Family
Charles had been shocked with how his old friend broke down the night he came through his window. Charles try as he might to knock down his feelings for Erik, feeling the small spark of hope run through him. the feeling was swirling through his head like a swarm of bees. Charles knew he shouldn’t let this affect him, Erik had made his decision that day on the beach. He had made it abundantly clear that he wanted nothing to do with Charles and his ideals.
Still he sighed wheeling himself outside his bedroom door sending a message to Hank to come carrying him down the stairs. The door where Erik and his children were staying flung open and the tiny speedster came out running laps down the hallway in microseconds. Erik would have his hands full with that one, his girls were more even keeled which he would need while raising a child like Pietro.
Erik and his daughters came out next, Erik was wearing a turtleneck and slacks that he had left at the mansion before cuba. Anya was hovering close, not willing to let go of Erik’s arm. She brightened a bit when she saw Charles though and he was getting the impression of pure joy and gratefulness.
“Thank you for finding our Papa, professor” Anya grinned, clinging even tighter if that were at all possible to Erik. She had a familiar toothy smile on her face and Charles was struck by how much she resembled her father. Erik also looked lighter and brighter than Charles had ever seen the man. His smile was less tense and more carefree, Erik was finally content.
“Yes old friend I can’t thank you enough. I know I’m probably the last person you wanted to see” Charles was confused what ever had made that idiotic man think that. Charles had been waiting three long months for Erik and Raven to come home to him. He plastered on a smile but sent something to Erik telepathically.
“My friend I will never not want to see you, you were never just a lover” Charles sent over and Erik’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN” the thought was all but shouted into his head “I'M THE REASON YOU'RE IN THIS SITUATION”
“It seems that we need to talk alone sometime, spend the day with your children. I won’t be going anywhere” Charles pushed a shaking hand through his soft brown hair. The twins were bickering at this point and Anya, who had her fathers intelligence, was watching Erik and Charles’ interaction with a pensive look on her young face.
“What are you waiting on” Erik finally asked and Anya sent her father a pointed look.
“Papa he is waiting on Hank, the elevator is not working yet” She said and Erik’s face turned grim for a second. Charles however wasn’t expecting his chair to lift off the ground, he gripped the armrests in shock.
“A little warning next time” He yelped as Erik used his powers to lower Charles safely down the stairs. Charles did have to admit that while it was jarring at first, he did feel a bit more dignified than when Hank carried him down like a bride.
“Sorry Charles,” Erik’s voice was gruff and Charles had to tamp down on the urge to look into the metal bender's mind.
“No thank you, it was just unexpected, I hope Hank finishes the lift soon” Charles said wistfully.
“I could get it up and running today after I have breakfast with my family” Erik told him and Charles felt the swarm of bees go wild inside his stomach.
***
Anya was sitting at the kitchen table just staring at her papa. It had been so long but he was finally here with her. She had been afraid to wake up that morning, afraid that if she did it would all be a dream again. She had been so afraid that she would open her eyes and she’d be back in their tiny apartment in Boston.
She really liked it here, the kids here didn’t treat her like she was some foreign spy because of her accent. The professor was kind and he had found her Papa. She didn’t know where things would go from there but it could only get better.
Her Papa seemed happy here too, maybe they could stay with Professor Charles. She was pretty sure her Papa and the other man had a crush on each other. She had thought about asking but a lot of people really looked down if a man was with another man. She never understood that, why did people care about who someone loved. It was none of their business and it didn’t affect them.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there Anya”her Papa asked her from across the table. He had only just noticed her staring, he had been preoccupied with fielding questions from her younger siblings.
“Oh nothing Papa just how lucky I am that the Professor found you” She grinned a real grin showing all of her pearly white teeth.
“I am the lucky one, I will be eternally grateful that Charles was able to help you find me. I’m not going anywhere ever again” He promised and he had a determined glint in his eyes. Now it was her Papa that was staring at her as if she were going to blink from existence. Her eyes flickered to Pietro who was busy shoving his fifth waffle down his throat.
