"We're under attaaaaaaaaaack!" a young female voice screamed. Magneto froze, his hands still outstretched, ready to levitate. He had never particularly coveted someone else's mutation before this moment, but as every light in the mansion flickered on he had sudden desire to have Mystique's power, and to quietly make himself look like a rosebush or something, anything so he could disappear.
"It's the brotherhoodies," another young voice confirmed, leaning out the window. What sort of education was Charles giving these students? 'Brotherhoodies'?
Charles? he thought out. There appears to be a slight problem.
All right all right I was asleep, down in a moment, Charles sent back to him, sounding groggy but amused. I'm sure the evil mastermind himself can handle a misguided children for a few moments?
Magneto smiled to himself. "I'm not here to attack," he said loudly, raising his hands.
"Yes you are!" the girl in the window shouted. Another boy leaned out the window one across from her. "Kitty, go back to sleep," he ordered.
Kitty evidently respected the owner of this voice, because her window slammed shut. Magneto took a breath, and outstretched his hands again.
"Not you Magneto," the older kid said. "You stay where I can see you."
Magneto reached out, searching for the metal in the latch to forcefully close the window on this voice before its' owner decided to use their mutation on him- then he sensed metal edges on sunglasses. Why was this guy wearing sunglasses at night?
A female voice laughed from deeper within the room.
"You're going to take on Magneto now, are you Scott?"
"If he moves one inch I'll take off my glasses and fry him," the boy who was apparently called Scott said back, all easy confidence. Erik was faintly amused. It was Havok all over again, but the lasers had manifested in the eyes this time it seemed.
"Scott don't be ridiculous," the girl's voice said, "Magneto isn't going to hurt anyone, he recruited me."
"Magneto recruited you?" Scott repeated, sounding dumbstruck. "Jean, you never said anything!"
Wonder what they're doing in each other's rooms at this hour Magneto thought dryly.
For once Charles didn't bother replying to him. Magneto smiled in the semidarkness. Jean Grey had had formidable powers. He hoped Charles was teaching her well.
The front door burst open, and two kids stood there, ignoring him and arguing with one another.
"That's Magneto, he's our nem-i-sis," one said, pronouncing 'nemesis' with care like he'd just learned the word. "We gotta stop him."
"Dude I am not fighting him, he's bigger and better than us."
"Hello boys," Magneto said, "Might I ask what your mutations are?"
The first boy frowned. "I'm not telling you, you're supposed to be evil."
"Don't mind Bobby," the other boy said. "He can do ice stuff. I'm , I do fire."
Bobby shoved lightly. "You weren't supposed to tell him."
shrugged. "He won't hurt us, we're kids. And I'm not allowed have a lighter yet so I can't really hurt you Mister Magneto, and you're hardly going to attack a defenceless child, now are you?"
Magneto liked this kid already, but he also saw that Charles' trusting nature had worn off on his students. One day someone will come who will hurt a defenceless child, he thought.
Charles sounded annoyed. I will not have them living in fear Erik.
was still staring at Magneto like it was an honour to have him here. "You gonna show us some metal-tricks then?" he asked.
I see potential for the Brotherhood in this one Charles, he thought, only half-teasing. Such confidence and disdain for authority.
You're here for chess Erik, not a recruitment drive, Charles' voice said in his head, getting clearer. He must have made it downstairs by now.
Another figure appeared in the doorway. Blond, with a leaner body than in the time Magneto had known him. Alex.
"My kid brother is in here," Alex said, getting to the point without the whole 'hello father-figure who crippled my other father figure and abandoned us, haven't seen you in years' business. Havok had never been one for small talk. "If you intend on attacking, I'll fry you on the spot."
"I'm not here to attack, I'm here for…". He struggled for a moment. A game of chess and maybe some quality brandy, sounded a bit benign, all things considered.
Peace talks? Charles suggested from where ever he was.
"Peace talks," Magneto repeated to Alex, who was standing in front of Bobby and like a human shield, like he thought Magneto was here to hurt them.
"Good one," Alex said, his eyes cold. "Look Erik, Magneto, whatever you're calling yourself, I don't like you. You crippled the Prof, and maybe he can forgive that but I can't. Go and play your chess match but don't come near the kids again or I will hurt you."
Bobby and looked decidedly worried, but Alex gently pushed them inside, the anger gone from his expression as quick as it had come. "C'mon you two, back to bed."
"Could you really beat Magneto?" Bobby was asking, sounding awe-struck, but still going inside. Maybe a bit young for the Brotherhood yet then.
"Lasers aren't metal so of course he could," Bobby said back, a true loyalist. Alex shut the door behind them, not saying a word to Magneto.
Erik waited. Not long now. The house seemed to have quietened down, as if the students had decided he wasn't a threat anymore. He did not know whether to be insulted or relieved.
Another figure appeared in the doorway, but this was finally the one he had come here for. Charles wheeled himself out and into the driveway to where Erik stood.
"I like your hair tonight, Erik," Charles said, and they both knew that meant no helmet tonight at least, that's an improvement.
"And I like yours," Magneto responded. Charles was as bald as a baby now, and that was still quite a sore spot he reckoned.
"You're not just here to trade insults I hope?" Charles asked, sounding weary. Erik did not want to contemplate when the change had occurred, from lighting up when he saw Erik, to seeing Erik as something that had to be dealt with, a thing that the kids should fear, a factor that may cause violence.
"Actually I am," he said. "Insults and chess and maybe some brandy."
Charles surveyed him for a long moment, and Erik did not speak but only held his gaze.
"Yes," Charles said finally. "I could agree to that."
The night was dark in the Xavier mansion. The ragtag bunch of students had evidently gone to bed, considering the night's drama done. Erik stepped behind Charles' wheelchair and pushed it wordlessly back towards the house, towards a place that he still considered home after all these years.
The Xavier mansion will always be open to you Erik, Charles thought to him, even though the students may be a touch adverse to the idea.
Erik could see it in his mind's eye; him in a dressing-gown in the mornings, making breakfast for dozens of sleepy hungry mouths, teaching, helping, encouraging. He could imagine late nights of chess and companionship, of the hard glares from Alex and the others softening to looks of welcome. He could imagine belonging somewhere.
But those were the imaginings of a man named Erik. He was Magneto now, and Magneto was lucky enough to get a game of chess every few years. Magneto did not deserve any more than that, and he did not want any more than that.
Charles sighed softly as they crossed the threshold together, and Magneto sighed too, because he was only fooling himself. Here, in this house, with Charles by his side, he was Erik Lehnsherr, and always would be.