They were everything and nothing alike. The lot of them were the most organized mess Erik had ever seen. The eldest had hair that was entirely green and had a sense of confidence that the others seemed to lack, the next had long fiery red hair and eyes as blue as his own. The one and only boy stood out to anyone within a five mile radius, with a head covered in silver, Erik had seen him time and time again since he left the Pentagon. And lastly was a girl with gentle brunette waves in her hair, and soft hazel eyes.
He knew that Wanda and Peter were siblings, Wanda being older by three years, though he didn’t know that the green haired or hazel eyed girl had been their siblings as well. Peter had told him that while he and Wanda were full siblings, Lorna and Nina were their half sisters. Erik remembered when Peter told him, he had simply shook his head. Some men could not keep it in their pants.
While separately they all stuck out and excelled with different interests, it seemed that aside from a father they also seemed to share a single brain cell. He could recall the first interaction he ever saw between the four.
He had been observing a history lesson for Charles while he took a phone call from Raven, the whole thing happened in less than a minute. Peter had given a signal, the only reason why Erik noticed was because the boy had been twirling his pen for the past fifteen minutes and it was rather distracting. And impressive. It was a quick salute, as if he had been a soldier.
Erik quickly glanced to his left to see Wanda quickly nod her head, before turning tapping Nina’s shoulder. Nina, who was still concentrating on the book in front of her, stuck out her hand to the left where Lorna sat. Lorna rolled her eyes before reaching in her bag and pulling out a single chocolate bar, handing it to Nina, who then stuck it in Wanda’s hand, never having looked up from her book once. Wanda then promptly broke off a piece before giving the rest to Peter, who blew her a small kiss in return.
It looked like it was a routine they had done hundreds of times before, everything had been so coordinated. Shortly after Charles walked into the room, dismissing Erik so he could continue the class. Erik hadn’t even realized he had left the room smiling. Since that day he had taken somewhat of an interest in the siblings, they were quite entertaining.
It wasn’t that he saw them often, but he heard of them through word of mouth. It seemed that most of Peter’s teachers (Including Charles) had agreed that while the seventeen year old was very kind he was rather distracting in his classes, and his sisters (aside from Nina) were no better. Hank had said that he had sat on multiple whoopie cushions in the course of the week that Wanda and Lorna had started attending the school. It was then that Erik had developed a newfound respect for them.
Nina was the youngest, she was fifteen and never made an attempt to speak to him. They had never even made eye contact in the first six months of her being there. It didn’t phase Erik. He knew most of the students probably did not want to see a terrorist roaming about the school. However, he noticed that it wasn’t just him whom she avoided. She kept her eyes on the floor and schoolbooks close to her chest when she walked. If someone bumped into her she was always the first to apologize, she read to the younger students before bed and helped Charles clean up his study whenever she could. She was sweet, too sweet for the cruel world outside of the school. The first time they spoke was by accident. Charles had complained about rats in the attic, Erik wanting to make up for the hundreds of the things he has done against Charles, decided the supposed “Rat problem” would be a good place to start. He had woken up that morning at five, as he usually did. He made a quick cup of coffee and made his way toward the attic. Sure enough once he turned on the small ceiling light a rat scurried out from behind a pile of cardboard boxes. He spotted a metal baseball bat across from him. Surely if Charles wouldn't mind the mess, he’d be sure to clean it after.
The Bat lifted and hurled across the room toward the frightened rat. “Stop! What are you doing?!?!” Startled, Erik lost concentration and dropped the bat and swiftly turned to find Nina still in her pajamas, her hair in two braids. “I’m…killing the rat, what on earth are you doing out of bed?” She dismissed his question, and to his horror she made her way across the room and picked up the rat, cradling it as if it were a kitten. “What are you doing, child?! Put that rodent down immediately.” She lifted her head to face him, and good lord if looks could kill. Erik would be ashes. “He’s not hurting anyone, I’ll take him outside.”
What the Fuck
Erik could only stare at her and nod. “If any of his friends appear, you’re telling the professor, not me.” She just nodded, scratching the rat behind its small ears. “ You really should put it down, they carry disease.” She let out a small chuckle. “Not him, don’t worry I asked.”
What the Fuck
Knowing that she was Peter’s younger sister it was very possible that she had access to marijuana, which could explain this entire situation. However she was fifteen, it was five thirty in the morning and If Charles found out, Erik would have to deal with a very cranky boyfriend. I'm sorry, Nina right?” She gave him a small smile and nodded her head. “You said you asked the rat?”
“Mhhmm”
Erik could practically feel himself growing older with each passing second. “Care to explain?”
