If there was a heaven, then this was most definitely it. Laying back in one of the big, well-padded chairs feeling sleepy and comfortably stuffed and watching his mother out of half-closed eyes. She looked happy, he thought. Genuinely happy in a way that he hadn't seen for years. He'd put her through too much worry for her to really chill, at least they had that in common.
The reason for her happiness was even better. He'd managed to persuade his father to come out with them both. It hadn't been an easy job at all, but Peter was nothing if not persistent and he knew that if he just kept on at him, it would take about five minutes until Erik would have agreed to sing 'I'm a Little Teapot' in front of the whole school before he had to listen to another second of Peter's wheedling. He'd even let them choose some upmarket restaurant, the kind of place he wouldn't usually be seen dead in, just for the sake of getting them in a room together and watching them not fight.
It had been pretty awkward, admitting to them both that he'd booked in with a psychiatrist to work some stuff out, but surprisingly they'd both been happy about it. In fact they'd given each other a look that Peter thought signalled a kind of understanding between them which he hadn't thought possible. Weirder still to tell Angie that her Dad was actually there to see him the day he'd showed up, even though she too had given him a warm hug and told him she was proud of him. And of course, opening up to her father about exactly what he was letting into his family had been weirdest of all. But he'd taken it pretty well, been professional about the idea of a self-harming, chronically anxious emotional wreck with a tendency to abuse prescription drugs dating his daughter.
Even Erik had admitted he was proud, and that had made his Mom smile and reach as if she was going to hug them both. That was bizarre, but it was cool too. It had been good to see them both slowly relax from making polite conversation into talking naturally, finding the common ground they shared and realising that really they didn't have to hate one another. As long as you didn't get onto the subject of Human-Mutant relations, Erik could be a pretty good conversationalist. By the end of the evening they had been comfortable sitting closer together, exchanging that little smile every time Peter was particularly cute about something.
He was pretty sure his mother was saying something, but it seemed very unimportant just at that moment. It had been a long day after all.
"He's fine," Erik was saying, "He does this all the time"
Magda laughed, shook her head kindly, watched her son's eyes close and his chin drop onto his chest.
"It's good to see him sleep. He never used to for days at a time. I'm glad he's doing better now"
"You must have had the patience of a saint," Erik told her. She smiled again at him. He could get used to that smile.
"We did well, you know Erik. We've got a good boy there – and you're a good father now. It would have been nice for us to have had that before, but at least you're here now. He's better off for that" she paused, looked shyly down at her hands, "I think I am too. It helps to have someone to share the worry with me. Even if he doesn't need me to worry as much as he did"
"He'll always need that," Erik told her, "It stops him worrying so much too"
"I don't know why," Magda began wistfully, "But I just thought of this time when he was twelve and I was sure he'd run away or got himself into some kind of trouble. I always used to worry that one day he'd just take off and we wouldn't see him again. We'd gone to one of Wanda's swimming competitions, I didn't know if it was all that wise to bring him – that was when he was really feeling ill and having trouble sleeping, I think he'd been awake for about a week straight and he looked like crap, but he insisted he wanted to come watch his sister. Everything was fine until I went to get Wanda after she was done, and couldn't find Peter anywhere – we looked all over, but he'd just vanished. I was terrified"
"And had he run away?" Erik looked concerned, until Magda laughed and went on
"Eventually we went back to the car, hoping he'd show up at home, planning to call the cops if he didn't, and there was Peter curled up in the back seat. He'd finally got too tired to stay awake and gone for a nap without telling anyone. I was too relieved that he was getting some rest to even be mad about it"
Erik laughed outright at that, picturing a sleepy little pre-teen curled up. He still sucked his thumb sometimes when he slept, and that was the image he had of his grown-up son just at that moment. At the sound of laughter, Peter opened one eye at him, peering sleepily and suspiciously.
"Wha's s'funny?" he asked. Erik patted him kindly on the head.
"Do you think we should get him home?" Magda asked, "I can carry him, if he won't walk out"
"I'm sure he can manage, Magda. He's tough enough"
"Yes," she smiled softly, "Yes he is."