AN: First of all, I'm back! Thanks to everyone who's read my stories and left kudos. They've really brightened up my days. :) Second of all, I know that Marvel's already retconned Scarlet Witch's and Quicksilver's parentage (for like...the third time…) so this definitely isn't canon anymore, but this idea just got stuck in my head and refused to get out, so enjoy!
It was a couple of weeks after the Avengers had prevented certain doom (again) when Tony called Steve. It was an unusual occurrence for Tony to make a phone call instead of driving or flying out to the new base (or, as he had taken to doing more recently, hacking into their systems and projecting his face on every screen). Normally, it would have set off every single one of Steve's alarms and sent him speeding off immediately.
Unfortunately, Steve was supervising training drills for some of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, so he didn't notice the missed call or the message left for nearly an hour.
Hey Cap, kinda need your help back at the tower. Pause. Steve could hear him swallow. Like right now. So, can you and the wonder-twins get your butts to the Tower, preferably yesterday? Because I've got an alleged terrorist in my tower glaring at me right now like he'd like to set me on fire, and I'd really like him to stop. So, in summary, weird girl and fast boy. My tower. Now.
Of course, Steve immediately tried calling Tony, but instead of connecting to FRIDAY like usual, he got a computerized message informing him that the Stark phone number you are trying to reach is not in service at this time. Please try again later. If this is a recurring problem, you can register a complaint on Stark Industries official site, which is -
Steve's running through the base before the first sentence finishes because Tony's phone is never off. He used to have a personal cell phone that he carried with him, but after it kept on getting destroyed he changed it so that his number connects directly to the Tower's systems. Most of his explanation went over Steve's head, but the most important part was at the front of his mind right now. Basically, Cap, if you're calling me, you're calling Avenger's Tower. Unless the Tower is completely destroyed or the systems get hacked, you'll always get through.
Steve had hit the alarm while he was running, so he's greeted in the hangar by Rhodes, Vision, Natasha, Sam, Wanda and Pietro.
"What's the problem, Steve?" one of them, he's not sure who, asks.
"Tony's in trouble," he grits out, strapping himself into the pilot's seat, barely waiting for everyone to get in before taking off.
It normally takes three hours for a quinjet to get from the new S.H.I.E.L.D base to Stark tower while flying in a straight line. Tony has been able to make the flight in about twenty minutes, but that's when he's in his Iron Man suit and going faster than the speed of sound. Rhodes, with the weighty additions to his suit, can make it in about forty minutes going at his fastest speed. With Steve flying the quinjet, he and the team make it to the tower in forty nine minutes and thirty eight seconds.
It's enough time for the barely-twenty second long message to play in Steve's head 147 times, and three more instances that he plays for everyone else to hear.
Steve barely takes the time to guide the jet into the landing gear before he was out the door.
"FRIDAY?" Steve asked, worriedly.
If the systems get hacked…Tony's voice keeps bouncing around his head. Steve was at the tower more often than not in the first weeks after Ultron. He saw how Tony reacted to the loss of JARVIS. He's not sure Tony could survive another of his AI's deaths.
"Sir and his visitors are in the living room," a female voice answered, reassuring Steve while also adding to his anxiety.
The rest of them split up. Vision, Sam, and Rhodes take running leaps off the edge of the landing pad, while Steve, Natasha and the twins sprint upstairs towards the living areas of the tower.
They pause just inside the door, Steve with his shield out and Natasha with electricity sparking from her batons. Wanda and Pietro are right behind them, the red fire in her hands going out and their faces turning white when they see the people in the room. Rhodes, Vision and Sam fly through one of the windows, prompting a curse from Tony.
Tony, who had sent a distress message to Steve. Tony, who was looking distinctly not in distress. Tony, who has a half-full cup of tea and a plate piled high with chocolate covered cookies in front of him. Tony, who just looks at the two groups and waves them closer.