Erik could only wonder why she looked at him as if he were an idiot. “ I’m a mutant, Mr Lehnsherr” Oh, that’s why.
“Yes…, forgive me. Do you communicate with animals?”
“Plants too”
“My favorite are butterflies, they’re so wonderfully free”
He never had any experience with mutants with nature based abilities, it made her all the more fascinating to him. “How peculiar.” She knelt down and played with the rat for about a minute, before the silence officially became uncomfortable. “May I ask why you’re awake?”
She brushed the dust from her Pajama pants and picked at her nails, still not looking up at him. “I’m always awake this early, hard to sleep for a long time, Lorna snores.” She then covered her mouth as if she just said something she wasn’t supposed to share. Erik’s lips still curled upward, as he knelt beside her. “So does Charles.” She let out a small giggle which he counted as a victory considering her shoulders were no longer tense beside him. “Does he really?”
“Don’t tell him I said anything, and I won’t tell your sister.”
She stuck out her pinky, suddenly completely serious aside from the brightness in her eyes. “ Promise”
He just continued to stare down at her hand, a single eyebrow raised. “What is that?” She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand before he had a chance to protest. She folded all his fingers into a fist aside from his pinky and quickly latched it with her own. “It's a pinky promise, basically legally binding in my family.”
“Now that that’s settled, can I offer you any breakfast?”
He remembers that day well. It became the first of many common occurrences. After breakfast they played a game of chess, and it turns out she was very skilled. He asked her questions about her siblings, hobbies and classes. He found her different from many her age, he didn’t find her annoying in the slightest. She was very up to date on politics and current events, something he liked to see from the younger generation. After their game and quick talk she would go on with her classes and if she had time would join him in the garden at lunch.
He enjoyed their routine, he had spoken to Charles over their daily games of chess about her knowledge and passion for politics and requested for him to consider being an advisor for a debate club, it seemed like something she'd enjoy. “Erik I manage many clubs and classes already, I am sure you are more than capable of hosting one yourself.”
“ I doubt parents will be happy to hear that their children have joined a club advised by a man who broke out of the Pentagon” Charles stretched his arms across the board to connect their hands. “ It isn’t a bad idea Erik, and it doesn’t have to be permanent. Give it a go, for a semester at least.” He could only give a small smile as he stared lovingly at him. Damn you and your beautiful eyes Xavier.
The first debate club meeting was purely a test run and was set for Thursday at 4 pm. As expected Nina was the first to sign her name on the attendance list and the first to arrive. Surprisingly she had managed to get all her siblings to join her, and Erik was surprised to find just how excited he was that they came as well. However he grew less excited when he realized that it would only be them, as it was now four thirty and they were still the only ones in the small classroom. The silence was painful, to say the least.
“So like, are the debates gonna be fun? You know? Like what kind of cereal brand is worth spending more than five bucks on?” While Erik was grateful to Peter for breaking the silence he could not be more annoyed. “Anything other than Lucky Charms is wrong” He looked up and realized that the voice came from Lorna, who had her arms folded and seemed to be counting how many pieces of gum were attached to the ceiling. Nina let out a sigh seemingly equally annoyed with the two. She just smiled and gave a small nod before turning to her siblings. Ah finally the voice of reason.
“You’re an idiot if you think charms are better than loops.”
Well That wasn’t expected
Suddenly Wanda’s hand shot up, and the tapping of her foot increased. “Yes Wanda.”
“Can I go to the bathroom?”
Erik just sighed and gave her a pass which she happily took before skipping out of the room.
“I suppose since it will just be us today we can get started. Every Monday the four of you will receive a topic and come to this class with a pro and con side ready. I will tell you which you will be debating once you walk through the door.”
Peter slowly raised his hand, already looking panicked.
“Yes Peter?”
“Is there ever going to be a day when we decide the topic?”
Huh. He hadn’t thought of that
“Perhaps at the end of the semester we can try it out. For now I have a list ready for the next seven weeks.”
Peter just gave a sad thumbs up and looked back to his shoes. Nina was writing down notes on her small piece of parchment, most likely quoting Erik word for word, at least someone was paying attention.
“Do we have to call you Mr Lehnsherr?”
Erik turned to face Lorna, her face expressionless.
“Erik would be alright, I’m no professional.”
She gave him a smile, and he was surprised to see that it was a smile quite similar to his own. She had all her teeth on display and he could see why people were uncomfortable around him. “Can we call you metal man?”
“W-No you cannot” Honestly he didn’t know how Charles did this each day. Though he assumed they would have more respect for him.
A loud snort from Peter made him turn his head, it seemed Wanda had walked back in and was now levitating a piece of chalk, and with Scarlett red magic wrote out “Magnet-hoe” on the board. How did I get here?
