To Love The Children More Than Yourself

Peter is thankful they arrive smoothly to the school, and he allows Ororo to assist him in making his way to his abandoned crutches on the ground — wow they’re actually still here after all this time. What, no little kleptomaniacs running around this school? — his sisters following behind him. He notices them looking around, tense and cautious and Peter doesn’t bother repeating that it’ll all be fine since the last twenty times he did it, it did absolutelynothing to calm their nerves. 

“The professor said our tents are red and by the lake,” Peter informs them, in case they would like to go ahead. His sisters nod but make no move to find the tents, instead choosing to wait for Peter.

“I’m going to find my tent while you three get settled. It’s supposed to be where Scott and the others are,” Ororo says as she glances at the sun that seems to be setting. Peter frowns at how late it is, remembering that time works normally now and he’s so slow that he barely noticed the change in time. It would have taken him just an hour max to get to his sisters, converse with them, and then bring them back here. He tries not to feel too down at the prospect of being unable to use his mutation.

“Don’t tell them about Wanda and Lorna yet,” Peter tells her. “They can meet them tomorrow, and right now the girls need rest.”

Ororo nods in response, waving bye to Wanda and Lorna before she’s off. Peter then turns towards Wanda and Lorna who he notices are frozen in place, eyes pinned behind Peter. He frowns and follows their direction and feels his heart spike at seeing Erik by the lake, sitting by a red tent. Then Peter sees three other tents, about fifty feet away from Erik’s tent, and Peter feels his blood drain from his face.

Professor , Peter mentally calls. Why are our tents near him?

It’s farthest away from the students and teachers , Charles says, so I figured your sisters would want peace and privacy.

Peter wants to scream. He just figured out how to convince his sisters to even come here, and now they will be forced to sleep near Erik. 

They’re not ready Charles , Peter tries to tell him. I’m not ready.

You don’t have to actually talk to him , Charles replies. It’s just a place to sleep and he’ll most likely not spend much time in his tent anyways. 

The response doesn’t make Peter feel any better. He looks towards Wanda and Lorna, seeing them take deep breaths before forcing themselves to walk towards the tents and past Peter. 

I’ll briefly introduce myself to your sisters and then let them rest , Charles informs Peter. We can save the talking between the three of you for tomorrow when you all aren’t so tired and wound up.

Peter nods his head, unsure if Charles can even see it before following his sisters, avoiding looking in Erik’s direction. With each labored step, his heart beats louder in his ears. When he arrives at the three tents, Peter tries not to feel betrayed by his sisters, who left him with the tent closest to Erik’s direction.

“ Seriously? ” Peter hisses at them.

“You wanted this so deal with it,” Wanda replies, not even glancing his way. Lorna smirks at him and Peter rolls his eyes. He tries not to smile when Wanda places Lorna in the tent between them, wanting to keep their youngest sister protected and surrounded by them. Sometimes she’s so motherly , Peter thinks fondly. Then his smile falls from his face when Wanda’s hands start to glow, and Lorna’s tent is shielded in a faint red energy before disappearing. 

You don’t need to do that , Peter thinks as he looks at Wanda, not sure exactly what she did but knowing it was a spell. She’ll be safe here, you both are. He wills her to hear him, and gets startled when she looks at him, as if knowing what he thought, and he wonders if she did hear him. He knew she could see images, but could she also hear thoughts? The idea that Peter doesn’t know much about Wanda’s abilities makes him a little nervous, and it stings a little to know that he’s grown further apart from his twin even more than he thought. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Wanda replies and Peter frowns sadly at her. Did I fail this badly at protecting them? Peter wonders, feeling his heart break at the thought. 

I’m sure you did amazing at protecting them , Charles replies in his mind, making Peter jerk in his spot and nearly dropping his crutches. But no one can keep anyone safe forever and your sisters have a right to be cautious, but I promise you that no harm will befall the three of you while I am here.

Stop getting in my head , Peter tells him.

You sound like Erik , Charles says, and Peter can hear the smile in his mental voice. Before Peter has time to respond to that , he hears someone clear their throat behind him, nearly making him jump six feet and making Lorna snort in amusement and Wanda rolls her eyes fondly at him. He tries to catch his breath as he turns around, suddenly afraid that it’s Erik, but he lets out a breath of relief when he sees Charles in his wheelchair instead. If you’re already talking in my head, then actually announce yourself next time! Peter mentally shouts.

Stop yelling Peter , Charles mentally chides, his eyes squinting as he clutches his head. Peter would feel bad if he weren’t still trying to calm his racing heart. He doesn’t like how surprised he gets when around the telepath. He’s too used to being ahead of everyone, but around Charles, it’s like he’s three steps behind. 

“I’d like to introduce myself to your sisters before I let them rest,” Charles says. Peter nods before shuffling to the side and watching Charles wheel his chair closer to their tents.

“Good evening, I’m professor Charles Xavier. I run the school and am glad you both have decided to come here,” Charles introduces. Peter sees Lorna give him a small smile and Wanda nods her head at him.

“I’m Lorna, Lorna Dane.” His green haired sister says as she shakes Charles’ hand. Peter smirks at her formality. 

“I’m Wanda Maximoff,” Wanda replies after shaking the man’s hand as well. 

“Pleased to meet you,” Charles responds to them both. “I informed your brother that I would like to speak more with you three tomorrow, but for now I think you all should rest. I’m sure the drive was long and tiring.”

“It was more annoying than anything with Peter always needing something to entertain him,” Lorna replies and Charles huffs a laugh out in response, shaking his head. Peter tries not to feel offended at being talked about as if he weren’t there, and it was boring so he had every right to entertain himself in the best ways he could. By spilling as many random facts that he knew so they could settle on a music station to fill the silence.

“I could imagine,” Charles replies, raising an eyebrow at Peter. Peter scoffs, but there’s no heat behind it as he smiles. 

“You said you could help us?” Wanda asks the professor, her eyes searching his. Peter can’t believe she is always on her ‘straight to business’ attitude. Peter notices that Charles hesitates when he looks at Wanda, a flicker of emotion crossing his face and Peter frowns, unsure if the emotion he saw was fear or fascination. 

“Are you psychic?” Charles asks her instead. Wanda straightens, her eyes confused.

“Psychic or telepathic?” She asks. Charles doesn’t respond, but then Peter realizes he’s probably talking to Wanda mentally when he sees his twin jerk back, eyes wide as she looks at the man.

“You’re telepathic,” She observes aloud. Charles nods his head, lips thin, but his eyes are soft. 

“You seem to hold some qualities as well, but it’s not all you can do.” Charles says it as an observation and not a question. Peter suddenly feels anxious, glancing between the two, noticing Wanda’s repressed fear in her eyes. What else does he see? Whether the professor heard his thoughts or not, Peter doesn’t know because the man doesn’t react or respond. Peter sees the man look between the girls and smile.

“You all have such great power,” Charles says, voice full of wonder as he looks between the three of them. “You all rival that of your father’s power, and that is a compliment.” He says the last part to Wanda who Peter sees grimace at his words. Peter didn’t allow his face to show any emotion at the words, still not sure what to feel or how to express it.

“I guess we'll find out,” Lorna replies, her voice even, but there’s an upward quirk to her lips. “It's why we’re here, afterall. To get better.”

Charles’ lips turn up at her answer. “I shall look forward to your progress.” He then clears his throat and casts a glance in Erik’s direction before turning back to the three individuals. Peter wonders what the man is thinking, suddenly wishing he had telepathy as a second mutation. I would like to see Charles try and be three steps ahead of me then , Peter thinks with a smirk. He ignores the quick unamused glance Charles throws his way before he turns to the girls.

“The four of us can talk more tomorrow about helping you with your powers and getting some answers while everyone else continues to work on the school,” Charles says as he starts to roll his chair back. “It was nice meeting you both, and don’t worry, I won’t push you past your limits when it comes to using your mutations, or force you to speak to him if you aren't ready.”

None of them need an explanation for who ‘him’ is, and Peter sees his sisters look away, uncomfortable with the knowledge that Charles knows their secret. He empathizes with them, but a part of him feels relieved that an adult knows aside from Raven. And Hank. He’s just glad that someone who is close to Erik knows the truth. It gives them more than one perspective to the decisions they need to make. 

“Thanks, professor.” Peter responds. Charles nods his head at him and looks at each of them with a small smile before wheeling off. Peter watches him go, heading towards Scott and the others. Peter turns away and sees Erik still looking over the lake, probably lost in some memory about his dead family. Family , Peter thinks sadly, not able to imagine losing his sisters the way Erik lost his daughter and wife. Would he be sad if he knew who we were and we died? Peter immediately pushes that thought away, furious with himself that he would ever compare his sisters and himself to Erik’s daughter when it isn’t the same thing.  

“It’s really him,” Lorna whispers, tearing Peter from his thoughts. Peter doesn’t have to see her face to know she’s looking at Erik also.

“Yeah, it is.” Peter responds. 

“He seems really sad,” Lorna says, and Peter can hear the conflicting emotions in her voice. He knows it’s hard to feel anger, hate, pity, empathy, and longing all at the same time and be unable to do anything about it. But we can now , Peter thinks, hope flaring in him again and he tries not to feel scared or intimidated by the feeling.

“We should get some sleep. Tomorrow the professor will want to speak with us and remember ,” Wanda says as she looks between Lorna and Peter. “We’re here to get assistance with our powers and to get answers from him . Nothing more.” Peter frowns as his sister stumbles over the word ‘powers’, and the hidden resentment in the word ‘him’. He wishes he could soothe her emotions, but Peter knows his twin at least a little to know that she needs an outlet, not coddling.

“We’ll talk tomorrow,” Peter announces, wanting to finish this conversation as quickly as he can.

“Goodnight,” Lorna says, and Peter knows she is avoiding her feelings on the matter as well. Peter and Wanda say ‘goodnight’ back, and then Peter waits for his sisters to go in their own tents before looking back in Erik’s direction. He sees the man still looking out across the lake, probably not having yet registered the three tents Peter and his sisters are taking residence in. 

Goodnight , Peter mentally says to the man, knowing that he can’t hear him. He watches him for a second more before slipping into his own tent — struggling with the cast and nearly falling on his face — and then he lies down and closes his eyes. Content with the fact that his family is all safe for once and they're all together after a few years apart, he drifts off to sleep with a small smile painted on his lips, his heart all fuzzy and warm as he thinks of how much he's missed this and waited for this moment. 

~

Erik watches the sun set, casting orange and red bursts of color to paint the lake. He would have found it beautiful once, but now the world is gray. Dull and blank. Most days, he feels nothing, and when he does, it is always rage. Pure, unfiltered rage . He can’t even feel sad anymore, his eyes dry of tears that refuse to reproduce and spill down his cheeks. 

Erik knows that Charles said he could speak with him at any time during the day or night, especially when he was either angry or sad, but each time Erik even thinks about it, it’s like something pulls him back from it. It’s all too much and also not enough, and it’s at the point where Erik doesn’t even understand it himself. 

He closes his eyes, wishing he could open them again and be at his house in the woods, seeing Nina run around with a squirrel in her hands as she talks to it. Seeing his wife laugh from the doorway as she gets prepared to make bigos for dinner. Life was perfect in that moment, it was something he thought he could never have. Then he lost it, the way he always loses everything. He knows now that he can’t have another family again, that he can’t form those connections or else he’ll either tear the world apart until it’s dust in the universe, or destroy himself completely if he loses it again. 

Erik opens his eyes and sees that the moon is already out, the sky dark and the shadows surrounding him. Fitting , he thinks grimly. Even the world knows you belong in the dark . 

Get some rest Erik , a voice fills his mind. It doesn’t even scare Erik anymore, the comforting presence of Charles in his mind soothes the pain on the best days, but right now, it feels like a taunt. As if what he wants is right there, but if he touches it, it’ll burn away with everyone else he’s hurt in his life. He just can’t do it anymore.

“Leave me Charles,” Erik whispers into the shadows. He feels his presence linger a moment longer before it fades away. 

“I can’t keep ruining you too,” Erik whispers, knowing that the man can’t hear him. He releases a sigh before standing up and heading into his tent, unaware of an auburn haired girl watching him from the entrance of her red tent.

~

Wanda would be lying if she says she didn’t have trouble sleeping, having to leave the tent at the first sign of morning. She wasn’t even guilty for pushing her senses to see if he was still in his tent, feeling more relaxed when she sensed the man sleeping and unaware of her presence drifting briefly through his mind. She was glad he didn’t notice her watching him before he went into his tent. A confrontation at that moment would not have been the best situation for either of them, and she didn’t want him to notice her just yet. Not until she was ready.

She was restless as she made her way to the destroyed garden, away from the other clusters of tents filled with children and teachers, and away from her siblings. She knew she would not be able to go back to sleep, especially with staying so close to his tent. Seeing him in person, even if she has not spoken to him, and he hasn’t even noticed her presence, is still off putting. She doesn’t even know what to call him. Erik? Doesn’t sound right. Dad? Never. Magneto? It sounds the most reasonable, considering his involvement in every world shattering event, and she knows he switched sides, but that was last minute, and even Peter told her the man didn’t seem too keen on the decision at first either. And yet, Magneto still sounds weird too. 

I’ll just go by ‘him’ , she ends up deciding, ignoring the way her hands tremble, red energy flickering through her fingers. Stop! Cut it out! She yells to herself, willing her emotions to stop and clenching her hands at her sides, forcing the energy to dissipate.

“Please refrain from yelling in your mind, it tends to pierce my senses.” A voice says from behind Wanda, making her snap her head in its direction. She lets out a breath as she sees the professor, a small smile on his lips. 

“I didn’t realize I was projecting so loudly, sorry,” Wanda replies, glancing at the ground. 

“You seem to know quite a bit about telepathy for someone who struggles with their abilities,” Charles observes, eyebrow raised as he looks at Wanda. Wanda’s lips twist as she looks to the side.

“I’m not really sure how it works, but I know that in moments of distress people’s thoughts or memories flash in my mind when I’m near them,” Wanda replies. Charles nods, taking in her words.

“Maybe I can help with that while you’re here,” Charles says. “Yesterday when speaking to you three, I noticed you all possess the potential to become great, your abilities haven’t even scratched the surface yet.”

“ Pietro doesn’t seem to have a problem with his abilities.” Wanda replies, her lips turned down as she looks to the side. 

“Pietro?” Charles asks.

“Sorry, I meant to say Peter. Sometimes we call him by his birth name and other times we use his American name, especially when in public, but I don’t know why I said it just now.” Wanda says, rambling a little, and it makes Charles’ lips quirk up. 

You’re a little like your twin , Charles muses, telepathically telling Wanda. She gives a small smile in return before her face falls again and she looks to the ground.

“Anyways, Lorna and I aren’t keen on using our abilities so much.” Charles regards her for a moment, as if contemplating what he should say.

“Is it fear? Or something else?” Charles asks her gently. “Maybe more personal?”

Wanda shifts in her spot, hands clenching and unclenching. She knows that he’s trying to help, but it feels uncomfortable divulging information to a stranger, especially about herself and her little sister. She feels her hands tremble, reacting to her anxiety and it makes her tense, trying to keep herself in check and not freak out and accidentally burn a tree or release a swirl of red energy around herself. 

“You need not worry, you don’t have to say anything you don’t want. I just want to better understand your headspace for me to know what I have to do to help you feel more comfortable with your abilities,” Charles informs her, voice soft. Wanda looks at him briefly, taking in the sincerity in his eyes and she feels an emotion she hasn’t dared to let herself feel in years. Hope. 

“Bad things happen when I use my abilities,” Wanda confesses, narrowing her eyes at the ground. “For Lorna, it’s different. She’ll have to better explain it for you since it isn’t my place to tell.”

Wanda sees Charles take in her answer, nodding his head as her. Then he asks, “would you be comfortable with me entering your mind during our sessions, that way my voice will guide you as you practice your abilities? I’ll make sure you don’t hurt anyone or yourself.”

Wanda hesitates, unsure if she’s comfortable with the idea. She doesn’t like the idea of someone in her head, but she also knows that this could be the best way to ensure the safety of herself and those around her. Plus, you did tell Pietro you’d try to give this a chance until Lorna has to return for classes , Wanda reminds herself. 

“Can we take it slow?” Wanda asks, not wanting to deny his request outright.

“We’ll go at your own pace when it comes to your abilities, your comfort, and how we train you,” Charles responds. Wanda nods, relaxing slightly at his confirmation. 

“I would like to practice away from the other children,” Wanda tells Charles. She doesn’t want to accidentally hurt another kid, or be accused of trying to scare anyone off when her powers eventually get out of hand during the lessons.

“No worries, I will have you train with your siblings and the older kids.” Charles responds. Wanda immediately tenses again.

“I can’t use my abilities around my siblings or anyone for that matter. They could get hurt,” Wanda protests. Charles gives her a small smile, which Wanda assumes is meant to be comforting, but right now it’s anything but.

“The older students are practically experienced and can handle it, and your siblings seem to be okay with your abilities,” Charles tries. Wanda starts to shake her head, panic filling her eyes.

“No, you don’t understand. They have never seen my abilities, not fully.” Wanda tries to reason. Charles is silent for a moment and Wanda feels her heart pounding, not wanting to think about what her siblings will look like when they see her power. She doesn’t want to see the fear that would be evident in their eyes when they look at her.

“Okay, how about this,” Charles starts as he looks into Wanda’s pleading eyes. “For this first week of the mansion being built, you and I shall have private sessions away from everyone else so you feel more comfortable with your abilities and won’t be afraid of letting go when not around others. Then in the second week, I will transfer you to other instructors while still overseeing your progress, but this time you will be with the older students and your siblings. That way, by the end of the second week, you should feel more comfortable around others while using your abilities. How does this sound?”

Wanda is silent for a moment, thinking over his words. She still doesn’t feel comfortable with being around others when using her abilities, but if the professor is right, and he can help, then maybe she can be fine in time to work with a class. The idea of having other instructors makes her anxious, but she shuts it down immediately, angry at herself for being too picky and needy. You’re an adult , Wanda scolds herself, act like one. 

“It sounds reasonable,” Wanda tells Charles, and he smiles brightly at her. 

“Well that’s that.” He replies. “I look forward to our lessons, and we can start just after lunch.”

“Where should I meet you?” Wanda asks.

“I’ll send someone for you,” Charles replies. “Also, Wanda, if you would be so kind, can you inform Lorna that I need to speak with her about her lessons as well. Could you ask her to find me when she wakes up? I’ll be by the left side of the school, farthest away from the construction being done.” 

Wanda catches the implication of Charles keeping Lorna away from him and she’s slightly grateful that Charles isn’t pushing the matter of their parentage or forcing them to speak with him . Wanda nods her head at Charles and he dips his head in acknowledgment. Wanda is about to walk towards the tents where her siblings are, noticing that some kids were already getting up and ready to work when she pauses and turns back to look at Charles.

“Professor,” Wanda calls, and the man looks at her. “Will he be here after the two weeks?”

“Will it be a problem for you if he is?” He asks instead. Wanda frowns, knowing the man is intentionally avoiding her question. 

“I don’t want him hurting my family again,” Wanda replies instead. I can play that game too , she thinks, knowing that the professor can probably hear her. Charles shakes his head with a smile.

“I’ve already told you, no harm will come to you three while you are here. If you would like, I can try and keep him away from you three if you do not wish to speak with him or see him at all.” Charles says, but Wanda can see that the man disagrees with the course of action. Wanda is about to tell him to do just that when she remembers Lorna and Pietro’s wishes to get answers from the man, to at least interact with him. Can I really be so selfish as to take that away from them? Wanda asks herself. 

I don’t think I can , Wanda thinks. She sees Charles give her a sad smile, and for once, she doesn’t hate the pity or empathy she sees directed at her. She just hopes the professor can keep his word and help her and Lorna. 

“No, we need to face him. Just not yet,” Wanda replies quietly. Charles nods softly, eyes understanding. “But I do have a question.” Charles nods his head for Wanda to continue and Wanda looks at him, eyes uncertain.

“Was he always that way? I know he lost his family, but did he always want to cause harm?” Wanda asks. Charles’ lips twist, eyes squinting as he looks off in the direction of his tent. 

“He always feels the pain of his past. It’s not an excuse, and I’m sure he knows that, but sometimes when people suffer greatly in life, they only know that suffering, and then they project it onto others. Whatever he’s done to your family up to now, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional. However, I don’t think it’s right to tell you not to be angry, because you have every right to be. I just think when you are ready, when the three of you are ready, you can speak to him about him being your father and your feelings towards it. All I ask is you hear what he says and in turn you speak what’s on your mind,” Charles replies. Wanda doesn’t say anything for a while, just thinking of what the professor said and thinking about the man she believes Erik to be. 

“Thanks for the input,” Wanda replies with a small smile. “I’ll tell Lorna to find you.”

“Thanks, and I’ll see you after lunch,” Charles replies. Wanda nods before heading off towards her siblings' tents. 

~

Lorna makes her way towards the side of the mansion, following Wanda’s instructions and seeing the professor waiting for her with a smile on his face by a bunch of bush shrubs. Lorna returns the smile as she greets him, stopping in front of him.

“Did you rest well?” The professor asks. Lorna tries to keep the image of Wanda hexing her tent as far from her mind as she can, now that she knows the professor is a telepath.

“It’s not so bad compared to my previous foster homes,” Lorna tries for a smile, but the professor frowns sadly, understanding in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry to hear,” he says. Lorna shakes her head, waving her hand as if pushing the comment away.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t bother me,” Lorna replies, but she winces when she sees the professor regard her, his eyes saying ‘you and I both know that isn’t true’. She doesn’t comment on it anymore, wanting the conversation to shift. 

“Why did you wish to speak with me privately? I assumed you would want to speak to the three of us together,” Lorna says. Charles sighs softly, glancing to the side.

“I did say that, but I figured this was better. That way none of you felt pressured to perform in front of the others.” Charles replies. “I wanted to speak to you about your abilities and how the lessons will go in this school for the time that you spend here.”

“Okay, so what would you like to know?” Lorna asks. 

“First, I want to ask how often you use your abilities?” Charles asks her. Lorna looks up, thinking of a specific answer but comes up short.

“Honestly, not much. When I was younger, my emotions dictated the outbursts of my powers. There was an incident that happened involving a kid and a swing set, and then later that week I saw Magneto,” Lorna cringes at the name. “He was on the news and…well, I was scared and my powers went crazy.”

Charles hums. “If your fear of Erik unleashed your powers randomly, then would you prefer if I kept you farther from him while you’re here?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I wasn’t afraid of him, that’s not what did it. I just remembered something is all,” Lorna says, her voice trailing off. Sensing that she was uncomfortable with the conversation, Charles changed direction.

“So, you are like your sister in that regard, I assume. Your emotions tend to dictate your powers,” Charles says. Lorna nods. 

“What exactly happens when you lose control?” Charles asks her. Lorna winces, remembering her outburst when she was nine years old, and how she scared her brother.

“My power set seems to be similar to my…I can’t control metal, but I can move the energy around it. I can’t move anything else unless it has magnetic forces,” Lorna replies. She doesn’t tell him about what happens to people’s emotions when she’s emotional and around them. That’s not the scary power , Lorna reminds herself.

“So, like Erik?” Charles asks softly, and Lorna ducks her head, mumbling a ‘yes’. 

“That’s truly fascinating,” Charles says, and Lorna looks at him. Fascinating? It’s scary and dangerous , she thinks. She sees Charles chuckle as he shakes his head at her.

“No mutation is without danger, but here you can learn not to be afraid.” Charles replies. “Besides, my comment was because I find it remarkable that out of his three children, you have similarities with his skill set. That is not something to be ashamed of.” Lorna didn’t know if she agreed with the professor but chose not to comment on it. 

“Is he teaching classes here, too?” Lorna asks, wanting to change the subject but ending up discussing the elephant in the room. Lorna sees something pass through the professor’s eyes but is unable to decipher it before it’s gone.

“He hasn’t spoken to me of his plans after the school is built. However, I do have to let you know that I won’t be against the idea of him staying here if he wishes,” the professor says. “It would be better for him and the world if I keep him on a tight leash.”

Lorna knows the professor is joking, but she wonders how much destruction her fath— don’t do that Lorna , she cuts herself off, she wonders how much destruction Magneto will cause if he’s left unsupervised, and part of Lorna feels bad for the professor, who has to monitor Magneto because of how unpredictable he can be. It must be hard to watch out for him and pick up his messes all the time , Lorna thinks. She doesn’t acknowledge the flicker that passes through the professor’s face, knowing that he probably heard her.

“Would you be comfortable training with the other children or would you like to practice alone as I instruct you the best I can?” The professor asks her. Lorna flicks her gaze in the direction of the students who are now talking amongst each other and playing. She sees her brother hanging out with a few older kids, the only one she recognizes is Ororo among the few faces. 

“I’m not afraid of my power the way Wanda is,” Lorna says. “I just don’t want the other students to see my power and either put the pieces together since there aren’t many people with magnetic manipulation that I know of, or for the students to be cautious and think of Magneto when I use them.”