"The windows again, really?" He sighs, "I just replaced those. Again."
"You said you needed help,Tony," Rhodey shoots back, retracting his face plate, "not that you needed a rescue from a tea party."
"Please, sit down," Steve realizes that one of the men at the table is Professor Charles Xavier. He, Tony, and another man sit around a round table in the middle of the room, cups of tea and plates of biscuits scattering the table in front of them. None of them make a move.
"I definitely needed backup. This is Uncle Charles we're talking about." Tony pointed towards the other man with a biscuit, raising an eyebrow. "Plus, have you seen this man glare, honeybear?" He gestures towards the other man with the same biscuit, who is glaring at Tony right now. "It's terrifying. I'm quaking in my shoes." Rhodes just glared at Tony.
Steve glanced at Natasha and saw that she was just as perplexed as he was. "Sorry, but," Steve started, shaping his features into what Tony called his 'aw, shucks' face, "who are you?"
The other man smiles widely, showing all his teeth. A shark's smile, Steve has time to think wildly, before he and everyone else are dragged to the table by the metal on their bodies.
"Erik Lensherr," he introduced himself, still smiling widely, "You may know me better as Magneto."
Magneto, Steve thinks, as in the mutant that controls metal? The one that Tony's not allowed to fight against?
A bit more complicated than that, Steven, a voice brushes his mind, causing him to jerk back in his seat.
"Would anyone care for some tea?" Charles addressed the table as a whole.
Vision, the only one who hadn't been forced to the table, replied, "That would be lovely, thank you."
"How does everyone like their tea?" Charles asked, pausing for a moment. "Lovely, Erik, would you serve the tea, please?"
Charles told the mutant supervillain how to serve everyone's tea, which said supervillain did without moving from his seat. Steve subtly examined his tea cup after it floated over to him, and noticed that there were metal bands around the handle and on the base of the cup.
Vision started sipping his tea almost immediately, but everyone else just looked at the things in front of them until Tony loudly and exaggeratedly sipped from his cup and shoved a cookie whole into his mouth.
Steve tried to surreptitiously pick up his shield from the floor, but found it stuck to the floor. Natasha found out the same was true of her weapons. Rhodes' suit had been disassembled when Magneto had dragged them to the table and was sitting in a small pile in the corner. Magneto- Erik smiled at them.
"I don't think those will be needed for tea, do you?"
Rhodey was furiously whispering to Tony across the table from them. "I can't believe that you didn't tell me that your Uncle Charles was Professor X."
"When was I supposed to mention it?" Tony mumbled around a mouthful of cookie.
"Oh, I don't know, anytime in the nearly thirty years we've known each other."
Meanwhile, Charles was talking amiably to Vision. "How are you finding life?"
"It has been much easier than I assumed it would be from my observations of Sir as JARVIS."
"Tony is an anomaly even among superheroes," Charles agreed.
Sam was silent, fiddling with his teacup and trying to avoid looking at his neighbor. Next to him, Magneto- Erik was making small metal objects orbit him, a small tornado of teaspoons floating around his head.
Every once in a while, Charles would glance over at Erik and his cloud of metal, a small smile on his face. Erik would sneak glances at Charles every few seconds, the smirk on his face becoming a little bit softer.
For mortal enemies, they seem oddly like friends. Steve thought
And what would you call Mr. Barnes and yourself, Steven? Charles' voice asked inside Steve's head.
Wanda and Pietro were also silent, sneaking glances at each other as they drank their tea, unreadable expressions on their faces. Steve could see Pietro's leg twitching and could hear the buzz of energy on Wanda's palms.
After everyone had drunk at least one cup of tea, Charles cleared his throat.
"So, what had everyone been up to lately? Tony has been telling me about his work on the protocols for FRIDAY, but what about the rest of you?"
Vision was the first to speak, ignoring Erik's glare. "I have been interspersing training with the new team and coming to the tower to interact with my new sister." They have also been helping me with sorting out what parts of my mind belong to Vision and what parts I have incorporated from JARVIS, he thinks at Charles.