“Wanda, that is very inappropriate. Please sit down.”
She just shrugged and made her way back to her desk.
He assumed Peter had erased it because he blinked and the writing was gone. “Alright I understand that I am not a professor and I don’t have the best reputation, however in this room I am an adult and advisor and I would appreciate it if we carried on the same respect that you have toward your other teachers. Are we clear?”
They briefly looked at one another before glancing back at him, Peter cleared his throat a second later. “Yeah, totally man, sorry.”
“Yeah sorry Erik”
“My bad”
Deep Breaths Lehnsherr, deep breaths. “Now then, shall we resume?”
After that the meeting went somewhat well, despite the low turnout. Lorna and Nina would be against Wanda and Peter in the upcoming week. Their topic, “Was the United States responsible for the Cold War.” It seemed to grab their attention and considering that none of them had a strong sense of patriotism it wasn’t problematic. As the four of them got their things ready he spotted that the gum from the ceiling had disappeared. He knows she’d never admit it but Lorna definitely did it as an apology.
Flash forward to now. Erik was currently sitting in the kitchen. It seemed to be one of those nights where sleep was not an option. His brain was way too active. He decided to help Charles out by marking his upcoming appointments on his calendar, even doing that peculiar color coding pattern. He had just finished for the month of January when he heard hushed whispers outside the door. Normally he wouldn’t mind it but considering it was two thirty in the morning he was going to make an exception.
“I won’t bite if you make yourselves known”
All went quiet. And then suddenly the kitchen door opened and revealed Wanda, with her two sisters behind her. “Hey, sorry we didn’t mean to be loud.”
He simply raised a brow,taking the time to really look at them. Wanda’s eyes were practically purple underneath and her hair looked a mess. Lorna was half asleep, gripping onto her sweater for dear life. And Nina, well his heart practically broke right there.
Nina had tear tracks on the sides of her face, eyes still bloodshot red. And her shoulders still shook, as if she were trying to quiet her cries. Erik was on his feet immediately, ushering them to sit with him at the table. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
Lorna was hesitant to let go of Nina, however within seconds Nina was free from her grasp and practically collapsed into Erik’s arms. Wanda sat at the table and started to let her own tears fall to the floor. “She’s not hurt, she's just worried, she’s scared, we all are.”
Erik could only rub Nina’s back in a circular motion to sooth her, attempting to quiet her sobs.
“About what?”
The girls looked at one another, it seemed as if they were asking each other permission to tell him. Lorna was the first to speak. “We’ve been taking shifts every night this week, so that one of us can keep an eye on Peter throughout the night.”
It was only then when Erik acknowledged that the boy wasn’t in the room. His worry grew with the sound of Nina’s cries.
“Why would you need to do that? You’re all exhausted”
Lorna just rolled her eyes, it was obvious she was annoyed with him despite not revealing much about the situation. “No shit we’re all exhausted but we have too. If we don't, who knows what he’ll do.”
Now Erik was really having trouble. He knew that the boy got into trouble, he had been caught stealing a fsot amount and certainly enjoyed it. But he didn’t think it was anything his sisters worried about. Although based on the terrified looks on their faces, he knew it had to be something else. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Wanda was still crying but seemed to be slightly more composed than her sisters. And she had Erik’s full Attention.
“Our mama was not a good person. When my powers manifested at age seven she put me in the foster care system. That’s how we got separated. She didn’t think that Peter would have any abilities so he stayed. But he was just a late bloomer, at age ten that’s when his speed manifested and his hair turned completely silver.
She beat him. Really badly. So badly that after an incident with some glass he had to get fourteen stitches behind his ear.
But then she remarried and the guy was terrible. He absolutely despised Peter and nearly killed him. He still took it out on himself. He was clean for a couple years but he’s been cutting again. He doesn’t know that we know and he doesn’t know we’ve been watching him.”
Erik couldn’t remember the last time he felt so many emotions at once. He hadn’t felt this angry since Shaw. Not bad he felt this guilty since his mother passed. He didn’t have words.
He was hardly close with Peter, but he always seemed to be smiling. He was so good to the children and made every room brighter. Now he was told that behind all those smiles were scars and years worth of abuse. And Wanda, being sent to that place where they probably put her on as many drugs as possible to handle her mutation.
“You said he’s done this before?”
Lorna nodded. “ He tried to overdose when he was thirteen but his system was able to metabolize the pills because of his mutation. He started cutting after that.”
His chest was heavy. He felt tears make their way to the surface as he continued to take shaken breaths, each one cold and desperate.
“You girls shouldn’t have to take this on”
“He’s not a burden” it seemed Lorna was always the first to snap.