Charles purses his lips as he takes in her answer and Lorna hopes he understands what she means and where she’s coming from. She wants to be around the students, but she also doesn’t want to make them uncomfortable or have them tell their suspicions of who she’s related to without her being ready to speak to Magneto. 

“That is understandable. May I make a suggestion?” The professor asks, regarding Lorna. She nods in response, lips pressed together and fidgeting with her hands. 

“If you choose to train with the other students, just know that they are very few and they are older. They have experience, having worked with your brother to stop Apocalypse, and they know all about how it feels to be seen as dangerous.” The professor says kindly. “They won’t judge you.”

“I just don’t know them well enough to trust that, sorry.” Lorna replies. The professor rolls his chair so he’s facing the direction of the school, gesturing with his hand for Lorna to look at the same group of older kids she saw earlier sitting by her brother. She sees her brother laughing in their presence, Wanda also joining in on the conversation each time she’s addressed.

“You don’t have to be afraid around them, but I can understand if you aren’t ready for that yet. Just let yourself get to know them and if anything, you can give me an answer by the end of the day, and we could start your lessons tomorrow.” The professor says. “I think for this week, we can take a solo day for each of you, where today I focus on Wanda and tomorrow she takes a break while I focus on you, and then we continue in that pattern.”

“Okay, that sounds fine. I’ll let you know,” Lorna replies with a smile, feeling lighter now that she knows she isn’t alone and can have a place to control herself and find answers. Then Lorna hears a crash and the professor’s head whips towards the sound. 

“Erik, what was that?” The professor asks out loud, two fingers against his temple. Lorna startles, staring at the professor at the mention of Magneto’s name. 

“Well, try to be careful, please. Lunch will be by the trees at noon,” the professor says in what Lorna assumes is a response to what Magneto said.

“I apologize for that, it seems they dropped a piece of the wall structure when setting it up,” the professor says to Lorna. 

“No worries,” Lorna replies, still shaken at the mention of Magneto. 

“Will Magneto be watching the training sessions?” Lorna asks, suddenly hyper aware how close to personal this all feels. 

“Not unless I ask him to,” the professor replies. “Would you like to practice under him since he might understand your power more?”

“How about I get back to you on that by the end of the week?” Lorna says instead, a small smile on her lips. Charles chuckles at her response.

“I’ll await your answer,” the professor responds with a smile. “Go enjoy the day.”

Lorna takes the dismissal and smiles at the professor before making her way towards her siblings and the little group around them. Lorna decides to stand by her brother, bumping his shoulder when he grins at her. She turns to the group, startled by their eyes on her. 

“Hey, girl.” Ororo greets Lorna with a big smile. 

“Hello…” Lorna trails off, trying to smile at Ororo but uneasy with so many eyes on her.

“This is Wanda and I’s younger sister, Lorna.” Peter says with a smile. 

“Nice to meet you, I am Kurt.” a blue boy with red eyes says, holding out his hand. Lorna takes in his three fingers and tries not to seem rude as she stares. 

“Nice to meet you, Kurt.” Lorna replies with a small smile.

“Alex,” a blonde kid introduces himself as he nods his head at Lorna, a soft smile on his lips. Lorna smiles back, her heart spiking as he holds eye contact with her.

“I’m his big bro, Scott,” an older guy with shades says, jerking his head up in greeting. Lorna nods in return.

“I’m Jean,” a redhead girl introduces herself with a smile.

“Nice to meet you,” Lorna replies. 

“I’m Jubilee,” a girl with hoop earrings and two high ponytails says, waving her hand as she chews gum. Lorna smiles at her, tilting her head in greeting. 

“Welcome to the group, girls.” Peter tells his sisters. Lorna huffs a laugh while Wanda rolls her eyes, trying to hide her smile.

“Who is supposed to bring out lunch later?” Ororo asks. 

“Professor said it was Kurt and Jean’s turn,” Alex replies. Lorna watches her older siblings, noticing how at ease they feel around this group, and Lorna lets herself relax, feeling the tension drain from her body. They’re under the shade of the trees, farther away from the front of the school where Lorna can see Magneto from the corner of her eye, lifting metal to set the foundations while some other students help secure the wood and beams. Lorna looks around, noticing that most students are off to the side, staying clear of Magneto, while very few are watching him in awe, as if they can’t believe the man is in front of them. Some of them admire him , Lorna realizes, trying to push the onslaught of emotions down. 

“So, how are you holding up with your dad being here?” Scott asks. Lorna whips her head to him, eyes wide as she looks at their faces and sees no confusion or shock, except for Jubilee whose eyes are huge. She then turns to her siblings and is glad that at least Wanda looks shocked. 

“What?” Jubilee whispers, and Lorna sees her eyes glancing in the direction of Magneto.

“How do you know?” Lorna asks.

“Did Pietro tell you?” Wanda hisses, eyes glaring daggers at their brother. Lorna catches the grimace that flashes across her brother’s face in a second before it’s gone at the use of his real name.

“No, it wasn’t him. Mystique told Ororo and I ended up hearing it, and then it just went from there…” Jean says, trailing off as she looks at Wanda. 

“Wait, everyone knew but me?” Jubilee asks, her voice offended. Lorna ignores that comment, baffled at why anyone knows this.

“We won’t say anything. You have our word,” Scott says. 

“That means a lot, thanks.” Wanda replies sarcastically. “It’s not like a lot of people know anyways.”

Lorna sees her brother roll his eyes at Wanda, but she can sense his underlying tension, the same anxiety that Lorna is feeling herself.

“We are the only ones who know. It’s going to stay that way,” Peter orders firmly. Lorna is surprised by how he’s taking charge. 

“Who else knows? I know it can’t just be you guys,” Wanda asks, voice irritated. 

“Well, you know the professor knows. Mystique also.” Peter shuffles on his good leg, his cast planted on the ground. “And Hank.”

“That’s not a lot ,” Lorna tries to calm herself down.

“It’s not a little ,” Wanda replies. Lorna frowns.

“We are sorry, we know it’s not for us to know, but we know now and we promise it won’t get out from us,” Jean says, her voice firm. “Right everyone?”

Lorna sees everyone else nod and mumble their agreements. I can’t believe strangers know before Magneto , Lorna doesn’t know how to go about this now. 

“But, vat are you planning to do about it?” Kurt asks, his tail flicking anxiously. Lorna looks to her siblings and sees them both looking down, frowning. They don’t even know , Lorna exasperatedly thinks. 

“We can’t hide forever, but we all agreed we’d tell him when we’re ready,” Lorna supplies. When the group hears no objections from Peter or Wanda, they nod. 

“Okay, so now that it’s all settled,” Jubilee says, trying to change the mood. “We should see what your mutations are! Or if you’re not comfortable with that, you can tell us.” 

“Showcasing our powers is not going to happen, but we don’t mind seeing yours,” Lorna says. She’s unprepared for the protests, all their voices mashing together and she shoots her hands up to cover her ears. Damn they are so loud! Lorna thinks. 

“Guys! Guys!” Peter shouts, waiting for the group to quiet down. “You can see the powers another time. They’re not comfortable yet, so please don’t push them. Just show them yours for now.”

They all take a moment to consider before they agree, deciding it best to showcase their abilities away from the construction of the school. Alex starts to talk about how he’s had to train for a week before he aimed at a target properly, and Lorna doesn’t understand much of what he means, or what his power is, but she’s excited to find out.

“We don’t want to destroy the school’s construction progress,” Alex says, laughing. The others laugh with him.

Yeah I doubt the professor will be fond of them destroying the building again while it’s still under construction , Lorna muses. She follows the group to a more secluded area, unaware and unprepared for how bizarre and cool their powers are.

~

Peter watches the fascination and intrigue in his sisters’ eyes as they watch the group demonstrate their powers, laughing and talking and challenging each other with various obstacles and methods of control. Scott is constantly trying to tell the others to keep it down and try not to cause any real damage, but even Peter knows that he’s having fun and letting loose for once too. Before anyone can notice him, he grabs his crutches and makes his way towards the unfinished school, eyes searching for a particular face. 

Peter feels as if it takes years before he reaches the school, and when he does, he sees who he’s looking for sitting in the shade, secluded and playing with a piece of metal that’s floating over his hands. Peter hesitates for a second before pushing all of his racing thoughts aside and making his way towards the man, knowing that if he just jumps into it, then it’ll be easier.

“Fixing the school is too much for you? All the metal is too heavy?” Peter says when he’s in front of the man, and he immediately feels his face heat up. What kind of-why would-who starts a conversation like that, you idiot! Peter wants to punch himself when the man looks up at him, brow furrowed and lips turned down in a tight frown.

Off to a great start, dumbass . Peter sometimes hates when he doesn’t think before speaking. Well, right now he’s starting to hate it all of the time. 

“I was taking a break.” Erik’s voice is a little tight and Peter winces slightly as he glances to the side. 

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Peter replies.

“You guess?” The man says, lifting an eyebrow. For some reason, Peter feels like he’s prey caught in a trap — and he’s really regretting trying to do this in the first place — so he throws his crutches onto the ground and tries to sit by the man but not too close, noticing Erik’s wince at the sound of the crutches clanging together. Peter is currently deciding he’s going to keep digging his hole because, one, he can’t run away right now, and two, he doesn’t like to wait and he’s been thinking of spending some time to know the guy and figure out how worth it divulging his secret will be if he ever decides to do it. Plus, it can help him figure out if Wanda and Lorna should even try also, not wanting to put them through unnecessary pain when he can try and see how Erik reacts to the most annoying of his children first.

I’m good at taking bullets for them , Peter thinks with a self deprecating smile. 

“What are you doing?” Erik asks, his body language is tense as he turns to look at Peter. Peter gives him a tight lipped smile. 

“I’m tired and wanna sit. You're gonna deny me that right?” Peter asks quickly, and before Erik can open his mouth, Peter continues. “It took me years to get across the field of tents and to this very nice and cool spot away from the sun. I’d like to enjoy the blessed rest I deserve from that hazardous journey.”

Peter tries not to break out into a giddy grin when he sees Erik’s lips quirk up for a second, eyes full of light mirth as he looks at Peter before looking down at his cast and the expression on his face shuts off again. For some reason, it makes Peter feel self-conscious, as if his cast is a sign of his failures and weaknesses, so he turns his face to look at the unfinished school instead. This is Magneto , Peter reminds himself. Why would he feel pride in a mutant who is too weak to get a job done, who gets hurt and is unable to use his mutation. Why would he feel pride in his kid who he still doesn’t know is his kid who is practically useless and a ‘normal’ person for now? He’s just a walking symbol of everything Magneto hates . 

“Not being able to use your gift must be suffocating,” Erik says after a silent pause, and Peter twitches in his place, not expecting sympathy from the man. “I experienced it myself when I was locked up for ten years in the Pentagon, and that was one of the worst Hells I’ve had to endure. To be without your element is…I wouldn’t wish it on any mutant.”

Peter nods his head, glancing at Erik who is looking at the small piece of metal he keeps twisting and turning into little shapes over his hand. Peter watches the shapes form, feeling a sense of calm wash over him, and it startles him. He’s never experienced this time of calmness before, and he feels his mind quiet the way it does when he’s listening to music. It’s-my mind is quiet and I can actually breathe now , Peter realizes, his heart calming. Seeing the metal twist shapes makes Peter feel at ease, and he can slightly hear the bending sounds as if time were slowing for him when he runs, and it’s a new kind of music, similar to that of the sound of the glass shattering when he was breaking Erik out of the prison. 

“Thank you,” Erik says softly and Peter’s eyes snap to Erik. He’s still looking down at the metal, turning it into a squirrel and Peter can’t stop the smile from forming on his lips at the sight. That’s cute , Peter thinks and then remembers what Erik said. I really do have a low attention span, damn. 

“Why the thanks?” Peter asks, and Erik turns his eyes to Peter, and it makes Peter tense slightly, still not used to being looked at by the man. Especially not with so much emotion being demonstrated in the man’s eyes. 

“I never did thank you ten years ago at the Pentagon. If it weren’t for you I’d still be there,” Erik replies and Peter can see the sincerity in his eyes. Peter tilts his head as he glances away.

“No worries man,” Peter replies. “It was fun and I got to meet you.” Immediately Peter tenses. That was too much , Peter scolds. Erik looks taken aback by his words and Peter starts to say the first thing on his mind immediately to not hear what Erik has to say.

“You know, because I- they told me that you were this cool badass guy who was a powerful mutant with an incredible mutation, and I was very young at the time and didn’t know anyone else who could do that aside from myself and my sisters and-”

Peter is cut off by Erik’s soft laugh, and it makes Peter get a spike of fear. He knows he shouldn’t be afraid, but for some reason, the man’s laughter and smile was scarier than his glaring eyes. 

“So, because I was a ‘cool badass guy’,” Erik uses air quotes to say the last part. “You decided to help Charles get me out?” 

“Well, yeah that’s most of it,” Peter mumbles, pretending that he didn’t do it to see the man he suspected was his father. Erik shakes his head to himself, a small smile on his lips.

“You said your sisters were mutants too?” Erik asks. Peter’s eyes widen, as he realizes that in his stupid rant, he divulged the information of having sisters, and he told them he wouldn’t put them on Erik’s radar unless they were ready. It’s fine. He doesn’t even know them yet , Peter tries to tell himself.

“Yeah, but anyways, how do you even do that?” Peter asks, trying to change the conversation and hoping it doesn’t look obvious as he points at the floating metal squirrel in Erik’s hands. He sees Erik look at it, his eyes going dark again before he changes the shape again.

“It’s metal, it just bends the way I tell it to,” Erik replies, and it sounds a little off to Peter’s ears. The silence stretches, and it makes Peter shift in his spot. He doesn’t do well with silences, and right now, he can hear all his own thoughts racing across his mind, jumbling together as he tries not to start rambling again. 

“It seems like a cool power,” Peter replies. He cringes at the silence that follows. 

“I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love my power, but manipulating metal looks fun too,” Peter continues, feeling his face heat up at the look Erik is sending him. I sound so stupid , Peter thinks. “How do you go about controlling it? I mean, you make it look so easy and I just want to know what your secret is, man.”

Erik doesn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, lips pursed as he thinks of Peter’s question. Peter starts to pluck blades of grass from the ground to try and ground himself, giving him something to do so he doesn’t start to word-vomit again.

“Well, your mutation is truly remarkable. The way you move fast and are able to stop bullets, it’s a gift,” Erik says as he glances at Peter before looking back at the metal in his hand that’s now a star. Peter smiles, hearing the compliment and recognition of his abilities from Erik makes him straighten up in pride and feel his heart warm. He always wanted someone to be proud of his mutation, and he knows that Wanda and Lorna like his ability, but they’re supposed to , and Erik doesn’t know him, which makes the praise sound like music to Peter’s ears. 

“Oh, it’s nothing, really.” Peter says as he looks at the ground, hiding his smile. He can’t have the man thinking that he secretly is holding on to each word he says, and every action he makes. 

“It’s not nothing, and you should feel pride in it.” Erik replies, and Peter feels warm again, but then his heart drops when he hears what Erik says next. “Humans try to repress our pride in ourselves, to destroy us for existing. If we start to hate our gifts, then they win.”

Peter sees the man look at his inner arm, and when Peter follows his gaze, his heart drops as he sees numbers tattooed on Erik’s skin. Look what your incessant talking did, Pietro. Now he’s thinking about that shitty place , Peter mentally berates himself. He suddenly feels cold, wondering what horrors Erik has seen while in the camp. Peter feels his heart clench as he realizes he is making the man relive one of his worst memories because he can’t bring his parents happiness if he’s around them. Remember, Pietro, if mom couldn’t handle you, then what makes you think Erik would want to? Peter winces at the thought, keeping his eyes on the green grass. He tells himself the color makes his eyes burn, blurring his vision.

“The world is a cruel place,” Peter says softly when the silence becomes too much. He sees Erik startle, as if remembering that Peter was there too. 

“It is.” Erik replies, not unkindly. “Charles thinks you all can change it, but if he restarts the X-Men program, then I hope you all learn to fight when you can’t talk your way out of it.”

Peter tries not to take the words like a blow, but they sting either way. He isn’t sure if Erik meant for them to sound like a jab, but it does and Peter’s tongue feels like lead, unable to form any words. He knows he talks a lot — Hell, many people tell him to shut up a lot — but he didn’t think when it mattered it would hinder missions. If I even join the X-Men now , Peter thinks grimly. Maybe the professor doesn’t want someone like me on the team if even Erik thinks it won’t help.

Peter isn’t sure if he’s a glutton for pain or not, but he thinks he is because he says the next words out of his mouth. “Do you think I’d make a good X-Men?” Peter winces at how his voice sounds so small as he asks it. He hears Erik sigh next to him, not wanting to look at the man in case he looks judgemental or annoyed. 

“If you had the ability to punch Apocalypse a couple of times in the face without any fear, then I think you’re ready,” Erik replies, and Peter is surprised at how genuine he sounds. The mention of Apocalypse has Peter’s leg hurting again, and he tries to shuffle it, feeling the pins and needles at being in the same position for too long, and his leg not being elevated enough. 

“Yeah, but now I’m stuck in this crap,” Peter says, jerking his leg with the cast. 

“Every good X-Men has to have battle wounds at one point,” Erik says, and Peter smiles at the light humor. 

“But to answer your question from before,” Erik says, his voice light. “I try to do something a special person told me before. I focus on a memory or feeling that evokes a balance between rage and serenity. That worked best for me. It allowed me to have better control, be stronger.”

Peter nods his head at the man’s words. I’ll tell that to Lorna, see if it helps her in her training , Peter thinks with a small smile. Peter almost wants to laugh at the fatherly advice Erik has no idea he’s giving Lorna at this moment, or actually giving Peter, but Peter can deliver this message to the person who needs it more. He can be an amazing messenger when he needs to be. 

“Your gift must be different in how to control it, I assume?” Erik states. 

“I don’t really think about it much, honestly.” Peter responds, realizing that he just does it and that’s it. His power comes easily, but it’s not without its issues. “The precautions are more complicated than the actual control.”

“Understandable,” Erik replies. Peter finds it bizarre that he’s actually having a conversation with his dad, even if the man doesn’t know that yet.

“I wanted to ask you, if-”

Lunch is ready , Peter jumps in his spot at the sound of Charles’ voice in his mind, interrupting his sentence. He glances at Erik and sees the man’s lips quirk up for a second before it disappears. 

“You heard him too?” Peter asks and Erik nods. Peter shakes his head in the direction that Charles is in. How can he even talk to so many people at once? Peter wonders.

“Well, time to eat,” Erik says as he starts to stand up. He offers a hand to Peter after a moment of hesitation and Peter takes it, his heart spiking at the contact. Once Peter is stable, Erik lets go and holds out Peter’s crutches for him to take.

“Thanks,” Peter says. Erik nods his head in acknowledgement. 

“It was nice speaking with you,” Erik says. Peter gives a smile to the man.

“Yeah,” Peter responds. “It was great. Also, good luck with building the school. It looks like it’s gonna take a while.”

“I’ll manage,” Erik replies as he makes his way towards the crowd of students who are waiting for their plates. Peter smiles as he follows behind the man, a little slower than normal. That went well , Peter thinks happily. Now to figure out the best time to tell him. Peter cringes at the thought, knowing that that is much harder to do than a simple conversation.

~

Lorna has a plate already prepared for her brother, and hands it to him when he finally arrives. He takes the plate with a smile and practically inhales the food, and Lorna’s face twists in disgust as she watches. The others are all talking, and when Lorna looks at Wanda, she sees her smiling and engaging in conversation with Jubilee and Ororo about the best clothes to wear on hot days and what colors attract more heat.

“So, where were you?” Lorna asks her brother. Lorna immediately notices his demeanor changes and becomes more tense.

“Just talking with Erik,” Peter says casually, as if that piece of information isn’t making Lorna’s heart palpitate. 

“About?” She asks, glancing in Wanda’s direction to see if she’s listening. Lorna sees Wanda is deep in conversation with Jean and Kurt now. Good , she thinks.

“Nothing, just talking about mutations,” Peter responds. “Speaking of, I was actually- wait, no. First off, don’t get mad before you hear me out, okay?”

Lorna frowns at Peter’s words, unsure if she would agree or not. Usually, when it comes to Peter, whatever he does or says is bound to get a person upset with him. It’s like he has a talent for it , Lorna muses.

“What is it?” Lorna asks, already preparing for the worst.

“I asked him about his powers. He explained his methods of how to control them,” Peter says, glancing at Lorna as he says the last part. Lorna isn’t upset with him, she decides, but she’s still anxious. 

“Does he know about Wanda and I?” She asks.

“What’s there to know? He doesn’t even know we’re his kids,” Peter replies with a goofy grin. 

“Stop playing. Does he know about Wanda and I?” She repeats, firmer this time. Peter’s smile drops and he sighs.

“He just knows I have sisters who are mutants, but he doesn’t know it’s you both,” Peter replies. Lorna lets out a small breath. We’re not in the clear but at least we’re not in the open yet , she thinks, feeling lighter. 

She then remembers what Peter said about Magneto and his control over metal, and it brings the question of how much that information could benefit her. She glances at her brother who is currently struggling with his crutches, probably uncomfortable with leaning on them for so long. Lorna decides to go for it, hoping the information could at least help her the way Magneto has never done. Could this be a form of connection? She tries not to think too hard about it.

“What did he say?” She asks, not looking at him, but knowing that he’s grinning like an idiot. Shut up , she mentally groans. Lorna is silent, listening to the advice Magneto gave, recording it to memory so she could test it out herself and see if that’s another thing her and Magneto have in common. She also tries to ignore the big smile on Peter’s face, knowing that he’s enjoying this way more than he’s letting on, and definitely way more than Wanda or herself. It makes her feel sad for him too, because she knows that he gives too much of himself and expects nothing in return, and sometimes, when he gives too much, he’s left with nothing when it all goes to hell.

~

Wanda still isn’t too comfortable with the idea of the professor roaming around her mind as she uses her abilities, but she wills herself to accept this as the most logical conclusion. If you don’t want to be afraid or a danger to anyone anymore then you need to do this , Wanda reminds herself. 

“Now, like I said before, I’ll be a lingering presence meant to guide you, but I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to,” the professor says. Wanda nods her head. “I will only intervene if I feel you are pushing your limits or might accidentally lose control.”

“I might end up losing control,” Wanda says, lips turned down as she looks at the professor.

“Everyone loses control, but don’t be afraid of it. We’re away from everyone, so no one will get hurt,” the professor tries to reassure Wanda. But I could hurt you , Wanda thinks, fear filling her up at the idea. I don’t want to be like him .

Charles frowns, and she knows he’s hearing her thoughts. She ignores the sad look he’s giving her, and she takes a deep breath before releasing it, preparing herself for the session.

“I can promise you that you won’t hurt me. As for being like Erik, there are good qualities in him, just as there are bad. Everyone has them, but I can promise that you won’t end up taking over the world as long as I am here for you,” the professor replies with a small smile. Wanda looks at him, hoping that he’s right. 

Hope is important, but working for it makes it happen , the professor tells her in her mind. Wanda takes in his words, and then gives him a small smile, stepping a few feet away from him. 

“Okay, I’m ready to start,” Wanda says. The professor gives her a sharp nod, smiling at her as she lifts her hands. 

Wanda tries to calm her emotions, feeling the energy inside of her, making her hands glow red. She decides to start with something simple, a hex bolt. She summons her energy, mumbling a few words, and then flings her power at the ground, a couple of feet away from the professor. She sees him flinch in his wheelchair, eyes wide as he sees the destruction. I knew it would be scary , Wanda thinks.

“No, my dear, I find it fascinating!” The professor shouts loud enough for her to hear. The comment makes Wanda feel delighted, but then she remembers how bad her abilities can get. 

“I’ll stop you if it gets out of hand, Wanda. I told you not to worry,” the professor lightly scolds her, but she sees his small smile. She doesn’t understand why he has so much faith in her when he doesn’t even know her. 

“Show me what else you can do,” the professor tells her. Wanda keeps her hands down for this next part, looking at the professor as she prepares herself.

“What you will see is not real,” Wanda informs him, and before the professor can ask what she means, she lets her power flow. She makes the professor see a field of roses, and by a large tree, there is a giant mouse lemur, as big as the tree. 

“What…” she hears the professor say. In an instant, the images are gone.

“Was that an illusion?” The professor asks, voice faint as if he ran a marathon. Don’t think that! She scolds herself. That’s so insensitive! She startles at the sound of the professor's laugh.

“It’s okay,” he replies. Then he looks around, as if looking for the giant lemur and tree. 

“It’s not illusions because I can make the person feel, smell, and touch what I make them see, but it’s not psychic abilities either,” Wanda says. “At least, not that I know of. Jean’s explanation of psychic abilities don’t necessarily line up with mine.”