“Does he always eat this much” Her father had an amused tone in his voice almost like he was holding back a chuckle.
“Yeah super speed came with super metabolism.” Anya answered.
“It’s pretty gross” Wanda scrunched up her nose.
“Don’t call your brother gross liebling” Erik chuckled and Pietro stuck his tongue out at his twin. Anya couldn’t believe it, it felt like this was a normal morning. The twins hadn’t needed an adjustment period at all, they had just slotted themselves right into her Papa’s heart. This had been all she had ever dreamed of, she could finally just be a little girl. She had her Papa to take care of the twins and even herself. Papa had made breakfast this morning instead of her, not that the professor would have allowed that.
“Papa?” She asked Erik who had previously been occupied with scrubbing the syrup Wanda had accidentally spilled on his sweater.
“was ist falsch?” Erik asked her what was wrong, seamlessly slipping into his native tongue.
“What’s gonna happen now, do we go live with you? Are we staying here at the school, it’s better than my school in Boston. Where are you living Papa?” She had so many questions and everything was beginning to sink in that she was about to get a new normal. She was excited for the change; she just couldn’t help being anxious about the unknown.
“Anya, I’m not going to leave you wherever you are is where I will be. I do think this school would be good for you and your little siblings. I’m going to have a chat with Charles this afternoon to see what we will do” Erik carefully addressed all of her questions and while he didn’t have an answer for all of them it put her heart to rest.
“I missed you Papa” Anya smiled and Erik’s eyes became bleary again as if he couldn’t believe that this little girl ,who in his mind he had failed, still had so much faith in him. He stood up coming around the table and swung the thirteen year old into his arms like she was five again and just held her close.
“I’ve missed you everyday, Anya” He whispered into her hair and Anya melted into his embrace again. Anya loved the way her Papa said her name, he said it differently than anyone she had ever heard, like she was something to be treasured.
“Papa can I come with you while you fix the elevator?” Anya asked and Erik agreed not wanting to be separated from his children.
“Of course it may be a bit boring, are you sure you don’t want to go play in the sunshine with your brother and sister?” He didn’t want to be the reason his child was all cooped up.
“It won’t be boring because I’ll be with you” She smiled brightly and Weik was unable to help himself from squeezing her into another hug. They were both touch starved in a way and didn’t want to be far from each other.
Once Erik had dropped the twins off with a scowling Hank he guided his eldest child to where he would be working on the elevator. Anya ever since she was a baby had been enraptured by her Papa’s way with metal. He would often mold her toys out of scraps of iron he found lying about. The toys that her Papa made for her had been some of the child’s favorites.
“Papa, are you and the professor more than friends?” She had been wanting to ask since she had seen their interaction this morning. Her Papa froze where he was lifting the metal to make up the elevator, and choked on his own saliva. They had neighbors in Boston who were both men and they had both been very kind, offering her and the twins food when their mother was on a bender.
“Would it bother you if I said that we had been” Erik asked carefully, being homosexual was not something that was acceptable in most parts of the world. It wasn’t something that he thought a thirteen year old would be able to pick up on.
“No Papa, love is love. Plus I really like the professor. He's been so nice. He said I could even come learn at the school even though I’m not special like Wanda and Pietro” Anya grinned but Erik had been caught by something else his child had said.
“Who told you that you are not special?” His voice held barely disguised anger. He would not have any child of his thinking that they were inferior.
“Oh no one, I just know.” She said looking down at her father’s scrutiny, the professor had a somewhat similar reaction to her choice in words.
“That is absolutely not true Anya, you are so special. You have beauty, brains, and a genuinely kind heart. Usually someone only gets one of those traits but you my dear possess all three. Without you liebling our family wouldn’t be here together” Anya felt her cheeks redden at her father’s impassioned speech. She looked down at the new Mary Jane shoes Hank had given her suddenly finding the black leather very interesting. She felt his arms wrap around her and she once again found her face buried in her fathers sweater breathing in his English leather cologne.