“I never claimed he was, but you’re all losing sleep and it would be in your best interest and his to tell an adult.”
They all looked at eachother once more. Nobody knew how to go forward. Nina pulled away from Erik for a moment to wipe her eyes once again. “Could you speak to him?”
“Don’t be silly Nina”
He couldn’t be upset with Lorna for her reaction, however it didn’t lessen the hurt in his heart any less. He enjoyed Peter’s company and would help in any way that he could.
“I would talk to him, in fact I insist. I’m not trying to interfere with any family ties, but I would like to think that if he were my son, that someone would do the same.”
A glass from across the room shatters. He quickly turned and realized that there were red sparks around it. He looked to Wanda, who had an apologetic look on her face. “I'm sorry, I can’t help it when I’m tired.”
Deep breaths Lehnsherr, deep breaths.
“Please, at least let me try.”
Lorna looked at Wanda, eyes glimmering with nervousness.
“Fine”
Erik came to him early. After making sure that the girls were all asleep in the safety of their own rooms he traveled to the kitchen to prepare some of the hot chocolate Peter seemed to be addicted to. He poured two cups and then made his way up to the third story where Peter’s room was. It was about 5:00 in the morning by this point.
He stood outside of the door,one hand desperately holding onto the two cups of hot chocolate and the other on the doorknob. Finally after taking several deep breaths, he turned it.
The clicking noise was enough to make him stir. It was pitch black but Erik could make out Peter’s figure. “Peter? Are you awake?”
The lamp on Peter’s nightstand was on in an instant and he seemed to be adjusting to it, rubbing at his eyes before they concentrated on Erik. He looked to him and then to the mugs of hot chocolate. “Is this a dream? Am I still asleep?”
His voice sounded so small and hushed, he wasn’t used to him being this quiet.
With a small smile Erik walked toward him, sitting on the bed and handing Peter his chocolate.
“You are not dreaming. I came to talk to you, sorry for the time but I felt that this couldn’t wait.”
Peter took it, a bit hesitant, however after taking a small sip he seemed to relax a bit more. “Everything okay?”
Erik’s worried look along with his lack of response nearly sent Peter over the edge. “Is something wrong with Wanda? Lorna? Did Nina hurt her arm aga-”
“Your sisters are fine Peter, more than fine. However, they are worried about you.”
“Me? Why, I’m fine”
Erik was thankful that he had been around Peter for quite some time, he made a rather convincing liar. However after being with him for several weeks it was easy to see right through it.
“Peter, I don’t have much experience with this, I don’t know if this will come as a comfort to you, but I understand how you feel. And you aren’t alone.”
Peter, much to Erik's dismay, looked more confused than ever.
“I um, I appreciate whatever this is, especially cus I know you suck at the whole communication thing but uh, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
He was right, Erik was not good with words. The child in front of him still didn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation. So, Erik did the most comforting thing he could come up with in the moment, and reached out to hold Peter’s hand.
Peter froze, looking up at Erik, eyes filled with both fear and uncertainty, and Erik prayed that the boy wasn’t afraid of him.
And he hated what he had to do next, because the boy, despite his ability, couldn't have been quick enough to know what Erik planned to do.
Because as soon as he had Peter’s complete attention Erik held Peter’s wrist in place with his metal watch and quickly turned it over.
And all he could do was stare.
Lines of dried red overlapped each other and the skin around them was tight and bruised. Some were recent, others looked as if they had been there for years.
And all he could do was stare.
“Let go”
He could feel Peter trembling, and could hear his breaths grow unsteady.
“Can you let go please?”
His voice was filled with sorrow and cracked unexpectedly as he let out a sob. Erik could hardly control himself at this point and set his mug down, before taking Peter in his arms and the boy cried into his shirt.
“You’re going to be alright Peter”
He didn’t know if that were true but he would certainly do everything he could to make his statement a reality
“You’re going to be alright.”
“I don’t know what to do, I always want to help but I feel like people don’t need me for a very long time. I’m temporary to all of them and I’m so tired of feeling like this I just- I need to not be here anymore”
Erik hated knowing the feeling that he was talking about. He hated that he was going through this, but most of all he hated that he most likely contributed to his feelings. He didn’t see Peter often, and when they did talk Erik made it short, thinking he was doing him a favor. Now it all left him with a sickening feeling, how he could have helped him when he could if he had just seen the signs.
“You mustn’t think so little of yourself, you are the fastest man on earth and have three sisters who absolutely adore you.”
“I'm a freak, I’ve never done shit in my life and never should’ve been born.”