“I did notice that your abilities, although holding psychic and telepathic elements, aren’t exactly the same,” the professor agrees. He thinks for a moment before adding, “do you, well…how do I put this? Do you always mumble phrases to sometimes get your power to work?”

Wanda is a little surprised he heard her faint mumbling when throwing the hex bolt. Usually, people barely hear her when she uses that particular ability set. 

“Only when it involves hexes and abilities under that category,” Wanda replies. “Peter would always joke that my powers resembled that of a witch.”

The professor doesn’t react, and it makes Wanda shift in her spot. She isn’t sure if he’s troubled or just thinking. 

“It may be that your mutation derives from two separate family lines,” the professor says. This makes Wanda pause.

“What do you mean? Like, my mom being a mutant? If that’s what you mean then that’s not possible, she’s ‘normal’.” Wanda replies. Since Wanda was younger, she always wondered if her mom was like her and her siblings, but it quickly became apparent that they were alone. 

“No, that’s not what I mean. What I meant was that Erik is a mutant, which makes you being a mutant a strong possibility already. However, your magical abilities seem to derive from your mother’s lineage. I am in no way saying she is a witch, but maybe your ancestors had the gift of practicing magic, and your mutation triggered that gene as well, or the other way around,” the professor responds. Wanda is at a loss for words. My ancestors were witches? It feels strange to think about, but also doesn’t sound confusing or out of the box. Nothing could surprise her anymore. 

“Wait, you believe in magic?” She asks. She always assumed the professor was a scientist at heart, that magic would seem childish to him. She hears the professor let out a soft laugh.

“If Apocalypse exists, then I would be a fool not to believe in magic,” She hears the professor say in response. 

“So then, is there a way for us to know for sure? If what I have is also magic?” Wanda asks. The professor hums as he looks to the side.

“All my books burned down in the explosion, but I can ask Hank and some others for some information on the topic. Maybe Raven could get some books for me,” the professor says.

“Raven?” Wanda asks, not having heard the name before.

“You may know her as Mystique,” the professor replies. Wanda nods as she puts it together.

“Well,” the professor continues. “Let’s continue practicing and then I’ll see what I can do about getting you that information.” 

Wanda smiles and lifts her hands, feeling the red energy and throwing another hex, this time aiming where she wants. She smiles at the professor who nods and she continues to practice, feeling more comfortable the more she uses her powers. 

“Are there other things you can do?” The professor asks.

“I really don’t know. I don’t use them much,” Wanda replies, then she shifts uncomfortably and looks at the professor, a tinge of fear in her eyes. “Sometimes I can see the dead when I sleep.”

This catches the professor’s attention, and he looks at her. “What do you mean?”

“Sometimes, and it’s not on purpose , but I see people who I knew before they died and are dead now. They are sometimes surrounded by stars or a field of weeds,” Wanda says. She knows it sounds crazy, but she doesn’t know how else to explain it. It really scares her.

“I…that’s very interesting,” the professor says, and Wanda thinks he could be at a loss for words. “Wanda, I think your mutation and magic enhance your abilities. If you can do astral projection, then I will have to monitor your sleep.”

“So now I’m a lab rat?” Wanda asks, voice low as she crosses her arms, almost hugging herself.

“No, I just feel it would better help me understand your abilities. I do this for Jean too, who also has more power than she can handle,” the professor replies. Wanda frowns, wondering how much more of a freak she is than the other students.

“You aren’t weird or a freak Wanda,” the professor says, probably sensing her inner turmoil. “You just have a special skill set that is more evolved than the other students, and that is not something to be ashamed about. With a bit of control, you can embrace yourself fully and feel better.”

“You know, I didn’t have the magic first,” Wanda says suddenly. The professor’s eyebrows furrow at this. 

“What do you mean?” He asks. Wanda looks down at her hand, watching as the red energy dances across her fingers.

“My mom didn’t want me to use my powers so much because when they first happened, before the magic, I was with my mom and Peter at the park and I was so angry that she didn’t let me get ice cream. So, I wished our car would blow up, I said I wanted it to go up in flames because that way we wouldn’t be able to get home and I could stall for ice cream.” Wanda says, and she feels the professor’s eyes on her. Each time she recalls this memory, she feels shame and guilt. 

“So what happened, Wanda?” The professor asks softly. His voice snaps her out of her trance, keeps her from falling too deep in the memory.

“We weren’t inside the car, but we were close to it when it blew up. But, we didn’t get hurt, because one second we were close to it, and the next we were down the street,” Wanda says. “I remember hearing mom vomit, and Peter was looking at us, eyes wide and that’s when I knew he got us out of there. He was fast from that day forward, but my mom was scared of the both of us after that. At least, I think she was more scared of me because she knew I did that before I even knew it.”

The professor is silent. Wanda doesn’t know what to do, so she continues talking.

“Sometimes weird things like that would happen,” Wanda says. “Then after that, I had red energy seeping through my hands every time I got angry, and the lights would flicker or blow out. I tried to listen more to my mom and stop using the abilities, but it sometimes didn’t work. I still see their fear, the way mom was afraid and the way Peter was wary around me. They still are.”

“So, then that is your main mutant power, some type of probability alteration or jinxing, and the magic was triggered by it, it seems.” The professor observes. Wanda finds that right now, she doesn’t care, she just wants better control.

“But you’ll find out for sure, right? You can still help me when I’m even more of a freak of nature?” Wanda asks. She sees the professor cringe at the choice of words she used.

“I will do the best I can, and I am sure we can help you here,” the professor answers. Wanda hopes he can, because if he can’t then she will really lose her family because of her freakish powers.

~

It’s late in the evening and Erik decides to take another break, the first floor of the school is already done. He groans as he thinks about how many more stories he has to add to the new school, as if it weren’t already a big enough estate. 

“Well, more students keep coming, so it’s got to have more room,” Erik hears Charles say as he makes his way under the shade of the tree that Erik is lounging in. He watches as Charles takes the same place that the speedster was in earlier. 

“You’re going to have your hands full with them once the school is built,” Erik replies in greeting. He chooses to ignore the frown on Charles’ lips, knowing that he hasn’t made his decision yet on what he will do once the school is built. He knows Charles wants him to stay, but he still isn’t sure if it’s for the best or not.

“Yes, well I could use the help,” Charles says, and Erik rolls his eyes at the poor attempt of subtlety. Don’t push it , Erik mentally tells Charles with a small smile. The man returns the smile and looks towards the school.

“I actually have to ask you something, I’ve asked for Hank’s input and now need yours,” Charles says. His tone of voice tells Erik that this is serious, and he turns to look at the man, giving him his undivided attention.

“About?” Erik asks.

“What do you know about witches?” Charles asks. Erik pauses for a moment, trying to see if he heard Charles right. Witches? Charles asking about witches? He’d find it funny if the man weren’t so serious.

“Yes, I know. Everyone seems to think it strange that I’m asking, but please, just humor me.” Charles says. 

“I’ve never met one,” Erik tries for humor, but it falls flat and Charles doesn’t laugh. 

“What do you know of them at least?” Charles asks.

“Like I said, I have never seen one, but I heard stories of women who could wield magic. I never really believed it, but now I don’t know what to believe.” Erik tells Charles. Erik sees Charles contemplate his next words, and it makes Erik realize how far apart they have drifted throughout the years, when in the beginning, they were closer than most of the people in his life.

“Have you ever known someone whose ancestors could have been witches?” Charles asks, but Erik notices the caution in his voice, and it raises alarms in his head. 

“Why do you ask?” Erik questions. 

“You know a lot more people than I do, so I figured you’d know something,” Charles is quick with his response, and it makes Erik suspect he rehearsed this response before coming to him.

“I knew a woman who claimed her mother would always speak about her great grandparents who knew a lot about magic,” Erik says, and he notices Charles hanging onto his every word. “She told me that her mom would talk to her about different forms of magic, from drawing magic from the universe to Eldritch magic and chaos magic.”

Erik notices Charles’ eyes widen, and he stops talking. Suddenly this conversation is starting to put Erik on edge. 

“What is it?” Erik asks. Charles seems to compose himself and Erik frowns, unsure why the man is behaving this way. He’s about to ask if he’s alright when he remembers it isn’t his place to do that anymore. Especially with everything he’s just done, siding with Apocalypse and nearly destroying the world. He doesn’t want to push his luck when it comes to the generosity of Charles.

“What do you know about chaos magic?” Charles asks. Erik has to think on his answer, trying to remember what Magda told him and even thinking about her now still hurts. Trying to remember what she had told him all those years ago only comes back as fractured sentences.

“I can’t remember much, but she said the magic looked different, the colors. The witches who practice dark magic had purple energy, the red was chaos magic, and some witches had blue if they were in covens, but I don’t know anything about that,” Erik replies. “As for chaos magic, I know very little. All I was told was that it affects reality and probabilities, but other than that, I can’t say.”

Erik sees Charles take in his words, and he wonders why the man is even interested in magic. As if they don’t already have enough problems to deal with without bringing magic into their lives.

“Thank you, Erik. You’ve helped me a lot,” Charles says. Erik feels his lips turn down, not really agreeing with the man’s statement. 

“May I ask why you want to know about magic all of a sudden?” Erik asks, hoping to get the truth from the man now that he divulged all the information he knows on the matter. He ses Charles shift in his chair and look away before meeting Erik’s eyes again.

“I have a student here who is displaying symptoms of magic. Particularly chaos magic,” Charles says, but then he keeps his mouth shut after that. Erik’s eyes widen at the information, both confused and amazed at why a magic user is even at the school.

“She’s a mutant too,” Charles answers, and Erik frowns at Charles. Don’t read my thoughts , Erik mentally says. 

“A mutant who is also a witch? That’s…strange,” Erik settles on. Charles’ lips quirk up and then he sighs.

“She needs help, so I won’t deny it.” Charles responds. Erik wonders who this mysterious girl is, and how she’s even the way she is. He knows if regular humans knew about her, they’d hunt her down. For some reason, Erik feels the need to meet her and see what she can do. He believes all mutants should be protected, and this girl is different, but she deserves a place in the world just like how the regular humans believe they do too. 

“Is it possible if I meet her? She seems extremely gifted,” Erik says. He doesn’t miss the reaction Charles gives, the way he tenses and his eyes widen slightly at his words. What is it? Erik thinks, wondering what has the man so tense.

“She’s currently resting and doesn't want to be bothered, but I will see if she’d be willing to meet you soon,” Charles says after a long pause. Erik frowns, remembering that some of the students are still terrified of him, and the girl must be no different. He regrets asking the question, turning to look at the ground and playing with the blades of grass. 

“I’m sure in time you can meet her, she’s just anxious with her power and doesn’t want to hurt anyone.” Charles tries again, noticing Erik’s silence. 

“Don’t force her if she doesn’t want to,” Erik settles with. He ignores the way Charles looks at him, with a sense of longing, and Erik really tries to ignore the way his heart spikes. I can’t , Erik reminds himself. It’s better this way .

They both sit in silence as the minutes pass, enjoying the cool breeze and hearing the laughter and shouts as the children play on the grass and by the lake. Erik closes his eyes, trying to stay in this moment of peace, beside Charles’ comforting presence and the echoes of laughter. He is startled when he feels wet trails on his face as he pictures Nina’s laughter mingling with the students. She would have loved it here , Erik thinks. 

I believe she would have , Charles replies, and it just produces more tears from Erik’s eyes. He’s thankful that Charles is ignoring them the way Erik is. She deserved to see this place , Erik thinks, realizing how much he’s denied his daughter, and what the consequences of that decision has brought to her. 

~

Lorna meets with the professor first thing in the morning, ready for her lesson. She spent a lot of time with the group, learning about them and their powers and feeling a sense of belonging that she hasn’t felt in a while when not around her siblings. Lorna felt more at ease with them and even enjoyed Jubilee’s commentary on different fashion choices that would compliment her green hair without making it stick out. She still isn’t sure how Peter is able to fake feeling comfortable with his silver hair, when most of the time she feels his silent resentment each time he looks at it, and part of her envies how easy he makes it look. She wishes she could fake off loving her hair too. 

“I was thinking we practice bending this metal pole into a square?” The professor asks her as he gestures to a metal pole on the ground. Lorna nods, raising her hands before she falters, another thought coming to her mind.

“Won’t Magneto feel it?” She asks. “He’ll know it’s moving without him doing it.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, I told him I was training a student on telekinesis so he doesn’t question it,” the professor replies. 

“Will that work?” Lorna asks. 

“The power doesn’t matter since a telekinetic mutation can move anything. It won’t raise suspicions, I assure you.” The professor answers. Lorna nods and takes a deep breath before lifting the metal pole, focusing her mind on the shape she wants and feeling the magnetic fields bend to her will, changing the shape of the pole until it forms a square. 

“Brilliant,” the professor praises with a smile and it lifts Lorna’s spirits. He instructs her to do a couple more shapes before asking her to throw the metal pole a couple of feet away from her and then stop it just as it lands on the ground. She fails that attempt a couple of times before she gets it. 

“This is actually hard,” Lorna says, breathing heavily as she tries to keep her hands from trembling as she lifts the pole and restarts the exercise. 

“I can imagine. Your mutation is like a muscle, so if it isn’t used as much, the constant use of it can cause strain and tiredness, but with practice, it’ll get easier,” the professor informs. 

“Practice makes perfect,” Lorna mumbles with a smile. She sees the professor smile at that.

“That it does,” the professor replies. After a couple of more successful tries, he asks her to break the metal apart and try to move them both at the same time. Lorna frowns as she tries to do what he asks, but the metal only makes a creaking sound and then stops. 

“It’s not working,” Lorna says. 

“Keep trying,” the professor tells her. She tries again, but it doesn’t work and she feels frustration creeping up on her. 

“Professor, I don’t think I can do that yet,” Lorna tries to tell him. She watches the professor wheel closer to Lorna and the floating metal pole, his face void of emotion. 

“You can do it, Lorna. Just close your eyes and breathe,” he guides her. She hesitates for a second before following his instructions. “Now feel the metal, the magnetic fields around it, and think of breaking it apart.”

Lorna tries, she really does but again, nothing happens. She feels her frustration bubble over and she drops the metal pole a few feet away, her eyes burning with her failure. 

“I can’t do it,” she says. She sees the professor is about to say something when tears start flowing from his eyes. This startles Lorna and she approaches him.

“Are you okay?” She asks. The professor looks up at her before he touches his cheek and sees the wetness on his fingers. 

“Lorna, did you do this?” He asks. Lorna flinches back, her heart dropping.

“What?” She asks, eyes wide. At her tone of voice, the professor looks up at her, eyes already dry and brow furrowed. 

“I’m not angry,” he tells her slowly. “I just know that I wasn’t…I wasn’t frustrated, but I felt your frustration, and then it enhanced drastically.”

Lorna doesn’t reply so he continues. “I could sense you enhancing your emotions, but not like anyone else. I know you didn’t mean it, but did you accidentally make me feel what you were feeling?”

Lorna feels her eyes burn, and she sees the professor’s eyes widen as his starts to water too. Stop it Lorna! Stop! She shouts in her mind. She tries to reign in her emotions, feeling his mingling with hers and growing stronger. 

“I’m sorry,” she says shakily. Her eyes get blurry and she can see the professor making his way towards her but she shakily steps back, trying to create distance. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She replies shakily, hearing her voice crack. No, no, don't cry! They hate it when you cry! They don’t want to feel it too, please stop! You’ll just make it worse for yourself, so stop!

Lorna , she flinches at the professor’s voice in her mind. Lorna, please listen to me. You need to calm down. Breathe, Lorna. Breathe.

Lorna tries to follow his instructions, but it’s all too much. She can hear a metal sound breaking and the loud sound makes her flinch. It’s when she feels a hand on her shoulder that she yelps and flings herself back, tripping over her own legs and collapsing to the ground. She grips her green hair and twists her hands, closing her eyes as she hears metal snapping. She hears a plane engine blow up, hears the rushing wind, can hear a little girl crying for her mom who is yelling, calling her a monster just like her father. She hears a man tell her to shut up and everything is just so loud.

“It’s too loud!” Lorna shouts. She starts to panic more when she stretches her hand and feels metal. The sun is gone, everywhere is all shadows and she’s feeling the magnetic fields surrounding her, filling her senses and slowly she blinks the blurriness away. She feels a presence in her mind, pushing warmth and calm thoughts into her and she finally is able to take a deep breath. The panic is still there, making her body tremble and she looks straight, seeing the professor look at her with worry through a human-sized hole. Her brows furrow as she takes in the space around her, noticing the small metal globe that is encompassing her. Did I accidentally do that? She asks. She sees the professor grimace.

No, but you were starting to lose control. You broke the metal pole into pieces and they started flying everywhere , the professor mentally responds. Lorna winces, feeling her emotions start to spike again. She tries to stand up but collapses back on the ground, her legs still shaking.

“Take a moment, just sit and relax.” The professor tells her. Lorna tries to breathe, thankful that for some reason, the enclosed metal space seems to calm her more.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers to the professor. He shakes his head, a small frown on his face.

“You don’t need to apologize. I am sorry for making you do too much when I promised I wouldn’t do that,” he replies. She doesn’t say anything to that, instead trying to calm her racing heart.

“So, I didn’t do this?” Lorna asks as she gestures to the metal globe. 

“I did,” she hears a voice say before the professor can respond, and she sees the professor give the man a look. Lorna feels her heart drop, piecing it together. There’s only one person who can bend metal other than her. 

He’s here? Lorna mentally asks the professor, unable to see Magneto from where she’s sitting. She finds that she isn’t upset, just spooked. And slightly embarrassed. 

Do you want me to ask him to leave? The professor asks her. Lorna thinks about it, but then realizes that the man probably saved the professor’s life, and she owes him a ‘thanks’. 

No, I’m coming out. She tells the professor. She gets up and leaves the metal globe, wiping her face of tears as she turns her eyes to Magneto. She tries to keep her emotions in check as she takes in his cautious expression. He’s looking at her with a mix of intrigue and wariness. 

“Thanks for stopping me,” Lorna mumbles to Magneto. “And for saving the professor’s life.” 

The man nods his head but doesn’t say anything. She tears her gaze away from him and looks at the professor who is looking between the two of them. After a moment of silence, the professor speaks.

“I saw a memory, it wasn’t my intention, but you were projecting so loudly and I couldn’t help it.” The professor informs. Lorna cringes, wanting to avoid talking about it right now. 

“We don’t have to discuss it, after all, your privacy is important.” He replies. “But, it seems your mutation also involves emotional manipulation. Am I right?”

Lorna stutters out a sigh as she looks away, holding herself tightly and trying not to shake on the spot. She can see the green of her hair from the corner of her eye, knowing that she probably looks like a mess right now. 

“Sometimes people’s emotions become stronger when I am around, or when I feel a strong emotion too.” She answers. 

“If you would like, we could work on that too.” The professor offers. Lorna nods her head, not trusting herself to speak. 

“You have more than one mutation?” Magneto asks, and Lorna startles, remembering that he is here too. She nods her head in response. 

“So, you can manipulate metal too? I’ve never met another mutant who can do that too.” Magneto says, and Lorna can hear the curiosity in his tone. 

“Not necessarily,” she replies, realizing these are her first words to her…to Magneto. “Just the magnetic fields, but it’s similar to yours, I guess.”

She sees Magneto take in her words, watching her with a question in his eyes, but then the expression is gone and he turns towards Charles instead. 

“If you would allow it, and if she’s comfortable,” Magneto starts, and Lorna tenses, having an idea of where this is going. “I would like to train her to better control her gift.”

Lorna feels tears form in her eyes as she hears Magneto call her mutation a gift. She knows he’s a terrorist, and that he believes mutants are superior, but to hear that she has something good, and not being looked at with hate, is hard to swallow. Why am I so emotional today? What’s wrong with me? She thinks as she tries to blink the tears away. When she looks at the professor, she sees him watching her, a question in his eyes. 

Only if you are ready. I promised you that , the professor tells her. 

“I’m ready.” Her eyes widen when she realizes she said it out loud and Magneto is looking at her confused. 

“I would like to have better control, and if you can give that to me, then I’ll do it.” Lorna tells Magneto. She sees a flicker of emotion cross his eyes but it’s gone again. 

“We can start-”

“Actually, wait.” The professor interrupts Magneto. They both turn to look at him as he looks between the both of them. “I was planning to have the older kids train together, and some new students as well. If you’re willing to, Lorna, I can place you with them and you all train under Erik and Raven.”

Lorna sees Magneto tense, eyes glaring at the professor. She shifts in her spot, unsure of what to say and then Magneto speaks before she can.

“I wasn’t planning on teaching an entire class, Charles .” He growls the man’s name out, and Lorna tenses. 

“This is the best thing for the students, and you can guide them along with Raven,” he replies.

“She hates me,” Magneto says flatly. 

“What family is perfect?” The professor counters. Lorna sees Magneto roll his eyes.

“I offered to help her,” Magneto says, gesturing at Lorna. “Not to train a bunch of kids for your X-Men obsession.”

“Erik, I need your help. They need all the help they can get and I know you can do it. Just for a week, and if it doesn’t work, then we can figure something else out. How about that?” The professor asks. Lorna sees Magneto frown, struggling with what to respond with. 

“Just one week,” the professor emphasizes. “It’ll start next week, so that you don’t have to jump into it.”

“Just one week,” he grumbles out in agreement, and Lorna tries to calm her nerves. One week of training with Magneto. She tries not to panic. 

“Okay, then it’s settled.” The professor replies. “Next week you will train them, and Lorna I will help you this week so you’re better prepared for joining the group.” Lorna nods, not wanting to speak anymore. She sees Magneto give a final glare to the professor before he turns to her.

“Next time you get anxious, just surround yourself with metal. It calms the nerves to be around your element,” Magneto tells her before walking off. Lorna stares at his retreating form, feeling her trembling stop and her heart rate slow. She then turns to the professor who offers her a small smile. She doesn’t have the energy to return it for now, but she sees the professor understands. 

Next time , Lorna thinks to herself. I’ll do what Magneto told Peter. I’ll find the balance. 

~

Peter watches from a distance as the days pass — and wow it’s already the end of the week, time can’t be any slower! — and he sees his sisters’ training sessions go well with Charles. He sees them progress slowly, each of them struggling but working hard to push through. He wishes in moments like these that he could run. It seems as his sisters get better, he gets worse. 

“Lorna tells me that we are going to train under Magneto,” Ororo says beside Peter. He nods his head, remembering Lorna telling him the professor assigned him with their group’s progress after Erik helped her when she freaked out during her session. He still doesn’t know what to do with that piece of information and decides to keep it locked away for now. 

“And Raven,” Peter adds. Ororo nods her head and he catches her glancing at Kurt who is playing with a few kids, teleporting them across the field as they laugh with joy. 

“You think she will tell him?” She asks. Peter shrugs, not wanting to dwell on it too much.

“I can’t judge her when I’m hiding a similar secret too,” Peter replies. 

“True,” Ororo says, and then turns to him with a question in her eyes and Peter feels his heart drop. “Speaking of, when will you three tell him?”

“Again, we’re not ready. He’s not ready. And besides,” he says, avoiding her eyes. “Wanda hasn’t even spoken to the guy yet, so it’s too soon.”

Ororo doesn’t comment and after a while she heads off to join Jean with constructing the extra levels of the mansion since Erik is taking a break. Peter spots Erik speaking with Raven by the edge of the school and Peter thinks about making his presence known, having only spoken to Erik once during his break and he feels that’s not enough. He thinks of an excuse for a conversation but then sees that one of the snack tables is close to them, and he smirks at his plan. 

He makes his way — super slowly because wow this is the worst and I want to run already! — towards the table. He immediately grabs the twinkie box and starts to tear into one, trying to balance the box with his hand that’s already holding his crutch. He’s nearly got it when the bottom of his crutch catches on a rock and he tilts forward. 

Crap , he thinks before he’s falling. He sees the twinkies fall in slow motion, as if his mutation were mocking him, and in a haste to reach for them, he kicks his leg out, meaning to leap into the air to catch them, when he hears a crack and then he’s a couple of feet away from where he was, now standing in front of a wide eyed Raven and Erik. He glances down and sees his cast is gone, his leg free, and looking completely healed. 

“What…” Peter trails off.

“You idiot!” Raven yells, making Peter jump. He sees her angrily storm the couple of steps towards him, Erik standing in the same place as he watches the scene unfold. 

“It wasn’t intentional, I-”

“We’re going to Hank, right now ,” Raven hisses, interrupting Peter again . 

“Why? My leg is fine, I even ran without a problem. Honestly, I think it’s healed already,” Peter says, speaking a little faster than normal.

“I don’t care, we’re going. That cast was meant to be on for two weeks, and we’re not even done with one,” Raven replies. 

“Come on, man. I’m finally free, it doesn’t hurt, and it’s healed. I told you I heal fast,” Peter responds. When Raven keeps staring at him, arms crossed, he groans in frustration. 

“Can you tell her I’m fine?” Peter calls to Erik, ignoring the panic at seeing the man’s eyes on him. “I can walk and run, and it’s not broken.”

