world,” Wanda replies. Peter winces at that.

“He switched sides, though. Plus, he’s actually helping build the school, and the professor really wants to meet you both,” Peter adds. He regrets it immediately when he sees Wanda tense and Lorna shift in her spot.

“He knows about us? You told him?” Wanda asks, voice tight.

“No! I didn’t!” Peter defends himself. “He is psychic so he knew already. He’s a really good guy and he just wants to meet you. You don’t have to stay at the school, but he could help you.”

He says the last part to Wanda specifically, knowing that she has struggled with her power the most. He still remembers nights when she was plagued by nightmares, hearing voices in her mind and her hands would spark with red energy before the lightbulbs in the rooms would blow up. At one point, their mom feared her, but eventually she learned how to deal with Wanda. How to deal with all three of them.

“I don’t need help,” Wanda replies darkly. Lorna grimaces and Peter frowns.

“You mean to tell me that you have better control now? That you both do?” Peter questions them both. Lorna at least has the guts to look caught, her guilty expression plastered all over her face.

“Not using my… abilities ,” Wanda says the last word as if it left a sour taste in her mouth. “It’s the same thing as control. If I don’t use them, then they won’t be a problem.”

“But they are,” Lorna says softly, looking at Wanda. Peter is silent as he sees his sisters lock eyes, Wanda’s are tinged with fear and betrayal, and Lorna’s are open and pleading.

“You lock yourself away, physically and emotionally and it affects you, whether you admit it or not,” Lorna says. Wanda frowns and looks away.

“This professor,” Lorna says, now looking at both Peter and Ororo. “Can he really help us?”

“Yeah, he can.” Peter responds. Lorna looks towards Ororo, waiting for an answer.

“Apocalypse said he could help me, and he lied. He used me to destroy the world, and I gave in because I was vulnerable and afraid,” Ororo says softly, looking down. “When I met the professor, he promised the same, but he didn’t use me. He is really trying to help, and in my experience, I can tell the difference between a man who wants to help and one who wants to take.”

Lorna flinches slightly at her wording and it makes Peter want to hurt all the people she was forced to stay with before arriving on their doorstep. He is silent as he watches Lorna and Wanda take in their words, not daring to break the silence as he knows this is an important decision that will dictate their future.

“I have a job and Lorna has college in the fall,” Wanda says. Peter smiles at the lives his sisters carved out for themselves, but it falters when he compares their accomplishments to those of his own and realizes that they exceed him by everything. He is glad to find no hate for them or jealousy, but he does feel a deep sadness and disappointment towards himself.

“Well, you said we wouldn’t be staying there forever,” Lorna replies. “We could stay for the summer and you could ask for vacation days so it doesn’t affect your work.” Wanda doesn’t look too happy about using her vacation days, but she sighs and nods her head.

“ If we do this,” Wanda starts and Peter tries not to perk up in his seat. “We don’t have to stay at the school forever?”

“No, you don’t. You could stay until it’s finished being built and we could hang out like we’re camping while you both meet the professor and he helps you,” Peter replies, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

“Yay, camping,” Wanda deadpans. Lorna huffs out a laugh and even Ororo snorts in amusement.

“It’s not so bad, the school is nearly done, and if you would like to stay for a little while after it’s built, there is enough room for everyone from the size of the place,” Ororo replies with a smile.

“What about the Erik situation? You said he’s at the school,” Wanda states, and the humor in her eyes is gone again. Peter frowns, unsure how to convince his sisters to at least see the guy.

“I…He isn’t…Well, Erik doesn’t really know we’re his kids,” Peter says, noticing Lorna tense a little. He knows she’s still unsure, but based on what Wanda saw in her mind, and Lorna’s power set, he’s willing to bet she’s his daughter too. At least, if that’s how mutant children inherit their powers, the same way Kurt is blue like Raven.

“What do you mean he doesn’t know? I would have thought you’d have said something to him by now,” Wanda says. Peter winces at that.

“Well I was about to, but then I backed out because he didn’t need to hear that at the moment,” Peter says, ignoring the part where he also got intimidated and anxious at the idea of telling Erik because of his own fears.

“So he was too unstable to know that we were his children or was he too busy plotting another world domination?” Wanda replies sarcastically. Peter isn’t sure if she even wants Erik to know about them sometimes.

“Wanda,” Lorna softly warns her.

“I know, I know. Sorry,” Wanda mumbles, looking to the side.

“He had a daughter who was a mutant like us, and a wife who was normal, and he lost them both. Humans killed them,” Peter whispers, the words heavy in the silent room. Ororo’s head tilts down, and Peter knows that she already knew some of the story already.

“How old was she?” Lorna asks softly, her eyes full of sorrow. Wanda is looking down, but Peter can tell she’s just as upset as him by the tightness of her lips as she keeps the in a straight line.