The phrase came out as if he were quoting it, in a forceful and stubborn fashion. Erik knew the second those words left his mouth that it was most likely something he heard daily from his mother.
“Whoever said such awful things to you, should not have had the privilege of knowing you. I know this probably won’t mean anything to you, but If I had the honor of being able to raise a bright child like yourself I would have constantly said how very proud I am of you.”
Peter just gripped onto him, never letting go.
Erik positioned them so that Peter's Cheek was resting on Erik’s shoulder as Erik continued rubbing his back. It was almost infantile, but he felt that Peter had never had comfort like this in his life, especially from an adult.
“I just, I don’t know how to do this.”
“We can start by telling Charles, he can find someone to help you with your thoughts, maybe provide some medication. But no matter what, you have people who are here to help you, I promise you.”
“Thank you”
3 Months Later
Peter had been seeing a therapist for a little over a month and a half, and it was clear that he was doing better, although Erik continued to watch him like a haw. He and Charles meet with him twice a week for check-ins. It seems that he has gotten better in his classes and has taken up some tutoring. He is definitely doing better, and even when he has breakdowns Erik is always the first to reach him, aside from his sisters of course. The debate club had been doing excellent and seemed to be the best part of the sibling’s week. As of right now things were perfect and Erik, truth be told, felt elated. He became more apart of the lives of his four favorite students
It seemed that for the first time since Erik first met Charles, he felt genuinely happy. And it was clear to everyone. He’d help students with their homework in the library, chaperone more events. He even managed to be on good terms with Hank, which was almost unheard of in this lifetime.
Charles had noticed this happy behavior, and couldn’t be more smug about it.
“You must make an excellent advisor if those children aren’t sick of you yet”
Erik had to pause, looking up from his game of chess to send a small glare toward his fiancée.
“It appears they’ve taken a liking to me, yes.”
A small chuckle fell from his mouth. “And you? It seems you’re fond of them as well”
Charles Xavier was a cruel cruel man.
“They’re tolerable.”
Charles snorted into his tea, shaking his head.
“You love them”
Small smiles were exchanged once more
“I do”
It had been a peaceful morning, key word “had”
Charles and Hank had gone into town the night before and wouldn’t return until noon, meaning Erik had the room all to himself. He loved being with Charles but it had been awhile since he got to stretch over the bed as he pleased. It was early, the sun had yet to rise, when Erik’s blissful slumber had been awoken by the whispers of three teenagers who had entered his room. Wanda, never being one for patience, jumped on the bed as Lorna clanged two pots and pans together.
And then there was Peter
“Awaken Lehnsherr, tis no time for sleep. Up!”
Erik’s eyes were open in less than a second, the blurry figures in front of him grew clearer, but noth before the green haired blur turned on the lamp, causing him to nearly go blind.
“What on Earth are you-”
“We need your help”
“Don’t worry, no crisis this time”
While he was still extremely annoyed he was thankful to see no tears on any of the
Children’s faces. But he was still fuming nonetheless
“You all are very annoying.”
They all looked at one another before chuckling.
Wanda was quick to levitate Erik’s slippers beside him.
“Hurry, Nina is an early riser and we wanna start planning.”
. “What could you possibly be planning at 3 in the morning.”
Lorna rolled her eyes as if it were obvious.
“Duh what else, Her birthday is next week.”
“And that's my fault?”
They all stopped their laughter before looking at each other.
“It was a joke.”
The tension in their shoulders was gone immediately and Peter quickly cleared his throat.
“So, are you in or not?”
Looking at all of them, there was no way he could be out.
“Okay so I can get the cake early, Peter ur in charge of decorations, Wanda ur gonna take her hiking in the morning til around two and Erik ur gonna help hide all the presents for the scavenger hunt. Got it?”
Everyone at the small table nodded enthusiastically (minus Erik who was half asleep and nursing his coffee)
Peter was first to put his wrapped gift on the table.
“It’s the Yellow top she saw in the mall last weekend, I could hear her as she spent fifteen minutes in the changing room doing supermodel poses.”
Lorna nodded and made a quick swipe on a clipboard, Erik could only assume she was checking the gift off of a list.
“Good. I have tickets to see the nutcracker, she’s obsessed with ballet, what a dork”
Wanda snickered and placed a rectangular pink box on the table.
“Candle making kit, holidays are coming up and she loves making them when she’s in a cozy mood.”
Erik felt a bit awkward by this point. He wasn't very good with buying gifts, last christmas he had mailed Charles a baseball cap. He had absolutely no idea what to get her. Peter must have seen his discomfort because he felt a small tap on his wrist, looking up to see the boy giving him a small smile.
“Don’t worry we didn’t drag you here to buy you anything.”