“What? You think he’s gonna help you?” Raven asks him. Peter knows he flinches slightly if Raven’s furrowed brow is any indication. He feels his heart sinking at the implication, and his face burns at the fact that Erik is currently watching him with a look in his eyes that Peter can’t decipher right now. 

“No I-”

“Go easy on him, Raven. He just got his legs back,” Erik interrupts Peter. Peter’s eyes widened at the man stepping in for him. He looks at Raven and sees her regard Erik before looking back at Peter. 

“They could break again if he tries to run and then he’ll be in a cast for at least two months . So, no, you are going to Hank,” Raven says. Peter frowns, but he knows that she’s right, so he makes a show of his pain. He lets out a dramatic sigh and whines as he looks at Erik. 

“You see this? They claim they’re heroes, but they just want to control and shackle us,” Peter says dramatically to Erik. He sees Erik smirk and roll his eyes while Raven hits Peter on the top of his head.

“Ow!” He shouts. She smirks at him.

“Get walking or I’ll actually shackle you to the ground,” Raven threatens with a smirk.

“You wouldn’t,” Peter says, eyes wide at the threat.

“You want to test that theory?” She retorts, smirk gone and eyes threatening. Peter glances at Erik and sees the smirk still in place as he watches them.

“Would she?” He asks the man.

“She always says what she means,” Erik replies, and Peter looks back at Raven.

“I want to walk myself,” Peter submits. Raven nods her head and gestures her hand for him to lead the way. 

“Go,” she says. Peter looks back at Erik who is shaking his head with a smile and Peter grins.

“I’ll be back to let you know if I can run again,” Peter tells Erik, and then mentally cringes when he realizes that the man probably doesn’t really care for the update. He barely even knows Peter. But then Erik offers a small smile and nods his head. 

“If you’re cleared, you could be ready for the training sessions starting Monday,” Erik replies. The comment makes Peter smile, the biggest smile he’s ever had, and he sees Erik’s lips quirk up for a second before he looks away, eyes shutting off again. The sight makes Peter’s smile falter, but he keeps it on his face. If it stays long enough, it’ll become real , he tells himself as he walks in the direction of Hank’s medical tent. 

Hank scans his leg three times before he turns towards Peter, his eyes full of fascination as he takes in his leg. Peter tries not to feel like more of a freak with Hank’s gaze on him. It’s bad enough he’s different to ‘normal’ humans, he isn’t sure if he wants to be different from ‘normal’ mutants too. 

“This is extraordinary, Peter.” Hank says. “Your leg was meant to heal in two weeks by normal standards for mutants with speed healing, but you managed to heal in a few days.”

“So, that’s good, right?” Peter asks, ignoring Raven looking at his report. Hank smiles at him, his blue fur sticking out on all ends as he looks at his leg again.

“It’s more than good, but I am not sure how it happened. I mean, your cells seem to duplicate twice as fast on a good day, but now, they seem to be healing you quicker,” Hank says. 

“So, does that mean I’m cleared to run again?” Peter asks. 

“I see nothing wrong with it, just take it easy since your bones might still be a little weak from being in a cast for some time,” Hank replies. Peter sees Raven look up at his words and then turn towards Peter. 

“You better take it easy, kid. I swear if you break your leg again, I will tell Erik the truth,” Raven says. Peter freezes, glancing at Hank who goes still and then turns towards his monitor.

“You can’t do that,” Peter says. “Wanda and Lorna aren’t ready, and neither am I.”

“Then you better make sure you don’t break your leg being stupid,” she replies. Peter frowns.

“She wouldn’t snitch on me, would she?” He whispers to Hank. Peter sees the blue guy tense, glancing at Raven who is raising her eyebrow at him. 

“Don’t fall for her intimidation tactics!” Peter tells Hank.

“Just listen to me, and please be careful Peter,” Hank replies. Peter sighs and then nods his head.

“I can go now?” Peter asks. Hank nods his head after he glances at the report again and Peter makes sure to make a show of walking out of the tent for Raven, who rolls her eyes at him. 

“Peter!” Raven calls to him and he turns to look at her. “You’ll be training with me and Erik on Monday. Tell your sisters that they are expected to be there too, and Ororo should have told the others as well.”

Peter nods his head in acknowledgment and then he’s off. He makes sure to jog instead of run, still moving faster than the average person but not as fast as he can go. He finds his sisters hanging around the group and before he turns in their direction, he remembers his words to Erik and instead takes a mini detour first. He’s standing in front of Erik in a couple of seconds, the man’s eyes wide in surprise for a second, the metal he’s levitating nearly drops in his shock. Peter winces slightly and mumbles an apology.

“Doctor cleared me, said I’m ready to train on Monday,” Peter informs Erik, hoping to distract him from almost dropping the metal. The man gives him a small smile after a second.

“Congrats,” he says. Peter smiles and then looks in the direction of his sisters and their friends. 

“I’m going to break the good news to them,” he says. Peter sees the man glance in the direction of the group and nods. 

“I’m sure they’ll be happy for you, they seem the type.” Erik says, then he sighs as he looks at the almost finished school. “I’ve got to get back to work, but I’ll see you at the sessions next week.”

Peter nods and then he’s off, trying to keep the smile off his face at the thought that he just had a decent conversation with his dad, who doesn’t know he’s his dad yet. Peter pushes it away again, and smiles broadly when he stops in front of his sisters, their hair slapping their faces as they look at him and then down to his leg.

“How?” Lorna asks. Peter can’t stop his smile as he looks at their faces, and then the group’s faces.

“I accidentally ran and the cast broke and now I’m free,” Peter explains. He sees their confused faces and realizes he spoke too fast. 

“The cast broke when I accidentally ran, and now I am free of it and cleared,” he says, slower this time.

“Hank cleared you?” Wanda asks. Peter nods his head, grin still in place. 

“Well, I’m glad for you,” Scott says.

“Yeah, it must have sucked not being able to run,” Jubilee adds.

“It did, but now I’m good,” Peter replies. 

“So, are you training vith us?” Kurt asks. 

“Yeah, I’ll be there for Erik and Raven’s sessions,” Peter responds. He notices the silence, and looks at Wanda and Lorna who seem to be thinking. 

“What’s wrong?” Peter asks. He sees the others shift, Alex looking at Lorna and Jean and Ororo looking at Wanda.

“Wanda hasn’t spoken to Magneto yet, so she’s not sure what to do. She told the professor she’d join the group sessions, but she isn’t sure how to interact with him yet,” Lorna says. Peter sees Wanda frown at the words. 

“You won’t be alone, Wanda. There’s nothing to fear,” Peter says. He hears Wanda sigh. 

“I’m not afraid, I just…it’s fine. I’ll deal with it,” Wanda replies. Peter shifts in his place, not sure what to do. The rest of the group goes silent as they think about how the session will go. Some of them are a little intimidated by Erik still, and Peter looks at Kurt and Jubilee as he thinks this. He knows they are still cautious around him, and even though the others aren’t afraid, they still have conflicting emotions about the man. Peter then looks at his sisters, knowing that they both have different feelings on Erik, and now those feelings will grow or change based on how these following days go under his and Raven’s watchful eyes. 

Peter just hopes it all goes well for them and this doesn’t cause more problems than they previously had. He just wants Lorna and Wanda safe and confident in their abilities. For them to be happy for once, and not have to hide away because of the world and their hate. And a small part of Peter, one that he tries not to acknowledge as much, wants Erik to be happy too. To continue to push forward for the better when the world keeps knocking him down for it. 

~

Erik is finally done with the construction of the fourth level when Charles makes an appearance. He’s smiling, and it warms Erik’s heart as he looks at the man fondly. 

“Nearly done?” Charles asks. 

“It would be quicker if Jean weren’t always running off to meet with Scott every hour,” Erik replies. Charles laughs at this and looks towards the tents of students. 

“Are you ready for the sessions? These kids are a handful, but their power is where it gets complicated,” Charles tells Erik. Erik sighs as he looks in the direction Charles is looking in, seeing the kids laughing and cheering as Peter runs a few laps around them, bothering Scott and Jubilee. The sight makes Erik smile even though he doesn’t know why. He tears his gaze away when he feels his heart warm and instead turns to Charles.

“I’m going to need to know what some of their mutations are if I’m expected to help them all,” Erik informs Charles. He already knows some of the students’ skill sets, but there are some he doesn’t know.

“I’ll get that information to you by tomorrow,” Charles responds. Erik nods. He then studies Charles’ face, taking advantage of the man watching the kids to see his blue eyes and the slant of his nose. He records it to memory, the way he did over ten years ago when he last saw the man. He looks at his lips and then immediately tears his gaze away at the direction his thoughts are going. 

I can’t do that again , he tells himself. I can’t keep hurting him . 

Erik doesn’t realize Charles is looking at him as he tries to will his thoughts to stop. He knows he can’t go down that road again, at least not while he’s still a mess. He just lost his wife, how could he even think of Charles in that way right now? How could he do that to Helena, to Nina? No, he must refrain from making more mistakes and dragging more people down with him. If he can save Charles from the destruction he brings, then he will. 

“Erik, you don’t need to hide from me,” Charles tells him softly, and Erik feels his eyes sting. “I will always be here, and nothing can take me away. Apocalypse couldn’t even take me.”

At the mention of that name, Erik turns to Charles, his vision blurred. “He almost did take you.”

“But you saved me, you all did.” Charles says. “We have nothing to fear here. We’re all safe and we can learn to heal and put ourselves back together again.”

“Do you even know what you’re asking of me?” Erik asks Charles, his eyes desperate and red-rimmed as he looks at the man. “If we go back to the way things were before, you’ll end up hurt again and I’ll be the villain to your story. Again. ”

Erik sees the hurt on Charles’ face, but he needs Charles to understand what he’s saying. To see how bad life gets for someone when Erik is in it.

“I put you in that wheelchair before, and if I get close to you again,” Erik continues. “What worse thing do you think could happen? I don’t try to hurt people, but when I don’t seem to try, it still happens and I end up hurting people even worse. I’m the problem Charles, and nothing can fix that.”

“Erik-”

“No,” Erik interrupts. “I will help you with the kids, but once they can stand on their own, I need to figure out what to do for the betterment of everyone, including you.”

“Okay, but at least, let me help you while you are here.” Charles says. Erik opens his mouth to say something but Charles continues. “Having another perspective helps a great deal.”

Erik presses his lips together, looking at Charles with fear and longing. He feels so much pain, and he hasn’t felt much in days and when it hits, it’s so strong . He wills his tears to not fall and takes in a deep breath, seeing Charles’ eyes also fill with tears.

He looks so beautiful, so perfect , Erik thinks. He sees Charles huff a laugh and Erik can’t find it in himself to be upset at the mental intrusion. The man never listens to him anyways.

“Please, just know that I am always here for you, Erik.” Charles says softly, and Erik ignores his heart flutter at the way Charles says his name. “You’re not alone, and you have more family than you know.”

Erik can’t stop his tears from falling, and he stutters in a breath before releasing it. He nods his head in response and then turns towards the school, deciding to do a bit more before he heads into his tent for the night. He feels Charles’ presence in his mind long after the man has made his way towards a group of small children. Their laughter fills his mind, and he finds it gives him energy to lift double the amount of metal into the air.

~

Wanda would be lying if she claimed she wasn’t a bit nervous to train with the group. She knows her lessons with the professor were helping, and she hasn’t lost control of her power yet the way that Lorna had said she did when she had her own lesson with the professor, but now Wanda is worrying about how she can manage working in a group when she has just started to feel comfortable even using her powers. Now, she also has to worry about her…the man who can bend metal and is now monitoring their lessons. 

I promised the professor I would give it a try , Wanda tries to remind herself. She sees Lorna laughing with Alex as they make their way towards the back of the school where the professor told them Raven and metal bender would be waiting, the others following behind. Wanda frowns, turning to look at Peter who is also looking at Lorna but Wanda can’t decipher his expression. 

“She’s making friends fast,” Wanda tells Peter. She sees him wrinkle his nose at the implication and shakes his head, as if shaking off his thoughts. At times like this, Wanda feels a sad sense of sympathy for him, knowing that his mind is constantly running and never stopping, and it’s even worse when he’s stressed. Wanda knows that Peter is trying to seem fine and carefree, but she can see his anxiety and she knows that no matter how many times he has ‘decent’ conversations with the man they’re training under now, he still is afraid. Afraid of what? She still doesn’t know, but she knows he’s scared.

“ That friendship better slow down. They just met,” Peter responds icily and Wanda tries not to laugh at how he’s glaring daggers at Alex. 

“Relax, big bro. She’s not a kid anymore,” Wanda says. She sees something flicker across his eyes and then he turns towards her. 

“She’s still, and will always be my little sister,” Peter replies. “Same goes for you.” Wanda smiles in response, shaking her head as they follow behind the group. 

“How are you feeling, considering you have yet to speak to Erik?” Peter asks, and she can hear the caution in his tone. Wanda tries to think of a nice response, but it’s all jumbled. 

“I’m not afraid, but I also don’t know what to expect or think. You and Lorna both say he’s not that bad, but that doesn’t equate to good .” Wanda replies. “So, I’m just going to pretend he’s an instructor, and I’m a student. Nothing more, and nothing less.”

Peter hums at her response, and then she sees him prepare to himself to say something when a kid no older than Lorna walks up to Peter. She sees the kid give her a side glance before looking at her brother. 

“Don’t forget, Pietro ,” the kid says, his tone arrogant. Wanda sees Peter flinch at his name and Wanda frowns at the kid, wondering how he even knows her brother’s real name. She sees his smirk as he looks between her and her brother. “If you don’t want him to know, I suggest you find a way to compensate for all those lives lost when you broke him out.”

Wanda’s brow furrows at the words and she looks at her brother and pauses when she sees he is as white as a sheet. What is he talking about? Wanda wonders. Then the kid turns to her, his stupid smirk still on his face.

“Your darling brother didn’t tell you?” He says. Wanda freezes, unsure how he knew what she was thinking.

“I can read your minds,” the kid replies. “It’s not that hard to go digging into your brains when the mess revolves around your father and all his destructive tendencies.”

Wanda feels her heart drop, looking at her brother and seeing him return her gaze, guilt in his eyes. She suddenly feels panic rise in her, unsure if it’s because another person knows their secret, or because he’s threatening to tell it.

“Who are you?” Wanda asks. “What are you even trying to accomplish right now?”

The kid looks at her and then back at her brother. Wanda is taken aback by the pure hate in his eyes. What did you do now, Pietro? She thinks. 

“I truly hate to have to do this to you,” the kid says to Wanda, and she can see pity in his eyes and it makes her blood boil. “You and your sister seem great, but sometimes, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and with a father like Magneto, who knows what genes you have inherited.”

“I suggest you watch yourself,” Wanda’s voice goes dark. “You know nothing about me and my siblings. We don’t even associate ourselves with him .”

“You may not, yet.” The kid says. “But I can read your thoughts, and I can sense how deeply you three want some form of connection. It’s really pathetic , wanting the attention of a man who killed many people.”

“Dylan, just-”

“You shouldn’t even be here since the destruction of this place didn’t happen until after you showed up,” Dylan says, interrupting Peter. “You’re just bringing more destruction like your father.”

Wanda didn’t hesitate, she just threw a hex bolt in the direction of the kid, but he lifted his hand and redirected it to the ground. Wanda’s eyes widened slightly before she clenched her fists. 

“A telekinetic can redirect anything, and you are predictable,” Dylan says. Wanda raises her hands again, but she feels a hand on her arm, tugging her gently. She turns and sees Peter’s wide eyes as he shakes his head at her. 

“I have no problems with you, Wanda,” Dylan says. “Just stay out of this.”

“I don’t-”

“Hey!” Wanda jumps as she gets interrupted by a shout, seeing Raven stalking towards them behind Dylan, her eyes blazing. “What is taking you both so long? You’re late.”

“My apologies, I lost track of time,” Peter says, a big grin on his face. Wanda wonders how many times he’s practiced his smile to make them look real. 

“Well get moving, we aren’t going to wait all day,” Raven says, and then she turns to Dylan. “You aren’t supposed to be back here, so get moving.”

Wanda glares at the kid as he mumbles an apology with a smile, then makes his way towards the tents, but not before looking at Peter. Wanda sees that Dylan doesn’t say anything, but Peter still frowns as they make their way towards the back of the school, following after Raven.

“What did he say?” Wanda asks quietly. Peter shakes his head in response. “Since when does he know?” Wanda sees Peter cringe and look away.

“Over the weekend I was zipping around, and nearly collided with Erik, and my mind started racing like it always does, and he must have heard me slip up in my mind,” Peter answers, eyes trying to hide his panic and words coming out so fast that Wanda has to strain to understand. “He approached me and told me he knew and like an idiot I freaked out and now he knows it’s true. He knows we’re Erik’s kids.”

“I thought telepaths have trouble reading your thoughts?” Wanda asks, trying to understand everything.

“They-they do, at least Charles told me that. And Jean, but this kid-it’s like he doesn’t have trouble reading my thoughts, and I don’t know how he did it, but he did.” Peter says. Wanda takes a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions and nerves. 

“Does the professor know what he’s doing?” Wanda asks. “We need to inform the professor.”

“No! He said he’d tell Erik if we tell Charles,” Peter replies. Wanda feels her face twitch. They were being blackmailed. She feels a pulse of anger shoot through her, and her hands glow red. 

“Wanda…” Peter says, staring at her hands. Wanda closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in, willing her magic to settle.

“Pietro, why would you-”

“Less talking, more moving!” Raven yells from up ahead, cutting Wanda off. 

“Let’s go, we’re already late.” Wanda says, ignoring the guilt in Peter’s eyes. “I won’t do anything for now, but if he pushes my buttons, I will either tell the professor or handle this myself.”

When they get there, she sees the group standing in a straight line, and in front of them is Raven and next to her is him. I can’t keep calling him that , Wanda thinks. She knows she won’t say Magneto, or Erik. Maybe I can use his last name , Wanda thinks. She decides that’s the closest she’ll get to acknowledging the man. Wanda immediately notices that they’re all staring at them. Wanda ignores their stares and joins the line, Peter walking next to her. Wanda could feel Lorna’s questioning gaze on her, but she keeps her eyes straight, not looking at anyone. 

“Nice of you both to join us,” Wanda hears Lenhsherr say, and her lips twist down. She has to breathe in to not snap at the man. 

“It was my bad, lost track of time,” Peter says, chuckling nervously. 

“Don’t let it happen again,” Lehnsherr replies, tone curt. Wanda feels Peter hunch in on himself a little.

“If you all want to be better, be taken more seriously,” Raven says loudly, looking each of them in the eye. “Then you make sure you don’t waste our time, your classmates’ time, and your own time.”

Everyone nods in response and then Raven tears her gaze away from the group and steps back. Wanda sees Lehnsherr step forward, eyeing each of them and Wanda feels herself tense as his eyes land on hers. She maintains eye contact, seeing something shift in his eyes before he looks away. 

“We already have an idea on what each of you can do,” Lehnsherr says. “So for that reason, we are splitting you all up into two groups.”

“When I call your name, you come to me. Those left behind will be with Erik,” Raven announces. Wanda tries to calm her nerves as Raven starts calling the names of those on her team. 

“Jubilee, Scott, Alex, and Kurt,” Raven says, as each person walks towards her. Wanda notices that she says Kurt’s name with some hesitation, and then Wanda feels her heart drop as she realizes that she’s grouped with Lehnsherr, along with her siblings and Ororo and Jean. This is a setup , Wanda thinks darkly. Wanda looks at Raven with a glare who just shrugs her shoulders in response. 

“Charles felt these sessions can be more beneficial if we train you all in a group but instead of having our attention split, we train those who we are more familiar with when it comes to your power sets,” Raven informs both groups. “So you’ll still be together, just under separate instructors.”

“Yes, so you five come this way, let’s leave them this space,” Lehnsherr says as he makes his way farther down the lot. Wanda looks at Peter and Lorna, and they both shrug, but they don’t seem as bothered by this as she is. I swear if they knew too , she thinks, a frown on her face.

I’m really sorry about this , Wanda hears Jean’s voice in her mind. She doesn’t get startled, but she still feels uneasy with another voice in her mind.

I’ll just have to deal with it , Wanda tells her.

Just give it a chance, you never know how it can go . Jean tells her. Wanda nods her head and then stops when Lehnsherr stops walking and turns towards them. Wanda glances at her siblings, seeing their faces devoid of emotion and looking at Lehnsherr, waiting for further instruction. How are they so calm about this? Wanda wonders. She wishes she could be as calm as them at this moment. 

“Now, I would like you all to fight each other before I make you work as a team,” Lehnsherr says. 

“What?” Peter asks, looking confused as he glances at Lehnsherr and then everyone else. “Isn’t the point of this so we can work better together?”

“Yeah, I thought the professor wanted us to become stronger together and not be afraid of our powers,” Jean adds. Wanda sees Ororo nod in agreement and Lorna remains quiet. 

“Raven and I figured the best way for you all to work together is by fighting each other,” Lehnsherr replies. “If you know each other’s strengths and weaknesses when attacking, then you can better adapt to each other’s techniques when on the field.”

“Some of us don’t have full control of our powers yet,” Wanda voices, looking Lehnsherr in the eyes and willing herself not to shrink under his gaze. She can feel his authoritative aura from where she’s standing, and she has to fight every cell in her body that wants her to cower before the man. Why are you acting like this? You’re not afraid of him, so stop it! She yells at herself. She ignores Jean’s wince. 

Privacy would be nice, stop eavesdropping. Wanda mentally tells Jean.

Sorry, I’m trying. Jean replies in her mind. 

“I will be here in case anything goes wrong, don’t worry.” Lehnsherr says, and his words do nothing to soothe Wanda. She doesn’t trust herself to feel confident in his abilities to protect her or her siblings. 

“So how will we do this?” Ororo asks. At this, Wanda sees Lehnsherr levitate a giant rod of metal and place it to the side, and then he instructs everyone to make a circle facing each other. 

“I’m going to pit you all against each other, and since you are a group of five, I will have it be three against two,” Lehnsherr says. 

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Lorna replies. The man scoffs and looks at Lorna.

“Fair doesn’t matter.” He says. “The world isn’t fair, and when you’re out there, you will be outnumbered by many.”

“We’re not going to war,” Wanda retorts. “We’re just training.”

“Exactly,” the man responds, and Wanda’s brow furrows. “You’re training under me, and if I tell you to do something, you do it.”

Wanda rolls her eyes but says nothing in return. She knows she promised the professor she’d give this a try, and she will keep her word. It doesn’t mean she has to make it easy for the man. 

“Fine,” Wanda says. “So who is fighting who?”

“Jean and Ororo will be a pair against you and your siblings,” Lehnsherr responds. 

“That’s hardly fair,” Jean says. “They’re strong and already know each other’s powers.”

“Well, you have a weather witch,” Peter responds. “How is that fair?”

Wanda sees Lehnsherr look up and sigh, and it makes Wanda’s lips quirk up in humor. He’s going to be so done with us by the end of the session , Wanda thinks with sick satisfaction, and a twinge of amusement which she tries to push away.

“Enough,” Lehnsherr cuts off the mini argument and all eyes turn to him. “Lorna, you will use this metal rod and cut it to pieces. Then you will fling them at Jean, who will use her telekinetic abilities to ward them off.”

Wanda sees her sister stare at the metal rod anxiously but she nods, and Jean doesn’t look too keen on the idea of having metal flung at her, but she doesn’t voice an objection. Wanda sees Lehnsherr pause and then look at her. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but your name is Wanda, correct?” Lehnsherr asks her. Wanda nods at him, trying to figure out how she feels hearing her name sound when he says it. She notices he says it with an accent, one that her mom never used. He says it properly, and it makes something thaw inside her, and she ignores it as best as she can as she looks at the man.

“So, Wanda will attack Ororo with her hex bolts, don’t do anything more than that for this session,” he says the last part to Wanda who nods in response, not wanting to speak to the man if she doesn’t have to. “And as for Peter I want-”

“Pietro,” Wanda hears her brother interrupt. Wanda’s eyes widen as she looks at her brother. She knows he’s very secretive about his name and now that he’s told Lehnsherr about it, she feels like he’s going too fast. He’s always too fast , she thinks. She sees Jean and Ororo also look at her brother, probably wondering if he’s testing the waters. Wanda also notices Lorna looks shocked, but there’s a small smile on her lips and it makes Wanda feel proud of her brother, even if she thinks he’s making a dumb decision. When Wanda turns her gaze to Lehnsherr, she sees him take in her brother, his eyes clouding over for a second before he blinks it away. He looks startled, and Wanda tenses, unsure what he’s thinking. She can see her brother shifting in his spot, probably holding himself back from rambling.

“I want you all to call me Pietro,” He says, and Wanda cringes at the loudness of his voice. “I figured if I’m gonna be in a place where I can be myself and use my powers, I’d rather go all the way. Ya know?”