***
It was after dinner when Erik found Charles in his study, the man had been curiously absent for the entire day. He had spent most of the day with Anya while she watched him put together Charles’ elevator. He would find out what Charles had meant earlier that morning. Erik raised his fist to knock on the wide wooden door but Charles’ voice rang through his head before he completed the action.
“Come in” Erik probably wouldn’t say it out loud but he had missed Charles’ warm presence in his mind. Erik walked through the door and for once in his life felt nervous. He had closed off expecting rejection after Cuba. He had been sure the only reason Charles contacted him was that he was a good person who wouldn’t keep him from his children.
“Erik as usual, you are completely off base” Charles sighed, his eyes looking ten years older than they should be. Erik wanted to snap at him to stay out of his head, out of embarrassment alone. He wouldn’t do that though he had missed the comfort that Charles brought him.
“How am I off base? I put you in that infernal wheelchair. Because of me you’ll never be able to walk again.” Erik exclaimed he couldn’t understand how Charles could even begin to forgive him. Tears streamed steadily down his cheeks as he gazed at the man. Charles only gave him a kind smile and wheeled himself so that he was right next to the chair that Erik had taken.
“What happened in Cuba was an accident. You didn’t fire that gun Erik. Was I mad at you in the moment, of course I was.” Charles laid a hand on Erik’s knee and he could feel the warmth radiating from the palm of Charles' hand.
“You should still be angry Charles” Erik sighed feeling trapped beneath Charles baby blues.
“Erik it was an accident and any anger I felt faded the moment I realized you weren’t coming home. I regret saying that it was your fault on the beach, it was no one's fault. You were acting like a crazy person yes, but I know you would never hurt me on purpose.” Charles was now leaning further into Erik making him look at him. That somehow if he drilled a hole in Erik with his eyes the information would take.
“No I may not have hurt you on purpose but I was going to send those bombs back at those people and I was going to kill Moira.” Erik would not allow Charles to absolve him completely, the entire thing had been his fault.
“Erik they fired first, you had just finished taking out the man who had traumatized you when you were only a child. You weren’t in a good frame of mind, it was not your fault. You also weren’t going to kill Moira, you would have done it if you were. You were angry and your powers were lashing out.” Charles’ voice was firm and almost stern.
“You know the government will keep coming for us though” Erik was grim and Charles nodded.
“I do know that, that’s why it’s so important that we’re a United front. However I can’t in good conscience start a war when there are children who will suffer because of it.” Erik mulled the words and thought of the three children who were getting ready for bed upstairs. They were safe here at Charles’ but what if they had never left Boston. The government wouldn’t discriminate between child and adult if they were hunting them down to exterminate.
“I see fatherhood has made you see things a bit differently” Charles said softly.
“Yes I would do anything to keep them safe. They didn’t ask for this war” Erik couldn’t imagine any of his children going through anything close to what he had at Anya’s age.
“No but if they bring the war to us we will be United and stand a better chance. It’s harder to crush a movement when people stand together.” Charles said and there was that determined glint to eyes.
“Yes we will be ready for them” Erik agreed. They sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity and Charles realizing Erik would not be the one to make the first move leaned in and pressed a soft closed mouthed kiss on the man. Erik fell into the kiss immediately wrapping one arm around Charles’ waste and the other coming up to cup the back of his head.
“I love you” Erik gasped when they finally came up for air.
“I love you too, now how are we going to explain this to your children” Charles chuckled, leaning his head against Erik’s.
“Actually my eldest daughter is too perceptive for her own good. She already asked if we were together.” Charles let out a surprised snort before letting his head fall back in laughter.
“She is defending your child my friend” Charles laughed warmly and the two men fell into a comfortable silence.