Erik just sighed, shaking his head. “I still feel as though I should get her something.”
Lorna shrugged, refilling his coffee.
“Well, she likes anything a woman in her 90’s would find interesting. Do what you can, she’s pretty easy to make happy.”
And So after the so called “secret meeting” Erik had showered, changed and gone into town trying to find something Nina would enjoy.
He perused the small downtown street, not quite sure what he was looking for. He walked by a candy shop about four times, never once going in. Honestly Erik she’s a teenager not a toddler, what would she want with a lollipop.
The final store on the block was an antique store, and being desperate he went in.
There were rows of old twenties style clothing on mannequins with dusty wigs.
There were disturbing looking porcelain dolls next to an array of old photographs, of people who were most likely long gone.
He paused in front of a tea set. Not the best idea, he continued for a few more minutes.
It wasn't until he looked at the checkout counter,
There, placed under the glass, was a beautiful necklace, with a thin gold chain with a stunning opal sculpted butterfly.
“My favorite are butterflies, they’re so wonderfully free”
“Is there anything you’re interested in?”
Erik looked up to see the shopkeeper, a rather tall woman with a tight brunette bun and lipstick smeared on the edges of her lips.
“The necklace, how much for it?”
“Eighty seven fifty.”
Erik nodded and reached for his wallet, placing a $100 bill on the counter
“Keep the change.”
Erik made sure to prepare the present and put it in his drawer, ready for the day he could present it to Nina. Feeling rather satisfied with his find he decided to go downstairs and reward himself with a drink.
He headed down to the kitchen, and once he opened the door he saw Nina, stirring a bowl full of what appeared to be brownie mix.
“Oh, Hi Erik.”
Her smile stretched across her face and her dimples were made extra childish with the specs of batter and flour that had scattered around her face.
“Hello Nina, baking again?”
She laughed and nodded her head, pulling her hair back into a low ponytail.
“I’m celebrating, remember the math test I was studying for?”
“Ah yes, the probability chapter”
“Uh huh, I got a ninety eight percent, pretty groovy huh?”
Erik couldn't help the swell of pride in his chest, she was a hard worker and deserved only the best
“That is wonderful dear, congratulations.”
There was an expression on her face, one that confused Erik but did not trouble him. He couldn’t help but notice how butterfly thankful she looked, as if her hero had been the one to express his pride.
“Thanks. Are you going to do more work in the garden?”
Erik nodded, pouring his drink out for himself in a small glass.
“Charles seems to be a fan of the roses, I suppose I could plant more this evening.”
She played with the spoon a bit after pouring the remainder of the batter into the glass pan.
“May I ask you a favor then, If you don’t mind.”
Erik turned to look at her, nodding a bit to encourage her to continue.
“I have always loved petunias, they remind me of my aunt's house in massachusetts. I picked up some seeds at the farmer’s market last wednesday and was hoping maybe we could plant them.”
Erik smiled as he finished off the drink.
“Of course”
Erik knew of many things,feeling as though he had been alive for centuries rather than just 42 years, but never in his life did Erik witness something that even compared to Lorna Fucking Dane.
She had been the hardest to reach, she always secluded herself when she wasn’t with her siblings, or annoying hank. She was perhaps the most guarded, which Erik couldn understand, however he had never considered just how powerful she was in the field.
Charles had informed him one morning that there was an urgent situation in which Scott and Jean had been taken hostage at a military camp; there were rumors of mutant experimentation.
They had all prepared the jet in a matter of seconds and were close to leaving before Lorna had stormed in.
“I’m going with you, I’m familiar with the facility and to be honest you are all way too old to do this on your own”
They had wanted to argue but it was no use, she was already on board and had no intention of leaving, there was no time left to spare.
As soon as they arrived to base there was a plan to infiltrate it from the ground up, allowing the infiltrate it from the inside, however Lorna seemed to miss the memo (Let's be honest she just wasn’t paying attention)
And completely rushed out on her own, tearing the base up from the inside without so much as flicking her wrist.
“Hmm, well I’m hungry, McDonald’s??”
Truly amazing
He could only give her a shaky thumbs up as she laughed all the way back to the jet.
On the Morning of Nina’s birthday she is surprised by hundreds of gifts waiting for her in the ballroom that Charles had allowed the kids to use for the party. As soon as she walked through the doors she was met by a loud “Surprise”
She looked around the room in awe, wanting to savor everyone’s faces for as long as she could.
She saw Lorna holding up a camera, a small grin on her face.
Wanda was the first to make her way over, embracing her in a tight hug. (she definitely wasn't crying) and then Peter, who was across the room, no doubt in charge of music, blew her a kiss.