“Okay,” Ororo replies. 

“If you want,” Jean adds. Wanda just nods her head, and she sees Lorna smile at Pet- Pietro . 

“Very well,” Lehnsherr says, but Wanda hears the strange tinge in his voice. “Pietro will be the defense, blocking any attacks from Jean and Ororo. Do you all understand your roles?”

Everyone nods in agreement and then Lehnsherr steps back, giving them space. Wanda flicks her gaze to Raven’s team and sees them already engaged in combat. Kurt is teleporting across the grounds, avoiding Jubilee’s attacks as Scott and Alex face off. 

“Remember, treat this like a real fight, but if it becomes too much, just yell for me and I will step in. Understand?” Lehnsherr says. Everyone nods again and then they start.

Wanda has a second to focus before a gust of wind is pushing her back. She sees Lorna break apart the metal rod, directing the shards at Jean who focuses on holding them back. Wanda raises her hands, aiming hex bolts at Ororo, who flies around, dodging them as they come. Wanda can barely see Pietro, but she knows he’s there when a flying branch comes towards her and then is gone in a second. 

The fight continues for a few minutes, everyone putting in their effort. Just as Wanda sees Ororo call for rain to cause Pietro to slip and fall, Wanda sees an opening and takes it, shooting a hex bolt at Ororo’s leg, causing her to crash to the ground. This makes Jean look away, narrowly avoiding Lorna’s metal blades and instead focusing on Wanda’s hex bolts, which are now directed at her. Wanda could see the panic in Jean’s eyes, and it makes her falter, pausing in her attack as Pietro tries to deliver light jabs and pushes at Ororo, who is trying to strike the ground with lightning, trying to disrupt the ground under his feet. Wanda sees Lorna fold the metal into a flat panel and fling it towards Jean who uses her abilities to keep it afloat, trying to push against Lorna’s force. Wanda uses this opportunity to deliver two separate hex bolts at the same time, striking both girls down. When they land on their backs, Wanda puts her hands down and Lorna drops the metal panel a couple of feet away. Wanda sees Pietro stop running, and moves to help Ororo and Jean onto their feet.

“That was not bad,” Lehnsherr says as he walks towards the group. Wanda is breathing heavily and looks at the others and notices she isn’t the only one. The session has taken a lot out of them.

“That’s the first time I used my powers for combat,” Wanda admits, and then is embarrassed by having said it out loud. She sees Lehnsherr turn to her, but his eyes are soft, and it makes Wanda look away, unsure what to think of it.

“Well, you did really well.” He says, and Wanda tries not to smile at the praise. Then he turns to the others. “You all did. You displayed your gifts and adapted to each other’s abilities.”

“It was hard,” Ororo replies. Wanda sees Jean nod, wiping sweat from her forehead. 

“I actually thought I was going to accidentally hurt Jean,” Lorna confesses, her eyes downcast. Wanda feels the urge to hug her sister and tell her she did good, but then Lehnsherr steps towards Lorna and Wanda tenses, unsure what he’s going to do.

“I said no one would get hurt if I was here,” he tells her. “If something were to go wrong, I would have just taken control of the metal.”

Wanda sees Lorna nod and give the man a small smile. She feels happy that her sister is getting this praise and sense of security, but Wanda doesn’t want her to rely on that too easily. Especially when they don’t know the kind of person he is. 

“Now what? What else are we gonna do?” Pietro asks quickly, practically jumping in his spot. Wanda sees the mirth in Lehnsherr’s eyes as he looks at Pietro and she wonders what the man is thinking. 

“You continue to train,” Lehnsherr replies. “This time, it’ll be Lorna and Jean against Wanda, Ororo and you.”

Wanda hears Pietro groan dramatically and her lips quirk up in amusement. She can hear Jean huff a laugh and Ororo sigh. Wanda knows they’re all tired, but she can’t deny the fact that this is a little fun. That it feels nice to let loose and use the abilities they were given without any judgment or fear of hurting someone. She still doesn't trust Lehnsherr, but she knows that he at least cares enough about the professor to agree to teach them when he doesn’t have to. If this is as close as she can get to the man without feeling pressured to talk to him for familial reasons, and for her siblings to get what they want, then she can deal with it for now.

~

Erik takes a deep breath as he sees the progress of the school, having just finished the foundation for the last floor and guiding Jean in finishing up the last details. Once the last floor is complete, the students can start taking up residence inside and the training room in the basement could be used for future training sessions, especially now that Raven informed Erik about Hank having a knack for making simulations and high tech defense systems. Erik decides he will speak to Hank on creating obstacles in the simulations that will counter attack each of the powers of the students he and Raven are training. It could do them good to work better in a team against their own powers , Erik thinks. 

“Nice work,” Erik hears Charles’ familiar voice behind him. He turns and sees the man giving him and Jean a small smile. 

“We’re just about finished,” Erik says. He sees Jean nod as she finishes placing the last of the exterior onto the house. 

“Perfect,” Charles replies. “I’d like to start getting the children inside by tonight and hopefully everyone can get a well rested night instead of having to live out in tents.”

“Yes, they can start heading in at about an hour from now,” Erik replies. “Raven and my… trainees are going to bring in all the furniture and then get settled for the day.”

“That would be great,” Charles replies, and then turns towards Jean. “Jean, can you give us a moment? Can you have the others start bringing the furniture in now?”

Erik sees Jean glance between the two but then she smiles and nods her head. Erik looks at Charles as she walks off, wondering what has Charles acting so serious. Did I do something? Erik can’t help but think grimly. He tries to rack his brain for something bad he must have done, but he comes up short, and then he wonders if he’s just so far gone that he can’t decipher what he did wrong that Charles would obviously find problematic. 

“Calm your mind, Erik.” Charles says softly as he looks at him. “I would like to speak with you about the training session yesterday, and how it went.”

Erik pauses, unsure if that’s a good thing coming from Charles. He thinks back on the session and then remembers that the group had shown their skill and actually did exceptionally well.

“They did well,” Erik says. 

“Did any of them struggle when using their abilities around the others?” Charles asks. Erik thinks about Lorna, and how she was nervous at first to throw metal at Jean, and how Jean was anxious but willing to try. He remembers how Ororo did very well in blocking Wanda’s attacks, and Pietro being good at defense and support.

“They each had their own fears and anxieties, but they pulled through,” Erik answers. “Actually, if anything, they seemed to let loose. As if they were more at ease as the training continued.”

Erik sees Charles smile at this, and Erik can’t stop his own small smile from forming. He’s honestly glad Charles has built a place for mutants, a home for them to be when the world outside tries to destroy them. Then in a flash, Erik sees Nina’s face in his mind, and the feelings of warmth he was previously feeling shrivel and die on the spot. Erik feels his lips turn down, and he looks away, trying to compose himself and stifle his rising emotions of anger and grief. Not now , he thinks. You were doing so well.

Then he thinks about Pet- no, Pietro . He reminds himself. The kid wants to be called Pietro . He remembers the way the kid blurted his name out, as if it were a dirty secret to be ashamed of, and he feels a strange emotion at the thought. Erik once, a long time ago , wanted to use the name Pietro for a future son. It’s been a while since he’s thought about it, and the woman he has shared that dream with is probably no longer alive. However, the kid’s name flashed him back to that time, and it has left him wondering. Then he remembers Wanda and her abilities, and it brings another question to his mind.

“Charles,” Erik says. “Wanda is the witch mutant?” 

Erik sees Charles look at him, his eyes closed off, but he still looks at Erik with a soft expression that makes Erik have to look away if he wants to function properly for this conversation. 

“Yes, she is.” Charles replies. 

“She seems worried about her power, and her twin, Pietro,” Erik cringes at the name, feeling the sharp pang in his heart. “He also seems like he’s holding back on something.”

“Well, Wanda is afraid of hurting someone, as are most students here.” Charles replies. “I am still trying to do more research on chaos magic and how to better help her case. She’s more unique than most of the other mutants.”

Erik nods his head at that. “She is unique, and most gifted. It’s truly remarkable.” 

Erik catches the smile on Charles’ face at his words and then shifts in his spot. “What about Pietro?”

Erik notices Charles looks a little startled at the question. “What about him?”

“He seems off sometimes,” Erik replies. “Do I scare him?” He doesn’t know why he asks the question, unsure why it would even bother him if the kid would be scared or not. 

“No, he isn’t.” Charles replies. “He’s just all over the place most of the time. Don’t take it personally.”

Erik nods his head, but he has a deep sense that Charles is withholding something and he doesn’t like how anxious it makes him feel. How it makes his heart twist to think he’s not trusted enough with the information of his trainees. What do you expect? He hears his consciousness tell him bitterly. Why should he trust you after all this time? After everything you’ve done? You think building the school and helping a few kids will get you back in their good graces?

Erik blinks rapidly, mentally shaking the thoughts off and turning to Charles. 

“I was thinking that we could continue the training sessions inside the training room?” Erik asks Charles. He sees the man smile. 

“That would be nice.” Charles replies. “Let them stay in there where they won’t keep causing property damage to my lawn.”

Erik lets out a laugh at that, amazed at how Charles still worries about the beauty of his home and garden when he runs a house full of children with powers. Erik shakes his head to himself, smiling at the man.

“How do you feel teaching the group you have?” Charles asks. Erik sobers, smile gone, but he still feels the warmth.

“They are all extraordinary,” Erik replies. “I feel they can become great. It’s just…”

Erik trails off, remembering how he felt when it came to teaching Wanda, who struggles with her magic, or Pietro who seems hyper all the time but constantly goes quiet around him and is always staring at him when he thinks Erik is not looking, and Lorna who brightens at his praise, but also shifts closer to him when she gets anxious with her power.

“The siblings always draw my attention with their individual…issues.” Erik settles on. “I am not really sure how to go about their training when their abilities are unique and in a way contradicting each other and Jean and Ororo.”

Charles is quiet for a while, and Erik assumes the man is trying to find the best advice to give on how to handle them. Then his hopes are dashed when Charles says something else. 

“Those three need your guidance, especially during these times when they are being introduced to mutants like them,” Charles says. “They may not know it, but they can benefit from your input on their powers.”

“I just don’t get why I got all three of them, especially since Raven is more experienced with guiding others. I have five trainees under my care,” Erik replies. “How am I expected to help them individually when they each seem to be avoiding me.”

Erik’s brow furrows. “Are you sure they aren’t afraid of me?”

He hears Charles laugh and he frowns. 

“I’m being serious,” Erik replies. “Maybe they’d benefit under Raven’s instructions.”

“Just be patient, Erik.” Charles says. “Pietro and you could tie for first place when it comes to struggling with patience.”

Erik tries to ignore the upward quirk of his lips at the comment. He isn’t sure why, but he feels fondness at the idea, and then he immediately kills it. 

“How do I get Wanda to let down her guard and Lorna to have more confidence?” Erik asks, knowing that forming bonds is not his element. “Pietro just needs some discipline, but that’s easy.”

He ignores the way Charles snorts at his last comment. What? I’m not wrong , Erik mentally tells him.

“Try and talk to Wanda, explain how you want to help her and how you both can go about controlling her powers,” Charles replies. “As for Lorna, you can try to explain to her how to better manipulate metal without fear. Try and get her to understand how she can bend the metal to her will and then how to stop before she delivers a shot, so she isn’t afraid that she’ll not be able to stop on time when throwing metal beams or shards or whatever it is you have her do.”

Erik huffs a laugh at that, and then he frowns. “I never knew another person who can bend metal other than me.”

“At least you’re not alone, right?” Charles says with a small smile. Erik doesn’t reply, but he does find it strange. He knows some mutations are common, like infinite healing and physical mutations, but metal has always been unique to him, and now that someone else has that power, it makes something shift in him. As if he could share his gift with another person.

“This could be a chance for you to start a new life, Erik.” Charles suddenly says, catching his attention. “Just give it a chance, see how training these kids goes and then make your decision when you think they are ready to be on their own.”

Erik is silent as Charles wheels away. He turns his gaze to the group of trainees as they laugh and joke while bringing in furniture. Erik sees Jean lifting the beds with her mind and Ororo helps Jubilee take in the chairs. Erik feels a sense of pride at seeing Lorna lift metal pieces of furniture, balancing them as Pietro zips back and forth, taking smaller pieces of furniture inside. Erik lets out a small huff of laughter at Kurt who teleports back and forth, each time annoying Scott who threatens to laser beam him. He watches Wanda and Alex struggle to lift a wardrobe and Erik realizes that these kids are truly good. They have exceptional gifts and also share the need to be kind hearted. It makes Erik’s lips turn down, knowing that the world won’t hesitate to beat the kindness and good hearts out of them, so he knows that he needs to make sure they can handle themselves in the real world. That they can fight and become stronger so they won’t perish.

~

Pietro is just about finished putting the last of the furniture away when he spots Raven talking to Kurt. He smiles, knowing that this is special for Raven, even if she hates admitting it. He just selfishly wishes that she would tell Kurt the truth so he could see how it goes, then that way he’d know if telling Erik the truth anytime soon is a great idea. When he finishes putting his stuff inside his new room in the mansion, Pietro immediately zips into Raven’s room, seeing that Kurt is now gone.

“Hey, Raven.” Pietro greets. He sees Raven nod at him. “Are you thinking about telling him yet?”

“Will you tell your secret?” She counters. Pietro tries not to grimace. 

“I have Wanda and Lorna to consider when it comes to mine,” he replies. He sees her roll her eyes as she scoffs at his response.

“You’re just hiding behind that excuse,” Raven says. Pietro frowns.

“At least I have an excuse. What’s yours?” He responds. 

“I don’t owe you a reason, kid.” She retorts. “Besides, don’t you have someone else to go bother? Why don’t you help your sisters set up, this is all probably still new to them.”

Pietro falters, realizing that his sisters might still be anxious, and the days are passing and they might still want to leave before the summer ends. 

“Fine, I’ll go,” he says. “But…Kurt is a good kid, and he likes you already. You should really consider telling him. He’d love you as a mom.”

Pietro sees Raven pause, thinking his words over before she replies. “That may be what you think, but I can’t be his parent. I can’t be anyone’s parent. It’s just…better this way.”

Pietro is about to respond when Hank appears. He sees the man step into Raven’s room, holding a folder and glancing between Pietro and Raven. 

“Am I interrupting something?” He asks. Pietro shakes his head as Raven says ‘no’.

“Okay, well I need to speak with you Raven,” Hank says, then he glances at Pietro. “Privately.”

Pietro gets the hint, ducks his head and mock salutes Raven. “It was a pleasure speaking with you, I’ll be on my way.” He turns to speed out, and as he makes his way out the room, he catches a bit of what Hank says. 

“It seems Stryker-”

Pietro stops in his tracks, down the hall from Raven’s room and shifts on the spot. He isn’t sure if he heard right, but the man’s name makes Pietro wonder how bad things have gotten if Hank is worried and speaks with Raven directly. Well, if something was wrong, wouldn’t he talk to Charles about it? Pietro thinks. Surely I’m just being paranoid. He tries to quell the unease that’s creeping up his bones and runs to find his sisters. 

He finds them in separate rooms side by side to his own. He peeks inside Wanda’s room and sees she’s taking a nap, and Pietro smiles at his younger twin, knowing that she’s probably exhausted from using her powers after years of trying to suppress them. Making sure Wanda is safe and calm, he then zips to Lorna’s room and sees her putting her close inside her wardrobe. He tries not to beam at the idea that his sisters are staying the full summer. If only they stood forever , he thinks grimly and then remembers that they have actual lives, unlike him.

“Everything is to your liking, my lady?” Pietro asks. He sees Lorna turn around and giggle as she looks at him. Her laughs make Pietro smile brightly, glad that she’s happy.

“Everything is great,” she says softly. “I actually like it here.”

“That’s good,” Pietro responds. “Maybe you might want to consider staying longer?”

He knows he’s pushing it by the way Lorna’s lips twist in a half smile, half frown. He watches as she puts the rest of her clothes away and then sits on her bed.

“Do you think Wanda will be happy if Magneto wants anything to do with us?” She asks, and then she shifts in her spot. “Do you think he will be happy if he finds out the truth about us?”

Pietro feels his heart clench at the vulnerability in his little sister’s voice. He walks to the bed and sits on it right next to Lorna, bumping his shoulder into hers, making her smile. He looks at his sister, noticing the way her green hair is more wild today after the work they did to bring in all the furniture for every room — and that was a lot of work because this place is huge! — and he ruffles her hair, laughing as she slaps his hands away. 

“I think Wanda has a lot of conflicting emotions regarding Erik,” Pietro replies. “As I am sure you do, too.”

“Do you?” Lorna asks as she looks up at him. He’s about to say ‘no’, when Lorna gives him a look. “I can feel your emotions, I’ll know if you’re telling the truth.”

“Wow, you’re worse than Charles,” Pietro replies. Lorna scoffs, but her lips are turned up.

“No, but seriously,” she continues. “How do we even tell him? And when is the best time? I don’t want to make the peace he has made with Charles become strained in any way. Or the peace of the world.”

Pietro frowns, taking in her words. Then she adds, more quietly, “I don’t want us to be the reason he hates the world again. Or the trigger for him to want to destroy it.”

“I don’t think he stopped hating the world,” Pietro tries for a joke, but it falls flat. He knows that Erik is still walking on a fine line between destruction and peace. He just isn’t really sure which way he’s leaning towards. 

“Look,” Pietro says, pulling Lorna’s attention to him. “When it comes to telling him, we should decide together. I think…I might be ready, since all this suspense and waiting is literally killing me. But, I also might never be ready, but I won’t say anything unless you and Wanda are ready too.”

Pietro maintains eye contact with his sister, trying to convey how serious he is, even if he feels his heart spiking at the idea of Erik knowing the truth. He still doesn’t know how the man will react to being related to him , because he knows Erik will at least like Lorna and Wanda. A person would have to be stupid to not like his sisters. They’re amazing and smart and strong. They have a life and are successful. They’re everything any parent could want.

He sees Lorna’s eyes mist over slightly and it makes his heart ache. Without warning, he pulls her into his arms, cradling her head with one hand, and he feels her hug him back. He wishes he could keep her safe in his hold, to hide her away from the world, but he knows Lorna doesn’t like to hide, at least not when she knows she can fight for what she wants.

“I think I’m ready to tell him,” she whispers. Her admission makes Pietro’s heart pound. “I just don’t want him to turn his back on training me, because I really need his help when it comes to my power.”

“Yeah?” Pietro huffs a laugh, finding it absurd that she is using the excuse of her training to keep Erik in her life, even if she has barely interacted with the man. 

“Yeah, I think I need him,” Lorna whispers. Pietro feels his heart ache, hoping that Erik doesn’t break his sister’s heart when they tell him the truth. He then lets go of Lorna when she starts to pull away, rubbing her eyes as she looks to the side. 

“So, you like the guy now that you’ve known him for a total of, what? Three days tops?” Pietro teases. He yelps when Lorna punches his arm. 

“Why does everyone keep hitting me?” He asks exasperatedly. 

“Maybe because you deserve it,” she replies with a smirk. He rolls his eyes at her and sighs as he looks at her suitcase, now empty, on the ground by her bed. 

“I know I just met him, but I feel his emotions, and I know that he’s hurting,” Lorna says quietly. Pietro looks at her, wondering how it must feel to be able to feel other people’s feelings. “I think there is hope for him, even if he might not be able to see it, or the world.”

Pietro’s eyes widened at Lorna’s words. He knows that it’s hard for her to trust people, especially since she’s been alone for the first few years of her life, and in that time, she has had to endure many horrors in different foster homes. Whether it was because of her mutation or because of being a little girl who was alone in the world without anyone to look after her, it didn’t matter because life treated her like shit, and each time Pietro remembers this, it hurts him to know he wasn’t there for her. 

“Well, now all we need is to hear Wanda’s reply and then go from there on figuring out how to tell him,” Pietro says. Lorna smiles and then nods at him. 

“Okay, so I’m going to head off and find some poor soul to bother,” Pietro announces, pushing Lorna’s head away before running off, laughing as he hears her shout at him from her room. He isn’t really looking for anyone in particular, just running when he turns the corner and nearly collides into Erik. He stops, skidding to a halt, and the momentum of the air knocks the coffee cup out of Erik’s hand, splashing the contents onto his clothes.  Erik freezes and looks up as he stares face to face with the man. Pietro stumbles back, mumbling an apology as the man raises an eyebrow at him, eyes blazing as he flicks coffee off his hands. 

Crap , Pietro mentally panics and tries to think of something to say to ease the tension, but he finds nothing.

“Why are you running in the halls? You should be mindful of other people,” Erik reprimands, his voice tight. Pietro nods his head and looks down. Why am I acting like a scolded child? You’re an adult so act like one! He shouts at himself. He then turns his eyes up to Erik and forces himself to hold the man’s gaze.

“My bad, but maybe you should shout ‘corner’ before turning. You know, to be mindful of a speedster who might be passing through the halls,” Pietro replies and then freezes when Erik’s eyes darken. 

“Are you somehow insinuating this is my fault?” Erik questions, his voice firm as he gestures at his soaked shirt. Pietro feels his face heat up, unsure how to run from this situation. If I run he’ll just make me pay for it in tomorrow’s session , Pietro thinks. 

“Well, I’m just saying the blame should be equal, no?” Pietro replies, forcing a grin at the man. He sees Erik’s glare intensify and it makes Pietro want to cower. He’s a little scary right now , Pietro thinks. Charles, help me. Help. Please. 

This one is on you Pietro , he hears Charles’ mental reply and Pietro feels his heart drop at the fact that he is alone in this.

You said you’d step in when dealing with Erik and now is the time! He yells, but he receives no reply and Erik looks about ready to slam a metal rod at Pietro.

“You know what? How about I just get you a fresh batch of coffee? I can have it hand delivered to you, and it can be made as fast as you’d like, no charge.” Pietro tries to ease the tension, really wishing Kurt or Jean were here to get him out of this situation. He sees Erik’s frown deepen — and wow I have a talent for making people angry — so he tries to do the most logical thing he can think of. He tries to run. 

The only problem with that, is that Erik seems to sense where his train of thought was heading, so before Pietro could take one step forward, Erik is gripping his arm. Hard. Pietro winces, his heart spiking.

“ Pietro ,” he hears Erik say firmly, and Pietro freezes. He suddenly feels nauseous, the hand on his arm feels too tight and his name being hissed makes him tremble. He doesn’t know what’s happening, but one second, he’s frozen and the next he backs up, slamming into the wall, gasping for breath. Pietro can see Erik freeze from where he’s standing, hand outstretched as if reaching for him, but Pietro closes his eyes and tries to breathe in deep. 

Pietro, shut up and stand still! I swear if you move I’ll-

Pietro groans as he tries to cut off his mom’s voice inside his head, praying his body to stay still and just breathe . He’s able to get a few breaths in when he hears footsteps approaching him, so he opens his eyes and sees Erik standing in front of him, eyes checking him over and full of concern. The sight makes Pietro want to laugh and sob at the same time. 

“Are you okay?” Erik asks firmly, but not unkindly. Pietro nods his head, looking at Erik’s stained shirt, not able to make any eye contact right now. 

“What’s wrong? Did I do something to-”

“No,” Pietro interrupts, shaking his head. “It’s not you, I just…it was my bad.”

Pietro tries to grin, feeling it tremble, but he keeps it in place. He glances up at Erik and sees the frown on his face before he looks back down. He stands up straighter, the action making Erik take a step back to give him space, and then Pietro takes a deep breath before looking into Erik’s eyes.

“I don’t know what that was,” he says with a laugh, but it sounds strange even to him. “Anyways, I’m sorry for the coffee. Would you like me to get you a new one?”

Pietro sees Erik pause, trying to catch up with the change of conversation and Pietro’s demeanor. 

“What? No, I don’t want coffee.” Erik replies.

“Okay, so if that’s all, then I should get going,” Pietro says. “I’ve got a few things I have to get done.”

Before Erik can say anything in response, he’s off. Pietro runs out of the building and goes by the lake, deciding to shake off his emotions by running laps around the water. He blinks away the mist in his eyes, and forces a smile as he keeps running until his legs are straining to keep up and it burns to take a breath. 

~

Erik is left standing in the hallways after Pietro speeds off. He doesn’t know what to do, having seen the kid freak out before running off and Erik wonders if he made the kid scared. He looks down at the spilled coffee and sighs, knowing that he’s going to have to clean it up. He walks to the supply closet and grabs the necessary items and gets to work. As he’s cleaning he thinks about what could have sparked such a strong reaction in the usually carefree kid. Was it when I grabbed his arm? When I stopped him from running? Erik thinks of many possibilities but comes up short. 

Maybe Charles will know , Erik thinks as he finishes cleaning the liquid and then makes his way towards Charles’ newly built office. He sees the man behind his desk, reading a textbook. The sight makes Erik’s heart warm, a smile forming on his lips. Then Charles looks up, eyes softening at Erik’s presence and closing the book, giving the man his undivided attention.

“Erik,” Charles greets. “Can I help you with something?”