“Nine,” Peter responds. It still makes him angry to think of how young she was to meet a cruel fate such as the one she had. 

“You said he’s changed?” Wanda asks after a long pause. Peter thinks about the answer, not wanting to give false hope or encourage the resentment, if his sisters had any.

“I think he’s lost, but he’s trying to find an anchor,” Peter responds.

“And you think we can be that for him?” Lorna asks.

“I don’t know, but shouldn’t we at least try?” Peter says instead. He sees his sisters grapple with their own emotions. He can’t read them and it makes him a little sad to think of how much he has lost since they left.

“What do you want, Lorna?” Wanda asks their younger sister. Lorna frowns, looking to the ground as she thinks of her answer.

“I just want answers, honestly.” She replies. “If he could provide them, then I can be content with whatever happens after. Whether he wants to acknowledge and claim us or not.”

“Do you want him to claim you?” Ororo asks and Lorna’s eyes fall on hers.

“I don’t know yet,” Lorna replies.

“What about you?” Peter asks his twin. Wanda doesn’t show any emotion on her face, but she looks at Lorna and then at Peter before she answers.

“I want answers too, but I really want to understand his motives and why he’s taken the path he did. I want to prove to myself that hoping for anything as close to a relationship with him is just wishful thinking.” She says. “I want to see his face when he learns the truth and know if we’ll be wasting our time or not when it comes to him.”

Peter doesn’t say anything but he nods his head in acknowledgement. He looks at Ororo who gives him a small smile and he returns it. Standing up, Peter holds out his arm and Ororo helps him, guiding him to the door.

“Well, the professor wants to meet you both,” Peter says. “So I suggest you pack enough for your stay.”

“Give me five,” Lorna says before rushing upstairs. Wanda watches her go and then makes her way towards Peter.

“Be honest, how careful do we need to be with delivering this news to him?” Wanda asks. Peter looks into her eyes and sees the vulnerability in them, and it makes him want to hold her and shield her from the world. This is his little sister talking to him now.

“We will do it when we are all ready. The three of us,” Peter says, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly. “As for telling him, he could take it any kind of way because he’s been through a lot too. I’m not condoning his actions or siding with him, but in the short time I’ve interacted with him, I’ve seen the potential for him to be good.”

Wanda is silent for a moment and then nods, a small smile on her lips. Then, she does something that she hasn’t done in a while. She hugs him tightly. Peter doesn’t hesitate to hold her back, squeezing her like this is the last hug he can ever give her.

“This doesn’t mean I’ve accepted him,” Wanda says. “But he is going to have a handful with the three of us.” Peter laughs, the sound foreign to his ears after years of feeling blank. He even hears Ororo quietly chuckle and it feels nice.

“Call your job,” Peter reminds her as Wanda makes her way upstairs. She smiles and flicks her hand, red energy glowing and in a split second, the television turns off.

“Wow,” Ororo says behind him, awe in her voice as she watches Wanda go upstairs. 

“Wow, indeed.” Peter agrees. “Wait until you see all that she can do. All they can both do.”

“Magneto has some powerful children,” Ororo replies and Peter smiles.

That he does , he thinks. 

“How are we getting back?” Ororo asks. “I can’t lift all three of you.”

Peter makes a show of his relief at the words, making Ororo roll her eyes at his antics. He then glances out the window and sees Wanda’s car, feeling a grin creep on his face as he turns to Ororo.

“We take the car. The school is no more than five hours away,” Peter says. 

“Alright,” Ororo says. 

It takes Wanda and Lorna ten minutes to get packed and then they all make their way to the car. Peter mourns the loss of running when he realizes that almost five hours sitting in place is harder to do when there is nothing to do but look outside. It’s also in that moment that Peter mourns his walkman, having lost it when he got kidnapped by Stryker. 

“I’m bored,” Peter whines. No one pays attention to him — which rude — so he starts to ramble about random things to fill the silence. 

There are three tents set up for you and your sisters once you arrive , Peter nearly jumps from the sound of Charles’ voice in his head.

Stop doing that! Peter scolds, his heart beating faster than normal.

It’s the red ones by the lake , Charles says, ignoring Peter’s complaint.

Okay, thanks , Peter replies, suddenly suspicious of Charles’ intentions. 

“Why was he so specific?” Peter thinks. “Maybe it was nothing.”

“What’s that?” Ororo asks him.

“Nothing, I was just thinking.” Peter replies, waving his hand as if pushing the thoughts away. Ororo regards him for a second longer, eyebrow raised before she faces her window.

“Can we turn on the radio?” Peter asks.

He regrets it immediately when a fight over the station happens between Lorna and Wanda. It brings him back to a similar car ride ten years ago, when he changed the life of his sisters and himself. 

Please let this be the right decision , Peter hopes silently. Don’t let me fuck this up this time.