She quickly turned her head o se Charles laughing at her shocked expression, and holding his hand stood Erik
She smiled at him, before turning around
She took in a deep breath, realizing that the entire room was decorated with Petunias.
Nina never went anywhere without her necklace. It became an essential part of every outfit, to her it was the most meaningful thing she owned.
Who else could say that they had the perfect birthday present from their father who didn’t know they were their father?
Nobody, and she loved it.
Charles Xavier was many things
He was a brother, mutant, professor and lover.
However, until today He had also believed himself to be somewhat of a smart fellow.
So how on earth is it possible that he did not notice that four of the children under his roof were the children of the man he loved? He didn’t find out through Erik, oh no, because if that were the case Erik would have to have known himself. Which didn't, making him the second biggest idiot on the planet.
How did Charles find out?
Through Wanda fucking Maximoff.
It was early in the morning when he decided to go to the library in search of Swan’s way, he read it every year and it was about that time to do so again.
Once he found the copy he quickly turned around, but bumped into someone, making them drop their books.
“Oh I’m terribly sorry-”
He was met by eyes rimmed with ice, the center as blue as the Caribbean sea. Erik’s eyes.
“I’m sorry professor, it was my mistake.”
He could only stare at her, an unsettling feeling growing in his gut.
“That's..quite alright dear.”
She eyes him wearily. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
He was hesitant but nodded his head, he would be as soon as he got answers.
He observed them, all the children, subtly throughout the days.
And it was oddly terrifying.
Wanda, aside from having the same as Erik also had many of the same quirks. She always only filled her glass half way instead of to the top. She didn’t eat green grapes, and she despised when her toast wasn’t cut horizontally instead of diagonally.
When he found it too odd to focus on anymore his gaze would shift to Lorna. And Holy fucking shit.
Lorna had a grin so sinister that the younger children were scared to make her laugh. Her jaw was never relaxed, and Charles can't help but realize that the powers he thought to be telekinetic always only controlled the metal in her surroundings.
They had to know, of course they knew. They were inseparable, they had to know they were siblings. They came to the academy together along with Peter and Ni-
Holy Fucking Shit
He sat with all four of them in front of him, and was thankful that Erik would be in the garden for the next few hours. They were all looking at him with small smirks on their faces. Those little shits are getting a riot out of this.
“Erik is your father, and doesn't know.”
Peter made the hand motion as if he were hitting something on the table.
“Ding Ding Ding”
Lorna just outright started chuckling, happy with the aggravated look on Charles’s face. He couldn’t understand why Erik said Nina was the sweetest of the four because the little terror was practically in tears while laughing.
“This is no situation to laugh at, you all have become important to him and he deserves to know about this.”
Wanda cleared her throat before speaking up, still smiling. “We aren’t going to hide it forever, we just wanted to get to know him more. It's easier now that he isn't a stranger. Don’t worry, I'm sure it will be fine and you will be a great stepdad.”
Peter threw his head back and laughed loudly, a laugh Identical to Erik’s.
“I- This is not about me. This is about Erik. I only want the best for him, for all of you.”
Peter just nodded his head once. “Yeah well, we are just trying to have a nice time before it gets chaotic. We want the best for him too, you know.”
Charles rolled his eyes. “Or you could make peace.”
Peter laughed again. “Peace isn’t really an option.”
Holy. Fucking. Shit
The meeting with “Step-Daddy Charles” did have an effect on them, and the four siblings had spent nearly a week pondering over how they were going to tell Erik.
“I think we should write a letter and then leave for a day or two.”
“Peter no.”
“Okay honestly we should just have Charles tell him.”
“No, that is the worst thing, we don’t want another breakup”
“Yeah Wan, don’t be a pussy.”
“NINA”
“Sorry”
The four of them continued to argue back and forth, the maximoffs growing more annoyed with every passing second. Peter’s legs wouldn’t stop trembling, and Wanda’s eyes glowed red with every passing minute.
Lorna’s fingers had emerald sparks around them playing with a small knife, empty beer cans beside her, and Nina brought the dead flowers on the table back to life one pedal at a time.
All were beyond clueless.
And of course because the four of them had the best of luck, Erik Lehnsherr decided to waltz through the door.
His shirt was stained with dirt and sweat from the humidity, one hand had a heavy garden glove while the other held an empty glass, he made his way toward the fridge, getting the lemonade before nodding to all four of them.
“Afternoon.”
Peter just laughed quietly
“Hey man, have you ever thought about I don’t know, taking a break?”
Erik gave him a small smile before pulling a chair for himself as he looked at the group with worried eyes. Silence was never good when these four were involved.
“So.. Wanda, Charles tells me that you’re creating a play.”