“I think I might have done something to Pietro,” Erik says, trying not to show any emotion on his face. He sees Charles’ brow furrow.

“I assumed your conversation would have gone well,” Charles replies. Erik pauses at this, looking at the man. 

“How did you know we were talking?” He asks, eyes squinting at the man. He sees Charles sit up straighter.

“I could sense you both in the same space, so I only figured you were having a conversation,” he replies, and Erik narrows his gaze on the man, seeing his shifting eyes. You’re a terrible liar , Erik thinks. He sees the man’s eyebrows drop and frown at him. “What happened?”

Erik sighs and looks towards the window, showing said kid speeding around the lake. That doesn’t look like getting a few things done , Erik thinks to himself. 

“He was running in the halls, nearly collided with me, spilled my coffee, and then freaked out when I grabbed him before he ran off,” Erik says. He sees Charles’ frown deepen, and it makes Erik want to shift under his gaze, but he stands firm. “Then he got all scared and collided with the wall. After that, it was like he changed back into the easygoing kid he is. It was a little unsettling if I’m being honest.”

Erik sees Charles think, looking to the window where he is sure he can see Pietro running. Erik wonders what he did that made the kid panic and decide to go for a run. Maybe running is just something he always does, doesn’t mean it’s for a reason just because he freaked on you , Erik tries to tell himself.

“It probably doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Charles says carefully, and when Erik looks at him, he can see the man is choosing his next words wisely. “It seems his life before here was different than most. I’m sure you remember Lorna’s anxiety attack last week?”

Erik remembers the girl panicking, and if it weren’t for him getting there on time when he felt metal be broken apart in a second, Charles could have died. He recalls the way the girl was terrified, hiding in the dome Erik created for her to relax. He could sense her distress and knew the metal encasing would calm her down.

“Yes, I remember.” He tells Charles. 

“Yes, well she has been through a lot before she joined Pietro and Wanda’s family,” Charles adds. “So, I assume that when it comes to those three, we must tread lightly. They aren’t so used to other mutants and big crowds.”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” Erik asks. “It’s not like I tried to attack him.”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” Charles replies. “However, he probably didn’t feel that way, or maybe he knew you weren’t but his mind needed to catch up.”

Erik doesn’t reply to that, taking in Charles’ words and trying to process them. He guesses that could be the case, considering that Erik has a reputation and the kid probably felt bad for the coffee. He then cringes at his behavior, but he also knows that the kid is resilient, and one wrong confrontation shouldn’t really be bad to Pietro. He’s just his instructor after all, there is no need to think too deeply into things.

“I suppose you’re right,” Erik replies. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Charles replies. Erik nods his head and then leaves the office, deciding to find his trainees and inform them their training will take place in the training room. He finds Lorna’s room first and knocks on the door, nodding to her in greeting when she answers. He notices her eyes widen slightly as she sees him.

“Yes?” She asks. 

“Tomorrow’s training session will take place in the training room in the basement,” Erik informs her. 

“Okay,” she replies lightly. “Is that all?” 

Erik pauses for a moment, unsure why he feels the need to say something else. He doesn’t know why Lorna looks at him like she’s waiting for him to tell her something. He looks away before finding his thoughts. 

“I also wanted to check in with you,” he tells her, unsure where that came from. “How is it being surrounded by other mutants?”

Erik sees Lorna think about her answer, opening the door in invitation for him to come inside, but he politely denies her request. 

“Well, it’s new, but not bad,” she replies. “It’s a big adjustment, but I think you’re a great teacher, considering we have similar abilities.”

Erik smiles at that, glad to know that one of his trainees likes his methods. He also is glad that she doesn’t feel so alone anymore, considering someone else has her abilities and can guide her. 

“I’m glad you feel that way,” he says softly, and he feels a warm feeling pass over him as she gives him a small smile. He remembers how Charles mentioned that she lived a rough life, and he can see it in her eyes. The way she holds herself when around others, the way she doesn’t speak much but when she does her words drop wisdom and great ideas. He feels pride to know that Charles has an amazing student in his school.

“Well then, I shall get going,” Erik says. “Have a great rest, tomorrow is going to be more challenging.”

Lorna huffs a laugh at that and Erik feels his lips quirk up as she nods. He then turns away and heads out, stopping at Wanda’s room. He knocks on the door and waits for her to open. When she does, he notices the conflicting look in her eyes as she sees him.

“Good evening,” Erik greets. 

“Good evening,” she replies as she opens the door for him and walks inside, sitting on her bed. Erik can see how different she is to Pietro, and he finds amusement in the thought. Where he’s constantly moving, she’s always still. 

“I wanted to inform you that tomorrow’s session will be in the training room in the basement,” Erik states. 

“Okay, I’ll be there,” she replies. 

“When you get the chance,” he says, noticing the way Wanda looks at him, as if expecting him to tell her something bad. “Can you inform your brother of where we’ll be training tomorrow? I haven’t seen him and I doubt I will catch him before night.”

He tries not to feel guilty about lying to the girl, but he knows talking to Pietro today won’t happen. He sees her look at him a bit longer and he’s unable to decipher her expression, before she nods.

“I will,” she replies. Erik stands by the door, feeling awkward and then deciding to ask her how she’s handling being in the school the same way he did for Lorna.

“I’m managing,” she replies, voice level. “It’s not the worst thing, but sometimes it’s uncomfortable.”

Erik hums at that, completely understanding the feeling. He used to hate being in this mansion, finding everything to symbolize something completely different to what Erik knew about the world. To live with other mutants when he thought he was alone was overwhelming and he figures it was what Wanda was feeling right now. 

“I can understand that,” he says, and he sees the look Wanda gives him, as if she doesn’t believe what he was saying. “No, really, I do.”

He moves into Wanda’s room and looks at the bed, but thinks better of it and turns towards the chair by the bed. 

“May I?” He asks. He sees Wanda hesitate for a second before she nods.

“When I first arrived here,” Erik starts, and he sees Wanda stare at him. “I hated it.”

“I felt that this place held everything I thought the world and society made me believe I should never have. The comfort, the security,” he pauses, and then thinks of Charles. “The relationships .” He sees Wanda turn towards him, her eyes softening, and it makes Erik feel that this conversation is really important to her. He doesn’t know why, but he decides to keep talking.

“I always felt alone, but Charles showed me I didn’t have to be. That I could live a life of peace surrounded by people who cared for me, and I for them.” Erik finds himself admitting more to this girl than to himself in years. He doesn’t know why talking to her comes so easy.

“Then why did you leave?” She asks, her eyes questioning, but underneath them is a silver of fear and hope. Erik doesn’t know what to make of that.

“I didn’t know what I had,” he replies honestly, feeling his eyes mist over and he blinks it away. He then thinks about Nina, and how he could have come back and brought her here, knowing she’d be safe, but he didn’t do that, and now it was too late. 

“And now you do?” She asks. Erik looks at her, seeing her lips turned down, but not in anger. He also sees the vulnerability in her eyes, and he feels off kilter, knowing that Wanda tries to be a step ahead all the time, if the way she acts with her siblings is anything to go by. He thinks about her question, remembering Charles’ words about belonging and being needed. He remembers the smiles and laughter as his trainees improved on their control when using their powers, and how it made him happy to see other mutants feel proud of himself. He remembers Raven smiling at him as she gave him the cup of coffee he dropped when nearly colliding with Pietro.

“I think I’m starting to,” he says softly, and he sees Wanda search his eyes for something before she offers him a rare smile. He returns it automatically.

“Sometimes I still feel alone and dangerous,” Wanda confesses, and Erik has to pause at the show of vulnerability. “I’m thankful for the professor allowing me to stay, but I don’t think I can stay past the summer. At least, not yet, but I do want to keep practicing with my abilities and getting better at control. I want to be stronger.”

“Well, I can promise that for as long as I am here, I can help you as best I can,” Erik replies. “You may not have metal bending properties like your sister, but I know a bit about chaos magic and can help you with that while we both work on your original mutation abilities as well.”

Wanda smiles at him and nods. “I’d like that, thanks.”

With that, Erik stands and heads towards the door. He pauses and turns his head when Wanda calls to him.

“Thanks for this,” Wanda says quietly. Erik smiles and nods his head.

“If…you ever need to talk,” he says slowly, trying to find the best words while also trying not to sound awkward. “I would be willing to listen.”

This earns him a bigger smile and then he walks out, heading towards the direction of the other trainees' rooms. He still has to tell them where they’ll be training tomorrow, and he’d like to do that while he’s still in a good mood. He spots Raven leaning against the wall, watching the trainees playing board games. He notices her watching Kurt, and Erik frowns as he walks towards her. 

“Everything alright?” He asks. He sees her startle at his voice and then relax when she sees him.

“Yeah. Where were you?” She asks. 

“Just talking with my trainees. I need to inform the others that tomorrow we’re training in the training room,” he replies. She hums.

“I already told these guys,” she says. Erik looks at Kurt and notices how similar he looks to Azazel, but just blue. Then his eyes widen and he snaps his head to Raven who looks at him with blazing wide eyes.

“Is he-”

“I swear I will shoot you if you finish that sentence,” she threatens darkly. Erik glances at the kid, seeing him teleport across the room in victory at winning the game. It’s almost endearing.

“How? Wait, no, when ?” Erik asks, confused but silently happy for Raven.

“It’s none of your business,” Raven grumbles. “Don’t say anything. He doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Erik frowns at this, unsure why Raven would want to keep something like that a secret. He turns to her, ready to ask when she shuts him down with a withering glare. He rolls his eyes and looks away. You should consider yourself lucky , Erik thinks. Anyone else would be happy to have a kid that’s alive and within reach .

As if sensing his thoughts, Raven turns to him. “I’m not ready, and neither is he. Just drop it, Erik.”

Erik raises his hands in surrender and then leans towards her. “You’ll never be ready if you keep watching from the dark and hoping for a miracle.”

He walks away, leaving her with his words and heads towards his room, ready to sleep after all of the social interaction he’s had in less than an hour. He knows that tomorrow, he’ll need to be super focused during the training session, knowing that Hank’s new machines are going to push the trainees to their limits. 

~

Pietro only slept for three hours, already having trouble with sleep on a good day, but after his confrontation with Erik, he’s been off. He doesn’t know why he reacted the way he did, but now he’s too embarrassed to look Erik in the eyes. He feels a little happy at the thought that Wanda and Lorna both agreed they are ready to tell Erik the truth. That they want to tell him on Saturday when they have no lessons and know that Erik will be free to talk. The idea makes Pietro anxious but excited and he decides to run a couple of laps to calm his nerves before the session starts, so he makes his way to the lake, and prepares to run. The minute he kicks forward, he smiles as the wind brushes past his face, his glasses secure as he runs, hair whipping in the wind. After a couple of minutes, he decides to take a break, not wanting to waste his energy before his training begins. He isn’t sure what to expect, since Wanda told him it’s going to be in the basement and that they will need lots of rest to prepare. Well that’s out the window , he thinks as he recalls his horrible sleep.

Pietro decides to catch his breath under the shade of a tree and startles when Dylan appears out of nowhere. He frowns, having forgotten about this kid who hasn’t made his presence known for a bit. 

“You seem to be always running from your problems,” Dylan says, making Pietro tense. “Must be a family trait.”

Pietro glares at the kid, not wanting to stoop to his level and retaliate. It’s not worth it , he tells himself. Just ignore him .

That’s pretty much impossible when it comes to me , Dylan replies inside Pietro’s mind. Pietro grits his teeth.

“Get out of my head,” he growls out. He sees Dylan smirk and it makes Pietro’s blood boil.

“You’ve got a short temper, just like your old man.” Dylan says. “I wonder if your sisters have one too.”

It takes Pietro a second to come face to face with Dylan, eyes blazing at the brunette. He sees Dylan just continue to smirk, his arrogance coming off of him in waves. 

“ Don’t talk about my sisters,” he says coldly. He sees Dylan raise his hands in mock surrender, and it fuels Pietro’s anger as he continues to smirk while backing away.

“I truly hate to drag them into this,” Dylan responds, feigning sympathy. 

“What is it that you want exactly?” Pietro asks firmly. He sees Dylan’s expression shift into tempered anger.

“When you freed that monster , it cost many lives. You caused many people to die that day,” Dylan seethes and Pietro freezes. He knows when he let Erik go free ten years ago, the man threatened the president, and then disappeared, but his actions aren’t Pietro’s fault. 

“Erik is his own man,” Pietro replies. “I didn’t know he was going to do what he did.”

He hears Dylan scoff and watches as he scowls at Pietro. “No, maybe not. However, you’re now training under him, probably happy that dear old daddy is finally looking at you.”

Pietro tenses, feels his skin crawl at Dylan’s words. He tries to calm his anger, knowing that if he attacks Dylan, he’d probably get into trouble with Charles and lose his spot in the school. In his experience, principal’s tend to suspend students they deem ‘problems’, regardless of the reasons. He knows Charles isn’t like that, but he can’t risk it, especially when his sisters are getting the help they deserve.

“Who’s to say you won’t turn out like your dad?” Dylan continues darkly. “After all, I’m pretty sure Magneto’s reputation is hard to live up to.”

Pietro decides he’s done listening to him, so he runs. He zips his way towards the training room, knowing that it’s almost time to start anyways. He tries to will his racing thoughts to calm and ignore Dylan’s words.

Maybe you should run faster , Pietro hears Dylan’s voice in his mind, and he grits his teeth. You might outrun your dad’s legacy.

Pietro skids to a halt at the doors of the training room, seeing everyone else already lined up. He ignores Wanda’s questioning gaze and Lorna’s concern. He doesn’t bother looking at Erik or Raven, instead keeping his eyes pinned to the ground. He barely acknowledges his friends as they walk inside the room. Pietro sees the plain room, frowning at why they couldn’t just have done the session outside when Raven begins to speak up.

“You all will now train together, but report to your separate instructors that you’ve been assigned with since the beginning,” Raven announces. “This time, you will all face off against the various obstacles that are presented in the simulation.”

Simulation? Pietro thinks, a little excitedly. Sounds fun . He tries to shake off Dylan’s words and instead focuses on the task at hand. He listens as Raven and Erik explain all the types of obstacles they’ll encounter and the battle strategy. Pietro smiles as Scott is named team leader and they follow his instructions before Raven and Erik step into a booth that’s overlooking the training room. 

“Is everyone ready?” Raven asks, her voice echoing across the walls. Everyone nods and then a horn echoes through the speakers and Pietro puts his glasses on, ready to run and break any weapons on the ground. The minute the simulation starts, Pietro is off. He sees the world slow down, his thoughts slowing with it, and he hits all of the targets. He looks to his side and sees Jubilee struggling with a robotic entity, her fireworks not working on him. He grins as he strikes it down and then continues hitting as many targets as he can, sometimes hitting ones that his other teammates are fighting.

“Pietro! Stick to the plan!” Scott yells over the sound of blasts. Pietro puts a grin on his face as he stops in front of Scott.

“I got it, what’s the big deal?” He asks cockily. He sees Scott frown and before the guy can reply he’s off, hitting more targets. He blocks Kurt’s target, choosing to take care of it himself.

“I had that!” Kurt shouts, voiced tinged with sadness. Pietro snorts in amusement before he zips towards Jean, knocking her target to the ground, but this leaves Ororo vulnerable beside her, who is already focused on another target and she gets shot down with a laser blast.

“Ororo!” Jean shouts, rushing to her side. Pietro stops and looks at Ororo’s body lying on the ground. He zips to her, crouching down to see her better, eyes full of concern as he sees her shift, groaning as she tries to sit up. He hears a buzz, and then the simulation stops.

“Are you alright?” He asks. Ororo winces, checking her side and then nods.

“Just a bruise,” she replies. Pietro frowns, feeling the eyes of everyone around him.

“This is why we have a plan,” Scott says. Pietro rolls his eyes and stands up. 

“It was going great,” Pietro retorts. He sees Scott’s frown deepen, and it makes Pietro’s insides twist.

“We had a plan and when you don’t follow it, things like this happen,” Scott emphasizes. “Imagine if we were on the field, what do you think would have happened? She’d be dead.”

Pietro tenses, looking at Ororo who stands up, Jean’s arm around her waist. He glances at his sisters who are looking at him with a questioning gaze and he has to look away to stop his heart from falling. 

“Well it’s a good thing this is training,” Pietro replies with a smirk, deciding to pretend like it was no big deal. 

“Pietro, what is going on with you?” Wanda asks, and the question makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up. 

“Nothing, I just felt like I could do more, and so I did,” he replies, voice flat. He sees Lorna’s brow furrow, and he hates himself for making her look like that. 

“What exactly happened?” Raven asks as she makes her way towards the group, Erik following closely behind and Pietro feels his stomach lurch at the dark look in his eyes. He averts his gaze to the ground, not wanting to see it directed at him right now.

“Pietro decided it best to take matters into his own hands and not follow the plan, and now Ororo is hurt.” Scott answers. Pietro frowns.

“Is this true?” Erik asks, and Pietro looks up at the man.

“We were told to adapt when on the field, and I did. It was working,” he says in response. He hears Scott scoff but he ignores it. 

“If there is a plan, you stick to it. Unless everyone is in accordance with the new plan, things don’t change. Is that understood ?” Erik says firmly and Pietro clenches his jaw. He sees Erik raise an eyebrow at him, eyes challenging him to disagree. He glances at his sisters and sees them watching him.

“ Pietro , do you understand?” Erik asks again, more firmly this time. Pietro feels his heart clench at his name being used in that tone. 

If you want him to be happy when you give him the news, you need to listen to him , Jean says in his mind and Pietro winces at the implication. As if I don’t already know he won’t be happy with me either way , Pietro thinks darkly. He sees Jean’s eyes fill with sorrow as she frowns and before she could say anything, Pietro looks at Erik.

“I understand, sir.” He replies. He sees Erik look at him for a second longer, searching for something before Raven steps in.

“This goes for all of you,” she says loudly. “Don’t change the plans unless everyone is in agreement.”

Pietro sees everyone nod their heads and he tips his head down in acknowledgment. She then makes her way back to the booth, Erik following behind her, but not before he looks at Pietro. When Pietro feels Erik’s eyes on him, he tries not to shift or wince.

“Scott, make a new strategy and then signal for us to start the simulation again,” Raven says from the top of the booth through the speakers. Pietro closes his eyes, breathes in, and then opens his eyes and breathes out before looking towards Scott, who is already carrying out orders. Pietro hates following orders, but he doesn’t complain again, knowing that Erik and Raven will find a way to blame him for the next screw up. He tries to calm his nerves, feeling his skin itch with the need of a release, and he touches the metal walls, feeling the strength and gets an idea. 

When the simulation starts, he does what he’s asked. He glances up at the booth, making sure Erik and Raven aren’t watching him directly before he runs full force into the wall, pretending he was avoiding a laser beam. He falls to the ground with a grunt, feeling his nerves calm for a second, and then he looks at the wall and sees that there is not a dent on the wall. He feels lighter, and a smile breaks out on his face. This could work , he thinks as he gets up and goes back to fulfilling his instructions.

Once the session is done, Pietro walks off to the side, feeling the itch returning to his skin, the tension and emotions wanting to be let out. He sees everyone leaving the room, each of them congratulating each other on how well the session went, and then he sees his sisters walking towards him.

Please don’t , he thinks desperately, just wanting to be alone right now. He sees the concern on his sisters faces — why do I always make them look like that? Just stop feeling sad or worried for me. Please. I’m fine — and then they stop in front of him.

“What was that about?” Wanda asks, and he winces at her forwardness. She’s never one to sugarcoat or ease into something , he thinks.

“What was what?” He asks instead, deciding to be extra annoying. He isn’t sure why he’s doing this, but he just feels too much right now and he needs to get it out.

“Pietro, stop playing around. What you did could have gotten Ororo seriously hurt,” Lorna says. Pietro frowns, feeling annoyance and frustration bubbling up.

“I already admitted I made a mistake, so can we drop it?” He says. He sees his sisters glance at each other, and he hates it. He hates that they’ve gotten closer and left him behind. That they seem to have each other all the time , and he used to wish he could have someone a year ago when they were both out of the house for good, but now he just wants to be alone.

“Look, we don’t know what this is about,” Wanda says softly, and her kindness makes Pietro’s eyes mist over. “But know that you can talk to us when you’re ready. We’re here for you, Pietro.”

He says nothing and looks away, and after a couple of seconds he hears his sisters walk away. He tries not to think about anything, willing his mind to quiet and wait for Raven and Erik to leave the room. When he sees Raven look at him, his heart spikes, fearing that she will want to speak to him too, but when she leaves, he lets out a breath of relief. Then Erik looks at him and Pietro’s heart drops when he sees him walk towards him.

No, please just leave me alone , he thinks desperately, willing his words to reach the man. He knows it’s pointless, he’s not a telepath, and Erik looks upset and Pietro really doesn’t want to be scolded by the man who still doesn’t know he’s his father. Who’s fault is that? Pietro hisses at himself and then shrinks a little when Erik is towering over him, eyes like steel as he takes in Pietro.

“I understand you want to help,” Erik starts and Pietro internally groans. “But sometimes you need to work with your team, inform them of your ideas and plan, because in the real world, accidents will happen.”

“I know, and I said I was wrong,” Pietro mumbles out. He sees Erik frown and Pietro looks away, not wanting to see the disappointment. 

“I watched you throughout the entire session, and I can say I am very proud of your progress,” Erik states. “You did really well, even when executing your solo plan.”

Pietro looks up at Erik and sees a hint of a smile on his lips, and Pietro looks away. He doesn’t know what to do with this praise. 

Probably happy that dear old daddy is looking at you , Pietro winces at Dylan’s words replaying in his mind. He doesn’t want to seem like an attention seeking, needy child, but he can’t help but soak up Erik’s words. 

“I’ll do better,” Pietro replies, ignoring the furrow of Erik’s brow. “I don’t want to make a mistake that can cost a life on the field. So I’ll train better.”

There’s a moment of silence as Erik regards Pietro before he nods his head.

“Can I practice my techniques here for a bit? I want to try and work on a few things,” Pietro asks. He sees Erik hesitate, looking at him intensely and Pietro forces himself to stay still.

“The simulations can’t be used without Raven or I here,” Erik answers. It’s not a no , Pietro thinks, a flicker of hope flaring inside him.

“I won’t use the simulation,” Pietro responds quickly. “I just want to practice my running techniques and movements.”

He sees Erik contemplate this for a moment before he nods his head. “You can only get thirty minutes. Charles is preparing to use this room for the younger children in an hour.”

Pietro smiles at the man, thankful that he doesn’t hate him enough to deny his request. Just as the man is about to leave, he stops and turns to Pietro. 

“I also wanted to…apologize,” Erik says, and Pietro wonders what the man could have done to warrant an apology. “I didn’t mean to scare you off after the coffee incident.”

Oh. Pietro thinks.

“No worries, like I said, it wasn’t you,” Pietro replies, attempting a smile and realizing that it’s genuine. He sees the man open his mouth as if about to say something but then he closes it and just nods his head, a small smile on his lips.

“Don’t overwork yourself,” Erik says, his voice edged with a tenderness that makes Pietro’s heart squeeze, knowing that there’s a high chance the man would not use that tone with him if he knew the truth of who he was. “We need you functioning for tomorrow’s training session.”

Pietro nods, his smile still in place and watches as the man leaves. Once he’s sure that the door is closed and no one will come to interrupt him, he shakes his arms out and then runs into the wall at full force. He knows he won’t break anything, the only reason Apocalypse was able to break his leg was because he had the power of every mutant, and the dude was probably a God. When his body impacts with the wall, he feels the burn, the pain, but he also feels his emotions lesson. His thoughts slow down, nearly going quiet and blank. 

He slams into the opposite wall at full force, the sounds of the impact echoing across the room. He can hear the metal making a sound in slow motion, and it reminds him of Erik bending the metal piece into little shapes, the melody of that sound sounding familiar to the metal walls. He keeps running, slamming himself into walls and feeling the pain overwhelm his emotions, his thoughts, and his failures. He lets out his frustration at Dylan, his anger at the world, and the longing he feels for wanting Erik and his sisters in his life. He feels his eyes sting, but he wills them to go no further, not allowing himself the ability to cry as he keeps feeling the body trembling impact of the walls. He knows he might bruise for longer, not having run into walls that are built to withhold his strength, but he doesn’t care. He just needs this right now, and he’s grateful that he’s found a better outlet than stealing. 

This is what I need , he thinks as he keeps slamming into the walls. This is what I deserve.

~

After yesterday’s training session, Erik has just been in his room, trying to stop the thoughts of Nina. Sometimes, he sees a bird watching him, and he wonders if Nina sent it from the afterlife. He knows it sounds dumb sometimes, but he wishes it were true. There are days where he isn’t sad, and he can enjoy the moments with Charles or in mentoring the trainees, but then there are other days when all he thinks about is his daughter. When he can’t bear to look at any of the children in the school because he will see a part of her in them. He hates it.