FRIDAY's voice chimed in. "Vision has been greatly useful in helping me to learn about Sir and his habits."
"And you, Mr. Wilson?"
Sam jerked at being called on, hastily swallowing. "Mainly just training with the team. New flight maneuvers, stuff like that."
"If you'd like to, you could always come out to the school and train with those of us who have a mutation that allows them to fly. I know that Ororo, for one, has expressed interest in flying with you. You may know her by the name of Storm. Of course, this offer extends to you as well, Vision. Mr. Worthington, or Angel, has been wondering if you'd like to fly with him instead, Mr. Wilson, as you both use wings."
"How have you been doing, Ms. -I'm afraid I haven't kept up on what name you're using right now dear." Charles smiles in Natasha's direction.
"I'm going by Natasha Romanoff at the moment, Professor Xavier." Natasha is as polite as only ex-assassins can be, as she has been trained to be both by the Red Room and the life that she leads now. Steve last heard this voice thirty seconds before she knocked someone out. "I've been helping Steve with the Avengers team and helping the Director with the new facility."
"What have you been doing, Steven?" Charles questions.
"Like Sam said, mostly just training with the team. Some P. R. stuff, for both S. H. I. E. L. D. and the team."
Looking for Bucky, he thinks but doesn't say out loud. Charles seems to pick up on that thought anyway, sending him a sad smile that spoke of understanding.
Charles and Erik both turn toward the twins. "And you Pietro, how was your stay in medical?"
Erik has that shark smile on his face again, but this time it's pointed directly towards the paling twins. Charles' previously genial smile is just a little bit harsher, just a little bit sterner. It's a bit less Uncle Charles and a bit more Professor X.
Wanda answers for him, Pietro determinedly staring at his lap. Even she doesn't look at them, instead staring off to a spot a little bit off to the side of the duo. "His wounds healed about two weeks ago, and he woke up from his coma five days ago. Even with his increased healing, it was touch and go for a while." Her accent's noticeably thicker than it usually is.
Steve glances at her. "Are you sure -"
Charles cuts him off. "It was really quite surprising to turn on the television a couple of weeks ago to see you two fighting giant metal robots."
They both wince almost imperceptibly, shrinking in on themselves a little bit more.
Steve tries to interject. "Do you-"
Erik interrupts him instead. "However, even more surprising was that neither I or Charles received any contact from you for the next month."
Pietro starts, "Well, we…" and just trails off into silence.
Everyone but Tony is looking at them, their heads swiveling back and forth like they're at a tennis match. Tony, on the other hand, has a tablet and a stylus out, lips moving soundlessly as he worked.
"It wasn't until last week?," Erik pauses, glancing over at Charles, recieving a nod, "that we found out that you had been shot. While fighting metal robots."
Steve feels the need to speak up. "While his actions were dangerous, Pietro saved Hawkeye."
"Saving Mr. Barton was commendable, true -" Charles is cut off by Tony.
"That's not the part they're taking issue with, Cap,"
Pietro's head shot up. "You know?" He asked.
"You mean, did I know that you two had been out of contact with your father for the past few years and decided to take on beings that were made of metal alongside us? No." Tony pauses to take a sip of tea. "If you were asking me about knowing that your father was Erik Lensherr, I just found out about two hours ago."
"So, to sum it up for you, Cap, they're both pissed that his kids decided to fight a gigantic metal robot, nearly get killed, and not inform their father, who can control metal." Tony sat back in his chair.
"In their defense," Tony continued, now addressing the fuming mutant, "They did have a quite serious case of Stockholm Syndrome, and Wanda went more or less insane when Pietro was shot."
"I'm sorry, hold up," Rhodey said, facing the twins. "Your dad is Magneto?"
"Yes," Erik growls, "and you two are grounded."