Wanda looks up hesitantly but gives an enthusiastic nod. “Yeah, hopefully by May we can start rehearsing.”
Erik nods, taking a sip of his lemonade.
“And what is it about?”
“It's about a romance that takes place during the renaissance between two female ballet dancers. We’ve already cast the two main dancers and I’m narrator”
Erik gave her shoulder a small squeeze, the two had obviously gotten much closer since the beginning of the year, Erik was the only adult still willing to take wanda shopping. He was just happy to be invited.
“I’ll make sure to be there, it sounds wonderful.”
Wanda’s eyes sparkled, she was never used to getting such praise.
“I’ll save you a seat in front.”’
Nina by this point had bought the entire plant back to life, but was much calmer. Even Lorna seemed slightly more content with Erik’s presence. And Peter was just trying to capture the scene in his mind.
The day has finally come.
Lorna had invited Erik out to lunch with the rest of her siblings at a Diner in town, with Charles’s approval to miss classes that day.
This was the day that the four would finally come clean, hopefully while having milkshakes to make the fallout less intense.
Thankfully Erik was more than willing to escort them, he even allowed Peter to sit up front with him, any other adult would have scoffed in his face when he yelled shotgun, but Erik didn’t seem to mind or get too annoyed when Peter began singing loudly or pretending his fingers were drumsticks. In fact, Erik found himself humming along.
The car ride was short and nice
The sun came in through the windows as the gentle breeze came into the car, Peter and Erik enjoying the music in the front
The diner was small and quaint, with fifties music playing and waitresses on roller skates, skating across the plaid floor.
The five were at a booth, Erik was completely oblivious to the anxiety of the others as he browsed the menu.
Lorna looked at the others before putting her menu down, getting a good look at the man before her, Wanda was now squeezing her hand beneath the table.
“Erik?”
“Hmm?” He looked up at her, still unbothered.
“I- well we, wanted to discuss something with you, it’s a bit of a heavy subject”
Erik’s eyes immediately went to Peter, glancing down at his arms.
Peter, who thankfully caught on quickly gently shook his head giving him a tiny smile. “Not about me man, don’t worry.”
Erik scoffed and shook his head playfully
“I always worry for you Peter”
It was a joke, but it didn’t stop the warm feelings that arose in Peter’s chest.
“Pietro actually.”
Wanda looked up at him in surprise, as did Erik.
“My uh, my name is Pietro, started going to my Peter after kindergarten for obvious reasons.”
Erik sighed, reaching to put his hand on Peter’s shoulder.
“I like it, it suits you. In fact it was my Grandfather’s name”
Peter could only stare at him with wide eyes before turning back to Lorna, panicked.
“Right well, on the subject of family-”
Nina gently played with her butterfly necklace, taking a deep breath.
“We’re your children”
“What?”
To anyone else it looked as if the five of them were having a nice family outing. They weren’t exactly wrong but boy was the truth more twisted.
Erik could only stare in shock as the four of the kids, his kids, explained the situation with their mothers. His heart ached for the way that he had just left them, he had done this three times without a care in the world. Lorna’s mother was neglectful, never having spared her a moment of interest since she was toddler, Lorna was emancipated at 16. Nina’s mother had passed away when she was young and had been living with her aunt when Lorna found her, never having really processed her mother’s death.
He knew of Wanda and Pietro’s mother, and it broke his heart all over again.
These were his children, his family
Aside from Raven and Charles they were all he had left, he would do anything to protect them, he already loved them
That much he knew, and he could only love them more.
As he looked at all of them again, he smiled, allowing tears to fall from his eyes.
The relationship from then on was different, although not how one may think.
There was no longer the awkward tension of having to force himself to stay away from the kids, they were his own, and he allowed himself to love them to the fullest extent.
Erik was in the front row of Wanda’s play, the loudest person in the audience when the applause came and brought her flowers for a job well done.
Erik helped Nina build birdhouses that outlined the gardens, and even helped her convince Charles to allow fifteen minutes of nature time following their lunch.
They spent all of them together
Erik was there when Lorna took over the debate club and was nominated as student of the month, her grades matching the work of Charles Xavier himself. He was also introduced to her girlfriend, Ella, whom he and Charles were very fond of in their classes.
Erik began going to therapy sessions with his son, listening to how he can help to ensure that he would feel better after repressing so much of what had happened to him. He would have good and bad days, Erik was there for all of them.
Charles saw it all, and it made him love Erik more than he thought possible. And it made him love the four children even more, knowing they all shared the best parts of their father’s character.
To this Day Erik asks himself how different things would be if they hadn't told him, and honestly
He wouldn’t have acted any differently.l