Today is a new day, and he feels neither sad nor happy, but he doesn’t feel numb either. He isn’t sure what this new feeling is, but he prefers it over the grief. He makes his way downstairs to the basement, ready for another training session when he sees Pietro talking with the group. He strains to hear what the boy is saying and realizes that he’s apologizing. Erik feels a surge of pride to see the young man take accountability for his mistakes, and he feels his lips quirk up when he sees the group forgive him. 

They are good kids, truly loyal , Erik thinks, wishing he knew loyal people back then who would always have his back.

You did , he reminds himself. You had Charles. You might still have Charles, and Raven.

Erik watches as the group disperses, taking their places as they prepare for the simulation. He sees Scott give the signal and then Raven pushes the button. He watches his group move around the arena, Jean breaking apart her targets and throwing them back, Ororo creating mist for the cameras to not see her and blowing wind at the targets for Pietro to break apart and Wanda to blast with her hex bolts. He then sees Lorna assist Alex and Jubilee who are both trying to watch Kurt and Scott’s backs as they are the front lines and attack head on. He smiles at the progress the trainees have made in just a little over two weeks. The way they all struggled against each other and now work as a team fills him with pride. He knows Charles will be thrilled with their progress. 

Throughout the many simulations, he finds his eyes keep darting to the three siblings, watching how they fight against their opponents and how they watch each other’s backs and their teammates. He doesn’t understand why, but he feels a sort of connection with them, and it makes him uneasy. He knows his connection with Lorna must be because of the similar power sets, but he doesn’t understand why he’s so eager to see Wanda and Pietro’s progress, as if their success is a little more important than the others. He knows Charles wouldn’t like him picking favorites, but he can’t help wanting to help Pietro, Wanda, and Lorna a little more than the others.

He’s ripped from his thoughts when the buzzer goes off, signaling the end of the simulation. He makes his way down to the training grounds, following Raven who has a smile on her face. He sees the trainees grinning, their eyes bright as they wait for the report.

“You all completed the simulation in just under ten minutes before the timer ran out. Congratulations,” Raven says. Erik finds it amusing as the kids begin to cheer, hugging each other and jumping around.

“Okay, this doesn’t mean you still can’t improve,” Raven interrupts, her voice loud and firmer. The trainees quiet down, but their smiles are still plastered all over their faces. 

“That is enough training for today, but I would like to check in with each of you on my team,” Erik states. 

“Same here, my group let’s go towards the door,” Raven adds, and then Erik watches as his trainees walk towards the wall, lining up and looking at him. He feels content in the way they all hold themselves, ready for instructions and always taking his suggestions and advice and using them. 

“When I call your name, I will give your feedback and then you can go,” Erik states. He sees them all nod, waiting for him to speak. 

“Jean,” Erik starts, seeing her perk up at her name. “You did extremely well in pushing the targets away and breaking them apart. Next time, if there are too many, I want you to protect yourself and instead throw some targets towards Wanda or Ororo who can use both hands to fight.”

He sees Jean nod, a small smile on her face before she walks off. He turns to Ororo next. 

“Ororo, you are getting better at controlling the wind, and by throwing them to Wanda and Pietro, you made sure that you weren’t vulnerable to attack.” Erik says, noticing the way Pietro tenses. “You learned from your experience and you adapted to the situation, while also having confidence in your teammates abilities to take care of the threat.”

“Just doing what you taught us, Mr. Lehnsherr.” She replies. Erik nods and then watches as she goes.

“Lorna,” Erik calls, seeing her look at him, hands behind her back as if imitating a soldier’s resting stance. “I was impressed with how much you’ve gained control of breaking metal into pieces and using it to fight and have Jubilee and Alex’s backs so they could assist the others. You used the techniques I taught you and managed to multitask. Good job.”

He sees Lorna beam at his words and then she’s off. 

“Wanda,” he announces and sees her tilt her chin up, and it amuses Erik. “You have become more confident in your abilities and it’s helped you assist Ororo when she needed the help. I just think you could try and allow others to have your back next time, instead of you having theirs. Just let yourself be helped also.”

“Okay, I’ll try.” Wanda replies and then she heads out. Erik turns towards Pietro and sees him tense a little, and it makes Erik frown, wondering why the kid seems to be anxious around him after all this time.

“Pietro,” Erik says, still feeling off when he says the kid’s real name. “It was impressive to see you hit all your targets, protecting all your teammates and still being aware of targets coming at you. I think you can better work on your turns, I noticed that you would sometimes skid or stumble when making sharp turns in this enclosed space, so I just want you to work on that.”

“Makes sense,” Pietro replies with a nod. “I’ll work on that more, thanks.”

Erik smiles and then something on the kid’s arm catches his eye. He sees a yellowish bruise on the kid’s skin.

“What’s that?” Erik asks. “Did you get hurt?”

Pietro’s brow furrows in confusion and then he looks down at his arm and his eyes widen slightly.

“Oh, that. It’s nothing, just bumped into the wall when I tried to get a target off of Jean’s back,” Pietro replies. Erik frowns, trying to rack his memory of Pietro crashing into a wall, but nothing comes up. Did I miss something? Erik wonders. He sees Pietro shift, looking uncomfortable as he starts to scratch the skin around the bruise.

“Well, do try to be careful,” Erik says. “Your healing factor is fast and strong, but you’re not indestructible.” 

Erik sees Pietro wince and then his face shifts, and his eyes get a little cloudy. “I’ll be careful, thanks.”

Erik watches as Pietro zips his way out of the room, and Erik wonders why the kid lied to him. He knows he should have reprimanded him for holding back information since all the trainees know they need to speak the truth to their mentors, but he decided to let it go, and Erik doesn’t know if that was a good thing or not. He doesn’t want to be on top of the kid all the time, but he also can’t have Pietro thinking he could lie his way out of anything without any consequences. He really wants to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. He sighs as he makes his way out the room, feeling a little lighter with the progress of the trainees, and how it makes him happy to be a part of that. Erik is starting to see the whole reason for this school, the purpose Charles is trying to show him he could have if he stays. 

Erik finds himself in front of Charles’ office, and he hesitates, unsure if he should knock or not. He stands in front of the door for a couple of seconds, contemplating what to say to Charles. Deciding he won’t know what to say unless he goes for it, he knocks. He hears Charles tell him to come inside, and he enters, closing the door behind him. When he looks at Charles, his heart spikes at the man’s soft smile and breathtaking blue eyes. 

“What brings you by?” Charles asks. Erik shifts and then walks towards the desk, noting the way Charles’ eyes stay pinned on his every move. It makes Erik’s face heat up.

“I just wanted to talk a bit, maybe…” Erik trails off, looking towards the window and seeing the night sky cast a blanket of darkness over the school grounds. He is suddenly transported back to his cabin in the woods, the night sky bringing peace and quiet as Nina would tell him a story about what her deer friends were up to. He closes his eyes and tries to bask in the memory, no longer feeling angry, but not quite letting go of the sadness. 

“Would you…” Erik opens his eyes, tearing himself from the memory as he looks at Charles, hearing the man trail off and then take a deep breath before speaking again, voice stronger. “Would you like to play a game?” 

Erik watches as Charles opens a drawer in his desk and then pulls out a chess board, already lining up the pieces. Erik can feel the metal surrounding the pieces, and his heart spikes as he realizes Charles bought it just for them. He can hear his heart pounding as he sees Charles place each piece down, the small, hopeful smile on his lips as he looks up at Erik. 

Erik feels a twinge in his heart, but he pushes it away and sits down on the chair opposite the desk. He lets himself smile at the beam in Charles’ eye, wondering how this man could still want… whatever it is they have and not want to kick Erik out instead the way he wanted to ten years ago. The memory of their relationship in that time still brings pain to Erik, makes his heart ache as he remembers the hate in Charles’ eyes when looking at him. Erik knows he wasn’t an easy person to love back then, much less like, but logic doesn’t always correlate with what the heart wants. With desire, with need, with love .

“I think the trainees will be ready to be X-Men in no time,” Erik says as Charles makes the first move. Even letting him play still doesn’t guarantee he can beat me , Erik thinks playfully. He sees Charles’ lips quirk up at his thought and it makes Erik smirk.

“I’m glad they’re thriving under your and Raven’s training,” Charles replies. “They can learn so much from you both.”

Erik hums at that, moving his piece with a flick of his finger and then watching Charles as he strategizes his next move. If Erik had the option to spend the night watching Charles think and use his incredible brain, he’d do it in a heartbeat. To think that he was so ready to throw this away for Apocalypse has something twisting inside of Erik. He knows he made stupid choices back then, and he just hopes he won’t let Charles down anymore. He just wants to be able to continue forward, even if it means letting the past go.

“Are you happy here?” Charles asks as he moves his piece, and Erik feels his knight tremble as he moves it towards the top right corner of his pawn. Erik doesn’t look at Charles as he thinks about the answer. Is he happy? He feels more at peace at the school, more secluded from confrontations and tough decisions. However, he also feels the loss of his daughter deeply when surrounded by many children. Every morning he wakes up and sees the kids running around, and he always thinks how their parents don’t know what they’ve lost. He knows Charles’ school is a safe haven, a place to learn and grow as mutants and to one day walk back into society, but he knows that if he had a child, he’d want to keep them with him, safe in his own home.

Nina was in your own home and she wasn’t safe, now was she? Erik hears his consciousness whisper, and he shudders. 

“Erik…” Charles starts, but Erik shakes his head at him, lips twisted down.

“I…to be honest, I’m happiest when I’m near you,” Erik whispers the words like a confession, which in hindsight, they are. He doesn’t look at Charles’ because he’s a coward, so he moves his piece and keeps his eyes on the board. He can hear his heart pounding, each beat sending a loud rhythm into his ears. He feels a part of him reminds himself about Helena, and how she hasn’t been dead for a month, but another part of him reminds him that he’s seen so much death and the dead never return. Helena is dead, but Charles isn’t, and Erik has come to understand that Charles isn’t the last option, but has always been the truest option, the option that has felt right in his life full of wrongs. He really wants this, and if Charles is willing to give him another chance, then he will try not to mess it up.

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Charles replies and Erik keeps his eyes on the board. “Because I feel the same. I…Erik, I don’t think I’ve ever stopped .”

Erik’s gaze snaps to Charles’ and he sees the sincerity in his eyes, the way they show a hint of vulnerability, fear, desire, and even joy. The sight takes Erik’s breath away, and he feels his hands trembling, so he clasps them together and just breathes.

“If you’re willing to try,” Charles continues, looking him in the eyes. “Then maybe we can start again. Not a do-over, and not a continuation, but just a new chapter.”

Erik finds himself smiling, a little embarrassed at how the words make him feel all warm and fuzzy and like the world is lit up. There’s no more grays, and Erik can see color bleeding through. 

“I would like that,” Erik replies. He smiles as Charles looks at him, gaze open with love and adoration, and fondness, and it’s all too much so Erik has to look back at the board, ignoring the soft teasing chuckle coming from Charles’ lips. 

“I think I can finally beat you,” Charles says as he moves his piece. Erik laughs.

“The probabilities of that are not in your favor,” Erik replies with a grin as he looks at the board, thinking of his next move. He sees Charles smirk at him, and Erik finds that his smile remains stuck on his face for the remainder of the game.

~

Pietro decides that since it’s a free day and they don’t have a training session schedule, he’s going to hang out with Scott, Ororo, and Kurt by the lake, and by no means is he doing this on purpose because Erik is also resting under the shade, talking with Charles. Pietro decides to ignore the knowing stares he is receiving from his friends, not wanting to humor their opinions. 

“When are you even going to tell him?” Scott asks. 

“Wanda and Lorna seem to be warming up to him with all the praise he gives then,” Ororo teases and Pietro can’t help but huff out a laugh. 

“Wanda, Lorna, and I already decided on telling him this weekend,” Pietro whispers, trying not to sound too loud as they settle a couple of feet away from where Erik and Charles are conversing. Pietro is kind of glad they haven’t noticed them yet, since they seem really engrossed in their conversation. Pietro wonders what they’re talking about that has Erik grinning brightly — it’s so strange to see Erik smiling, but then again, Erik only seems to smile at Charles — so Pietro tears his eyes away and focuses on his friends.

“I vish you the best of luck,” Kurt says with a bright smile, and Pietro grins back, thankful that he found this group who always has his back, and that his sisters got to form friendships with them as well and feel more social with people like them. 

“It seems you still haven’t figured it out,” a familiar, annoying voice says from behind Pietro. He turns and sees Dylan looking at him with a scowl on his face. “You aren’t welcome here, and neither is your pops.”

Pietro feels his skin grow hot, his blood boiling at the sight of the guy. Is he serious right now? Doesn’t he ever get tired of trying to play the bully? Pietro thinks with irritation.

“Look, man.” Pietro says, walking slowly towards Dylan, face uninterested as he takes in the scowl on Dylan’s face and the way he’s clenching his hands. “I’ve already told you, there is no reason for this. Erik hasn’t done any wrong as of yet and I have no business with whatever hatred you’ve got going on.”

“You think that because you didn’t physically kill all those people that their blood isn’t on your hands?” Dylan asks, his voice edged with fury. Pietro sees Kurt glance between him and Dylan, shifting nervously in his place. 

“Who is this kid?” Scott asks, looking at Pietro. 

“Nobody, let’s just go,” Pietro says, already turning to leave.

“You keep running from me, but maybe you should run a little faster,” Dylan taunts, his voice loud in the space, and Pietro freezes, glancing in Erik’s direction and seeing the man and Charles looking at them, confusion clouding their eyes. “Maybe then you could do what you’ve always wanted, and outrun your dad’s legacy.”

Pietro feels the color drain from his face and he turns to face Dylan, speeding up to him and stopping in front of his face, eyes blazing. 

“Pietro, let’s just go.” Ororo says softly, walking towards him, but Pietro raises his hand to stop her from approaching. 

“No, if he wants to talk shit, then let him.” Pietro says darkly, glaring at Dylan who just continues to smirk — and wow the arrogance on the guy — as he looks Pietro up and down. “I’d like to see how he’d do in a fight instead of hiding behind words and threats.”

“It isn’t worth it,” Scott intervenes. “The professor doesn’t allow violence to be used as a means of solving problems. The kid is an asshole, so let’s be the bigger person.”

“ Pietro doesn’t know how to be the bigger person,” Dylan says. “He’s too busy hiding in the shadows, craving the attention of his sisters and his dad who doesn’t even know he exists.”

Pietro feels his skin burn, as if it were on fire, and he grits his teeth. Get out of my head , he mentally yells at Dylan.

“Which might be better anyways,” Dylan continues, ignoring Pietro. “Considering that the world’s tyrant won’t want a loser kid like you anyways. With the way you turned out in comparison to your sisters, it’s no wonder even your mom doesn’t care much about you.”

Pietro feels his face flush at the words, knowing that Dylan is lurking through his mind, finding the things he’s buried so deep so they won’t hurt him as much and bringing them to the surface. He remembers Jean telling him that telepaths have the ability to delve into a person’s mind and look for their darkest secrets, worst fears, and their true thoughts and feelings. Pietro can see the glare Ororo is giving Dylan, and how Kurt and Scott seem to be ready in case Dylan decides to strike first.

“You have no right to talk about my mom.” Pietro replies, trying to keep his voice even. “Just leave me alone and we won’t have a problem.”

Pietro can hear Dylan scoff, and he glances at Erik and sees the man and Charles are making their way towards them. Maybe it’s time daddy dearest knows the truth and then you can see how much he’ll hate you. Or maybe he just won’t care at all and it’ll probably make him want to leave, start a new brotherhood or something just to get away from you and everything you stand for , Pietro can hear Dylan’s mocking voice in his mind. His eyes widen as he looks at Dylan, willing him to stay quiet.

Don’t , Pietro warns, his eyes blazing and heart pounding. His heart drops when he sees Dylan’s eyes get a feral gleam to them.

“It’s such a shame your sisters want to benefit from Magneto’s parenting,” Dylan says. “Leave them in a room with me for five minutes and I’ll have the monster’s genes trained out of them.”

Pietro sees red. He doesn’t hesitate in striking Dylan in the nose, hearing the crunch and feeling the bones shift under his knuckles. He can hear his friends shouting at him to stop, can hear some students screaming, but he doesn’t care. He’s a whirlwind of emotion and he needs an outlet. 

He gets a few jabs in, running from different angles as anger rises as Dylan keeps that stupid smirk on his face and he lets loose. Some of his punches are diverted by a force that jerks his hands away, knowing that Dylan is using his telekinesis. Short temper, just like your old man , Dylan says in Pietro’s mind. 

Shut up! Pietro shouts mentally, and just as he’s about to run at Dylan from behind when a metal barrier is dropped in between him and his target. Pietro skids to a halt, narrowly striking his shoulder into the barrier and he groans out, frustration and fury bubbling under the surface. 

He’s about to run around the metal when he feels his body freeze, and then he starts to panic. Relax Pietro, be still , he hears Charles’ voice in his mind.

Let me go , Pietro replies, trying to get his body to move but he’s stuck. He feels his breathing pick up, remembering the last time he was stuck and ending up with a broken leg, unable to use his power and helpless to the world around him.

I need you to calm down , Charles replies. We do not condone violence of any kind among each other. 

“He’s just like his father, professor!” Pietro hears Dylan shout from the other side of the metal barrier. The reminder that Erik is here just fuels his panic. 

“Shut up! You don’t know anything!” Pietro shouts, feeling his muscles ache from being kept in the same position. “Let me go Charles!”

“I need you both to be calm and then I shall release you,” Pietro hears Charles say, and it makes him struggle more, knowing that Dylan wants this. I can’t move, I can’t breathe, let me go! Pietro mentally tells Charles. He will tell him, Charles. Don’t let him, please!

“What are you-”

“Pietro attacked me, professor! He’s crazy like his father!” Dylan shouts, interrupting Charles and Pietro feels his heart sink, nausea building up. 

“Professor, please-”

“He got upset when I found out that the terrorist was his father. That he’s Magneto’s son!” Dylan shouted, interrupting Pietro. Pietro’s breath hitched as everything went quiet. In a second, the metal barrier standing in between them collapsed on its side, narrowly missing Pietro. Pietro was frozen, heart racing and dread filling his bones as he struggled to breathe.

Let me go , Pietro mentally whispered to Charles. Let me go, now. Please.

In a second, the hold on him was gone and he let out a haggard breath. He could feel his body trembling, and he forced himself to look at Erik, and he felt his heart plummet at his reaction. His eyes looked like steel, his mouth twisted down in a frown, and Pietro couldn’t keep looking at him.

“Professor, that’s not how it happened,” Ororo starts, but Pietro can’t even hear the conversation anymore. Everything feels muted and blurry, like he was underwater, and he knew he didn’t want to rise to the surface. He can see the metal barrier trembling on the ground, and Pietro can’t breathe . He can see Charles trying to talk to him, Erik looking at him and the only emotion Pietro can decipher from his face is disappointment — and please no more, I hate that look, I can’t take this anymore — and it feels like a knife stabbed into his heart, twisting as Erik’s eyes stay pinned on his, not saying anything. 

Now the cat’s out of the bag, Pietro can hear Dylan’s voice in his mind, and he flinches. Guess I did your sisters a favor, and now you see that you mean absolutely nothing to the crazy terrorist. You don’t matter to him, Pietro. You never did.

Pietro winces as he looks at Erik who turns away and heads to the end of the lake, and each step he takes farther away from Pietro, feels like another stone added to his legs, pulling him down into the ocean. Pietro finds he can’t breathe, can’t think, and so he does what he knows he needs. He runs, straight into the school, down the stairs, into the elevator, and straight into the training room.

He doesn’t bother with locking the door this time, knowing that he probably ruined the best thing for himself when he decided to fight Dylan. He knew fighting was not allowed, and yet, he fell into Dylan’s ploy, and now his sisters will pay for it. The thought makes Pietro’s heart twist, knowing that he’s ruined the only chance they had to feel like they weren’t alone. He hates that he never thinks, that he is too quick tempered, and that he fucks everything up all the time.

He slams into the wall, feeling his eyes burn as he runs back and forth, his impact making his body ache as he hears the sounds fill the room. He doesn’t care anymore. None of it matters if Erik doesn’t want anything to do with him. At least now, he knows that he doesn’t care about him, so that saves Wanda and Lorna the heart ache, even if he promised them they could trust Erik. 

You failed them , he hisses at himself. You disappoint everyone. Mom, Wanda, Lorna, and Erik. They are all sick of you always fucking up.

He slams into the wall again, grunting as it leaves a nasty bruise on his rib. You’re never good enough, and you won’t be good enough for him to stay. For your sisters to stay. 

This time he groans out as another impact to his shoulder leaves his entire arm aching, feeling the bruises deepen. Mom was right , Pietro thinks, his breath hitching as he slams into the wall again. I’m dragging them down, and now they’ll have nothing.

Pietro closes his eyes against the pain, the physical ache unable to quell the emotional, and it just makes him scream out in anger, picking up his speed as he keeps slamming into the walls. Why aren’t you working? He questions as the impacts don’t soothe his heart. Just work! Please! Make it stop!

You always talk too much, think too much, don’t stay still. You’re the worst child to have the power you have, Pietro ! You’re no better than your father ! Always wanting to be a criminal and a good for nothing son! It’s because of you that Wanda and Lorna left and it’s your fault the world has gone to shit when you freed that bastard! I hate you sometimes! Pietro flinches at his mom’s voice in his mind, his brain replaying the memory of the first night she got drunk. With each impact of the metal walls, he remembers the sting of her fists, her words, her hate . 

I’m sorry , he thinks desperately, wishing she’d stop. Wishing it’d all stop. I’m sorry, I’m like this. Please, just…just stop it. I’ll change, please. I’m sorry.

~

Erik’s mind is blank, processing the words the kid said about him being Pietro’s father. He recalls the look in Pietro’s eyes, the way the kid looked terrified , as if Erik held a metal beam and was planning to strike him down. He feels bile rise up his throat at the thought, his hands trembling as he thinks about how truthful that admission was. 

He can’t be my kid , Erik thinks, trying to stifle the anxiety and silver of hope rising inside him. He thinks about Pietro’s small talk in the elevator ten years ago. The day he told him about his mother knowing a man who could bend metal, the way he felt his heart spike at the words but the moment had passed swiftly when the doors opened and Charles punched him in the face. He remembers how it felt to hear Pietro’s real name, bringing him back to a time when he thought he could have a family, when he picked out names for a boy and girl. Then he thinks about Charles, and if the man could have known. He couldn’t have, he would have told me. Erik tells himself, and he lets out a shuddering breath as he tries to control his emotions, his senses hyper aware and feeling the metal all around him, inside the school, in the ground. He can feel them trembling from his emotions, waiting for him to bend them to his will.

Erik looks up and sees Charles approaching him, expression grim. Erik tries to calm himself, seeing that Charles doesn’t look shocked or surprised, but instead looks… guilty . It makes Erik’s blood boil, and he takes a deep breath in, willing the metal around him to stop moving.

“I sent Dylan to my office, he is to be punished for what he did,” Charles informs Erik, but Erik finds that he doesn’tcare. Everything feels off kilter, as if the world isn’t making sense to him.

“Is…what that kid said, is it true?” Erik asks, his voice firm despite feeling like he could snap in two with the slightest breeze. He watches Charles wince, and Erik now knows it’s true. 

“Did you know?” He asks, and he hopes Charles says ‘no’, but the man avoids his gaze and Erik feels his heart burn, the familiar sting of betrayal settling in him. “You knew all this time and you didn’t say anything?”

“Erik, it wasn’t my secret to tell,” Charles replies, voice tinged with desperation. The response makes Erik narrow his eyes at the man, feeling heat travel through his veins. 

“Since when do you respect privacy?” Erik asks darkly, seeing the words strike a nerve when Charles flinches. It makes Erik feel guilt for a second before it’s smothered by his simmering rage.

“I promised them I wouldn’t say anything.” Charles says, and Erik is suddenly aware that Pietro has a twin sister. I have another daughter , he thinks with a tinge of hysteria. “I needed them to trust me and feel safe here.” 

The words hurt, landing like a physical blow as Erik thinks about how Charles didn’t trust him around his kids, didn’t trust him with the truth. You couldn’t be trusted with Nina, so was he so wrong? He hears his mind hiss at him, and Erik’s breath hitches. Everything feels too much right now.

“Erik, it’s not like that. They were just afraid,” Charles tries to reason. The words make Erik feel worse. 

“So, they were afraid of me?” His voice comes out hoarse. 

“No,” Charles responds quickly, wheeling closer to Erik. “They just didn’t know what to do. They were scared of the circumstance, of the what if’s, of the future and what this entailed for them and for you.”

Erik is looking at Charles, but he isn’t seeing him, isn’t really seeing much of anything at the moment. “How long did they know I…that I am their father?”

“I don’t think you should be asking me this,” Charles says instead. “You should speak to them. This conversation has been long overdue.”

Erik suddenly feels so tired . He doesn’t know how to be a parent anymore, he certainly wasn’t a good one if Nina is anything to go by, and the thought of his little girl has his heart aching. 

“This could be a fresh start, Erik.” Charles says. Erik feels his lips twist down at the words.

“I won’t replace Nina, or forget her,” Erik hisses. He sees Charles frown, eyebrows furrow at his words.

“That’s not what I meant,” Charles replies. “I just meant that maybe you need this. You might need them the way they need you, even if none of you know it yet.”

“I…I don’t even know…” Erik hesitates, the names of the twins are now heavy on his tongue. “Pietro and Wanda are grown now, I don’t know them and they don’t know me.”

“Now you can get your chance to get to know them. To get to know Wanda and Pietro,” Charles says with a small sympathetic smile. “And Lorna.”

Erik startles, eyes wide as he repeats what Charles said in his mind. “Lorna?”

“Yes, she’s their half sister,” Charles replies. “Your daughter.”

Erik can’t say he isn’t too surprised, finding it strange at first when another mutant had similar abilities as him. The reasoning, however, does little to ease his questions or nerves. 

“Charles,” Erik says, voice strained. “I don’t think I can do this. I can’t give them anything good.”

He sees Charles squint at him. “What do you mean you can’t give them anything good? You’ve been training them for days and they have grown to feel comfortable around you. To respect you.”

“I can’t.” Erik says, more firmly. 

“Are you upset that you have children alive and still in this world?” Charles asks, voice firm.

“Of course not,” Erik replies firmly. “I’m glad they are alive.”

“Then what is the problem? You have family that is alive, you have children who are strong-”

“It will cause a problem!” Erik shouts, seeing the way Charles tenses in his seat. “If word got out that I have family, actual blood relations, then they could be hurt or…”

Erik can’t finish the sentence, but he knows Charles understands what he’s trying to say. If he tries to form a connection, the world will rip the three kids to pieces, breaking them down because of their wonderful and unique gifts, their relation to him, and who they are as individuals. 

“That’s a risk every parent takes,” Charles tries to reason.

“You know it’s different for us. They are mutants, and blood related to me,” Erik replies, his eyes full of pain. “Everyone who has ever been related to me has been ripped from my life, broken down, and killed.”

Erik chooses to ignore the sympathy radiating off of Charles. The way his eyes show concern for him. 

“Here they are safe,” Charles says softly. “I can promise you that while they remain in this school, no harm will come to them.”

“You know that Wanda is planning to go back with Lorna,” Erik replies. 

“I know that she’s conflicted,” Charles responds. “But you have a choice to make, Erik.”

Erik looks at Charles, wanting the man to give him the answers, to guide him, but he knows he needs to do this on his own. He needs to make the choice. He just doesn’t know if the one he will make is the best one for everyone. 

“Your children came here for a reason.” Charles says softly, but his voice is firm. “They knew what they were walking into, and they still did it all, to meet you. To get to know you, and to see if it was worth it.”

“Do you think it was worth it?” Erik whispers. He sees Charles smile, eyes bright.

“They stood, didn’t they?” He responds, and Erik lets out a fragile breath. Then he sees the professor shift in his seat, face becoming serious as his expression looks far away, as if he were seeing something.

“What’s wrong?” Erik asks, voice edged with worry, wondering if they’re under attack now that he knows he has family left in the world. He wouldn’t put it against the universe to want to tear his children away from him now that he’s just learned of the news.

“It’s Pietro,” Charles replies and Erik tenses, his heart pounding. What about him? He mentally asks, unable to use his voice as his throat tightens. He sees Charles look at him, a deep sadness in his eyes. 

“He’s…you need to go to him,” Charles says quickly. “He’s in the training room.”

Erik doesn’t waste a second. He feels the magnetic fields around him and uses it to lift him into the air, flying into the school and using the speed of his force to make his way down to the elevator. He lands inside the elevator and makes his way to the basement, thoughts flooding with different things that could have happened to Pietro to make Charles look the way he did. Is he hurt? Did someone attack him? Erik doesn’t know what to think. 

When the elevator doors open, the first thing he notices is the sounds coming from the walls. He can hear a loud thud, repeating in a rhythm coming from the walls in the training room. Erik frowns as he opens the door, and what he sees inside makes his heart sink. He sees Pietro running at full speed into the walls, a blur of motion as he zips between the two walls, the echoes of his impact filling the space. Erik immediately steps inside the room, closing the door behind him and slowly making his way towards the blur of motion. 

“Pietro!” Erik shouts, his voice a mix of urgency and concern. Erik watches as Pietro doesn’t respond, unclear if it’s because he doesn’t realize he’s there or because he’s ignoring him. Erik watches as the kid’s movements become more frenzied and desperate, his groans echoing in the room. It makes Erik wince, knowing that each impact must be painful.

Erik gets closer, trying to catch Pietro’s attention. He doesn’t know how to stop whatever it is that Pietro is doing to himself. Did I make him do this? He wonders, his heart sinking as he recalls the look Pietro gave him when the mutant child spilled his secret. He then cringes as he remembers how he just walked away, and how that must have looked to Pietro. I need to fix this , he thinks desperately. 

“Pietro, stop! You’re hurting yourself!” Erik shouts, but Pietro seems lost in his own world. He continues to run, slamming himself into the walls and Erik thinks of what to do. He racks his brain for a way to stop the kid when he’s running this fast, knowing that it will be impossible for him to try and grab him. He then summons the metal rods that are at the corner of the training room and concentrates on the blur of motion coming from Pietro, trying to track his movements. He waits a couple of seconds, tracking his next steps, and just as Pietro is about to push himself off the wall to speed to the next one, Erik quickly moves the metal to wrap around his torso, pinning Pietro’s arms to his side, and then Erik lifts the metal, lifting Pietro into the air and immobilizing him.

Erik lets out a breath as the horrible thud sounds cease, and Pietro is no longer hurting himself. He feels his heart sting as Pietro struggles in his restraints, his legs kicking out to find purchase on the ground. He looks at Pietro’s face and sees his eyes wide, full of frustration, anger, and a bit of pain. Erik’s lips turn down, his heart feeling heavy at the sight of the energetic and happy kid looking so different .

“Let me go! I need to…I need to…” Pietro trails off, groaning and straining against his restraints. Erik walks closer, hands still outstretched and keeping Pietro in the air. 

“Pietro, listen to me. You need to relax and stop,” Erik says firmly, but not unkindly. “You’re going to hurt yourself even more if you do not stop.”

Erik sees Pietro wince at his words, but he doesn’t stop struggling. Instead, Erik sees Pietro vibrate in the restraints, and Erik’s eyes widen as he sees Pietro move so fast that the metal is loosening around him. Since when could he do that? Erik wonders as he feels the kid’s power combat his own. Erik grits his teeth as he reinforces the bindings with more metal, making sure they keep Pietro secured but are not tight enough to cause physical pain. 

“Pietro, please stop.” Erik says. “Just listen to me.”

“Let me go ,” Pietro pleads, a whine coming out of his throat and Erik feels his heart ache. He sees Pietro’s breaths come out ragged, his body now trembling with emotion and exertion. 

“Will you stop running?” Erik asks him. He sees Pietro’s eyes mist over as he chokes on a sob and it makes Erik want to release him immediately, but he keeps his hold on the boy. 

“You need to calm down,” Erik tells Pietro.

“I don’t need to listen to you,” Pietro grits out, his eyes full of hurt. “You don’t need to pretend to care about someone like me , so put me down and just go.”

Erik feels his heart drop at the words and the look on Pietro’s face. I did this , he thinks. I did this to him.

“I do care about you,” Erik replies, his voice hoarse with emotion, and he finds that he’s not lying. He does care about Pietro and his sisters. He started caring for them the minute they were left under his care during the training sessions. That was when a true connection was made for him, and when he learned how simple it was to be needed and actually be there for a person.

“I’m sorry I walked away,” Erik says, and he sees Pietro jerk in his bonds, his lips turned down. “I wasn’t leaving you behind, that’s not what happened.”

Pietro stops struggling, his eyes red-rimmed as he looks at Erik, but he still looks deeply wounded, and Erik feels like shit. He keeps his eyes pinned on Pietro’s and says, “I am glad that you are my son, that Wanda and Lorna are my daughters. That you all are doing well for yourselves.”

Erik’s heart breaks when he sees Pietro’s face crumple, the tears leaking from his eyes as he lets out a sob. Erik immediately lowers Pietro to the ground, and when he’s sure the kid won’t run, he releases the metal’s hold on him. He makes his way slowly to Pietro, who is letting out heart wrenching sobs as he holds himself. 

“I’m sorry,” Pietro hoarsely whispers that Erik has to strain to hear. “I’m sorry I’m not what you wanted.”

Erik pauses at his words, hurt by the fact that Pietro could think that. Before he’s able to refute his statement, Pietro continues to speak.

“I really tried to be better, for Wanda and Lorna, for mom , and for you .” He cries. “I-I tried so hard to be there for them, to make them happy, but now it’s all over.”

“Pietro, what are you talking about?” Erik asks, feeling the dread rising in him as Pietro speaks. 

“I couldn’t be good enough for mom when she needed an outlet, and I couldn’t protect Lorna or Wanda from their fears that were caused by mom,” he whispers, his tears running down his face and eyes lost faraway. “I made sure her attention stayed on me, so she wouldn’t hurt them. But I still failed because now they’ll have to leave the school because I fought Dylan.”

Erik closes the distance between them and drops to one knee to be at eye-level with Pietro, taking in the young man’s eyes full of pain, his tears, and the way his mouth is turned into a frown. The sight is so unsettling, knowing that Pietro is always happy and the light of any room. How many times has he been faking happiness? Erik wonders sadly. How long has this been building up for it to come out this way?

“You are not responsible for anyone’s actions,” Erik says firmly, not wanting to dive into the conversation of Pietro’s mother at this moment when Pietro is emotionally unstable. He still feels a spike of anger at the thought that Magda would even think of hurting her children when she was once so full of love. Erik grimaces at the idea of another person who he damaged beyond repair, and in turn, damaged his children. “Charles is not kicking you or your sisters out, so there is no need to stress over that.”

He sees Pietro let out a small breath at that. Then Pietro looks up at him and Erik tries not to flinch at the deep well of sadness he sees in his eyes. 

“I’m sorry you found out the way you did,” Pietro whispers, voice shaking. “We were going to tell you over the weekend.”

Erik finds himself smiling softly at the information, feeling warmth at the idea that his children thought it right to tell him. That they had decided they wanted Erik to know, and possibly want something to come out of it. The thought still scares him, but he pushes it aside for now. 

“It was sudden, but it’s just like you to make sudden decisions,” Erik tries for a joke, but Pietro flinches and Erik frowns. 

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he says softly, and sees Pietro relax a little. “I am happy that you three are my children.”

He sees Pietro’s eyes water at his words and he has the urge to hug the kid. To hug his son . 

“Even if I’m just a loser who has done nothing with his life?” Pietro whispers so quietly, the quietest that Erik’s ever heard him be. “If I’m everything you hate?”

Erik frowns at the words and looks at Pietro, his heart aching. “Why would I hate you?”

He sees Pietro look down, hunching further into himself. “You like order, calmness, silence, people who are successful and strong. I’m none of those things.”

Erik puts a hand on Pietro’s shoulder, feeling him tense under his hand before he looks up. 

“You are my son,” Erik says softly, and his heart twists when he hears Pietro whimper, his tears spilling down his eyes as he looks at Erik with underlying fear. “Nothing else matters to me but that.”

Erik pulls Pietro into his arms, cradling his head against his shoulder as he holds him tight. He closes his eyes as he hears Pietro’s soft sobs and whimpers, feeling something inside of him break and then spill out. He holds Pietro tighter, and then he feels a pair of arms hold him back. Erik smiles as he strokes Pietro’s hair, feeling his heart warm at the emotions bubbling in him.

“I’m sorry,” Pietro mumbles, sniffling as he pulls away. 

“There’s no need to apologize, Pietro.” Erik replies as he looks at his son with fondness. “Just, please don’t run into the walls again. If you feel something is too much, just talk to either your sisters, or Charles…or even me if you’d like.”

Erik still feels a little awkward, but he smiles as Pietro nods. The kid isn’t smiling right now, but he at least doesn’t look like he’s going to run into another wall anytime soon. He then remembers the bruises he saw on Pietro during the last training session and wonders if he got them from running into walls.

“Did you do this before your last training session?” Erik questions. He sees Pietro tense and knows his answer. 

“Why did you do it last time?” Erik asks. He sees Pietro shift on his spot on the floor, looking away from Erik.

“Dylan got under my skin,” Pietro says, his voice low. Erik feels a spike of anger at the student, knowing that he was the cause of some of Pietro’s pain.

“Charles is going to find a proper punishment for him,” Erik decides to inform Pietro. He sees Pietro nod, but his frown is gone now. Small steps , Erik thinks.

“Well, I think I’m good to go,” Pietro says. Erik helps him stand and then he looks at the kid a little longer. 

“I need to talk to your sisters,” Erik says, ignoring the spike of anxiety that fills him at the thought. “Do you want to be present for that?” 

He sees Pietro think on it for a second before he shakes his head. “I think I’ll just rest. They…they won’t be upset that you know. They actually want to get to know you.”

Erik nods at Pietro, trying to stifle the warmth and hope at the words. He would like to get to know his children better, to be there for them now when he wasn’t back then.

“I’ll walk you to your room,” Erik awkwardly says. Pietro nods and gives him a small smile. 

“Can I…can I call you dad?” Pietro asks quietly. Erik feels his eyes sting, but Pietro must mistake his silence for an answer when he starts to hunch in on himself and his eyes get wide.

“That was too soon, sorry. You don’t have to-”

“It’s okay,” Erik replies, voice a little hoarse as he looks into Pietro’s eyes. He notices for the first time their color, seeing how he and Nina have the same eyes. It pulls on Erik’s heartstrings and he gives Pietro a small smile, seeing the boy relax slightly. “I just have to get used to being called that again, but I don’t see a problem with it.”

Erik sees Pietro perk up slightly, his eyes getting their light back and Erik is glad he said the right thing. He puts a hand on Pietro’s shoulder as he leads him to the elevator, not taking it off him until they part ways when they get to Pietro’s room door. 

Erik thinks about who he should approach first, Lorna or Wanda, and after careful consideration, he decides to speak to Wanda first. When he knocks on her door and Lorna opens, his heart drops as he realizes both girls are in the same room. Before he could back out, he clears his throat and looks at Lorna. 

“May I come in? I need to speak with you both,” Erik says, and he sees Lorna’s eyes widen slightly in panic before she opens the door for him to enter. He sees Wanda watching him from the bed and he can’t quite read her expression, which puts him on edge. 

“Have a seat,” Lorna says as she gestures to the same chair Erik sat in last time he was in this room. He sits and then looks at both girls, at his daughters . The thought still makes Erik panic, but it fills him with hope to know that they haven’t run away after meeting him. 

“I…an incident happened with your brother and another student, and some things were said,” Erik says, and he sees the girls tense, but Wanda looks panicked. “Your brother is fine, he’s just resting, but I found out some important information.”

“What student?” Wanda asks.

“Dylan,” Erik responds. He sees Wanda’s eyes widen and Erik wonders if Wanda knew about Dylan and Pietro. 

“He told you, didn’t he?” Wanda asks, but it doesn’t sound like a question. Erik sees Lorna look between the two of them confused.

“Who is Dylan?” She asks. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Erik responds. “What matters is what was revealed.”

“We were going to tell you this weekend,” Wanda says, her voice level and not showing any emotion, but Erik can see a tinge of fear in her eyes. He then looks at Lorna and sees her fiddle with her hands, her eyes looking at the window.

“I am aware of that,” Erik replies, trying to keep his voice calm.

“Are you…upset?” Lorna asks lightly. Erik frowns, hating the world for them all seeming to think the worst in a situation.

“No, I’m not.” He replies and he breathes easier when he sees the girls relax. “I know I have no right to ask this, and this is still new to me since it's not too long ago when I lost…my daughter.”

He sees Lorna frown and nod, and Wanda looks down as she winces. 

“But I want to be here for you for as long as you’d want me to be,” he says, seeing the girls look at him, remaining silent. “It doesn’t have to be as your father if you don’t want, but I am trying to change for the better since I’ve returned here. I would like to show you that I am trying, and that I can do more for you now than I could have back then.”

“I wanted to know something first before I give my answer,” Lorna says, and Erik nods at her to continue.

“Why did you do what you did ten years ago?” She asks. Erik looks to the side, trying to find an answer in shorter words.

“At the time I felt the only way for the world to accept us was to fear us,” Erik answers. He doesn’t see any judgment on Lorna’s face, and Wanda’s expression is still closed off. 

“Do you still believe that?” Lorna asks. Erik can see the conflict in her eyes and thinking about what he could have right now has him deciding the answer he truly believes he can accept.

“I can’t say I still don’t, but I’m trying to change and Charles has been helping me a lot to understand the world a bit better when I’m not seeing it through hate and…past experiences,” Erik settles on. He sees Lorna take in his words, and never in his life has he been so nervous to hear a response.

“I really enjoyed our sessions, and learning from you,” Lorna says with a smile. “I would like to still learn under you if you’d allow it.”

Erik smiles at her and nods. “I’d like that. It’s…nice to have another person who can manipulate metal.”

“Yeah,” Lorna replies. “I don’t feel so alone here, and you’ve helped a lot with that.”

Erik can’t lie that her words bring warmth to him. He smiles at her and then looks at Wanda. 

“I…at first I was ready to tell you, and I still am,” Wanda says, and then her gaze flicks to the side before she looks at Erik. “I just think that if we take this slow, and I learn more about you, then I wouldn’t hate having you in my life.”

Erik nods his head at that, understanding what she’s saying and agreeing. He could do that.

“I just need you to do right by Lorna and Pietro,” Wanda says. Erik feels fondness and a deep sense of pride to see how deeply Pietro and Wanda care for their siblings, how similar and yet different they are. He’s truly proud of how his kids have grown, and part of him wonders if it’s because they didn’t get tainted by his role as a father in their lives. The thought makes him promise himself that he’ll be better for them now. He’ll make sure he does the right things to help them survive in the world, and to give them a place in a world that hates mutants.

“I will try to do right by the three of you. I can promise that, because family means everything to me,” Erik replies firmly, but not unkindly and he sees Lorna smile at him. He knows it’s rare to get her trust, to get her to open up to him and want a relationship with a person, so he will cherish this.

He turns to Wanda and sees her studying him, deciding what to say, and Erik allows her to see the vulnerability in his eyes. To see how much this means to him and how much he’s willing to try for them. He sees her eyes soften and a hint of a smile ghosts her lips, and this makes Erik’s world brighten.

“That’s all I ask,” she says softly. “I would also like to get to know you better.”

Erik allows himself to smile at them, and he tries to ignore the mist in his eyes as Lorna starts to tell him a story of the time she accidentally used her powers on a kid in the park, and he basks in the warmth inside him when Wanda also jumps in, asking him for any stories of when he was afraid to use his powers. It doesn’t even hurt when he recounts some of his horror tales, because seeing the sympathy and curiosity in his daughters’ eyes is enough to strengthen his resolve and open himself up to other people who aren’t Charles. Enough to give a piece of himself to his family.

Erik heads towards Charles’ office, feeling lighter now that he got to interact with his daughters for a moment and got to know them a little better. He wonders if he should check on Pietro, but he remembers he said he wanted to rest, and he didn’t want to overstep. He did just find out he was a father again today. 

Erik doesn’t bother knocking on Charles’ door and just walks in, closing the door behind him as he enters. He spots Charles sitting on the couch, invested in a report. Erik smiles at the man, admiring how he can be doing anything and still look perfect. He walks over to the couch and sits beside the man, mindful of their legs nearly touching as he looks at Charles. 

“How is he?” Charles asks. 

“He was…he was hurting himself, Charles.” Erik answers truthfully, letting the emotions he felt at seeing Pietro slam into walls finally be released. He can feel his body trembling and he releases a stuttering breath. Charles immediately puts the report away and turns to Erik, eyes full of concern.

“Is he better now?” Charles asks, placing a hand on Erik’s arm and rubbing it in a soothing gesture. Erik doesn’t know how to answer that.

“I think after we spoke, he seemed a little lighter,” Erik responds. “I just…I know he’s struggling, and Charles, the stuff he said about his mother and what he did for his sisters, I left him to that fate. Left them to that fate.”

“Erik, no” Charles says softly, placing his hand on Erik’s face and turning his head to face him, seeing the pain in Erik’s eyes. “You didn’t know about them. It’s not your fault.”

“I could have looked or-”

“And then did what if you found them?” Charles asks, interrupting Erik. “From what it seems, you wouldn’t have been able to do much for them then. You weren’t even in the right headspace.”

Erik is silent, knowing that Charles holds some truth in his words. It still doesn’t make him think of the what ifs, to wonder how different the lives of his children could have turned out if he tried to do right by them.

“I don’t know how to help him,” Erik whispers, looking into Charles’ eyes. He sees Charles wince in sympathy. 

“Just be there for him now,” Charles answers. “Show him you care, because that boy doesn’t understand what care truly is unless it’s his sisters.”

Erik feels sadness at the words, but he nods, trying for a smile as he looks at Charles. He loves this man, loves that he still cares for him, that he has a good heart, that he is willing to struggle to understand Erik and continue to help him after everything he’s done. I can’t just throw this all away , Erik thinks as he looks at Charles and thinks about his children. The three individuals who are strong, powerful, and gifted beyond their mutations.

“I’ll try to do better for all of you,” Erik confesses. Charles smiles at him, his eyes glowing. 

“And for yourself, too.” Charles replies, and Erik smiles. He places his hand over Charles’ and brings it to his lips, placing a kiss on it before leaning his head on the man’s shoulder. He doesn’t want to rush things, so this is good for now.

“I also forgot to mention,” Charles says softly. “Dylan wasn’t in my office when I arrived. He’s not on the school property.”

Erik tries to quell the spike of anger he feels at the mention of the mutant, but he tames it and frowns. “He probably just left since whatever he wanted to achieve must have not worked.”

“Could be,” Charles replies. “I just worry.”

Erik huffs a laugh at that. “You always worry.”

Charles laughs and then leans his head against Erik’s, a smile on his face. Erik basks in the peace, for the first time in a long time feeling at peace. He has Charles, three amazing children, and everyone is safe and thriving. He allows himself to live in the moment, and feel the warmth of Charles’ body as he closes his eyes and just breathes.

~

Pietro zips into the kitchen, smiling at the scene before him. He sees Erik talking with his sisters, and Charles conversing with the group. Pietro feels joy as he grabs a plate and sits next to Erik, glad to see everyone happy and laughing during breakfast. He was afraid when the secret got spilled, but now he feels more calm and at ease than he has in a while. 

“How are you feeling?” Pietro hears his dad ask him. Dad, wow. I can say that now , Pietro thinks with a smile. He looks at Erik who is watching him with concern and it makes Pietro feel all fuzzy.

“I’m doing better, the rest helped.” Pietro responds with a genuine smile. Pietro pretends not to notice Erik watching him for a couple more seconds before he goes back to his food.

“Erik, when is the next session?” Wanda asks. Pietro knows his sister isn’t quite ready to call him ‘dad’, and Lorna says it every now and then but is still awkward about it. He knows Erik doesn’t have a problem with it, not wanting to push or strain the budding relationship he has with the girls. 

“After noon,” he responds. Pietro laughs and Lorna groans, mouth stuffed with pancakes. 

“I want a break,” Lorna says once she swallows her food. “We trained all week, I don’t see why we can’t rest.”

“Clearly you need to work on your work routine,” Erik replies and Lorna’s jaw drops in mock offense.

“I think I deserve a break from time to time,” Lorna defends. 

“Actually, I would like it if we could work on some new techniques I was thinking about,” Wanda adds. “If that’s alright with you?”

Pietro looks at his dad who looks surprised that Wanda asked that of him. “Okay, we can make time for it after the group session.”

Wanda nods and then goes back to her plate. Pietro smiles and looks to the others, seeing Charles and Jean talking and Scott bothering his brother, Jubilee, and Ororo. Pietro turns his eyes to Kurt, who is being given more food from Raven’s plate, and Pietro can’t help but grin broadly at that. 

Guess we’re not the only family bonding , Pietro thinks happily. He sees Raven look at him and nearly laughs when she shoots him a glare, but then she turns her attention to Kurt and asks him something, to which he starts replying with enthusiasm. Pietro knows she didn’t tell him yet, because then Kurt would have been talking to their group nonstop about it, but Pietro hopes Raven could find the courage to do it soon. If there’s one thing to learn about Pietro’s family, it’s that secrets just prolong the good things in life. 

Pietro turns back to his table, enjoying the conversation his sisters are having with their dad. For once, he doesn’t try to talk and take over the conversation, and instead chooses to listen. 

The only thought passing through his mind in a rare moment of peace and calm is that he didn’t fuck this up this time.