Charles plans on quickly grading some papers before heading on home and maybe calling Raven and Scott to help him start packing. He does not have classes that day, so he passes the time in the teachers' lounge, reading reports as he waits for Jean and Pietro to get out of class.

Things do not quite turn out that way.

Before the last bell has even run, a small commotion starts in the teachers lounge. Mr. Cohen, the school's resident art teacher storms in, shouting at the principal, and Charles looks up, surprised.

"What's happened, George?" he asks.

"I can tell you what," Cohen fumes, "That new kid- Pietro- what's his last-name-anyway- just insulted me in my classroom and then hit me."

Charles leaves his papers, curiosity morphing into worry instantly. "What do you mean?"

"What I said, Xavier," Cohen snaps, "The boy punched me and I will not stand for it. This needs to have consequences."

"Calm down, George," the principal lays a hand on the tall man's shoulder, " I need you to tell me what exactly happened."

Cohen does with visible effort. Charles listens, incredulous as he recounts his version of events.

"Like I said, the boy's been disrespectful and wouldn't listen since he got transferred here. But today the students were supposed to paint their living circumstances and when he failed the assignment and I told him so, he knocked over his painting and punched me. The boy is clearly not fit to be at a normal school-"

"Don't," Charles cuts him off abruptly, "He's been in my class for weeks, he's a perfectly normal boy. If something happened there must be a reason for it, he would never just act out like that."

Pietro is such a sweet child, very quiet, if not a little withdrawn sometimes, but he is one of the least aggressive kids Charles has ever met.

"Let me talk to him?" he asks the principal and the old man nods tiredly. "I'm going to inform the parents."

Charles winces. Oh no, Erik will have to come all the way down here, for nothing, just because Cohen is having a bad day. He certainly won't be pleased with that. It cannot be helped though. Protocol is protocol and he himself cannot make any valid decisions when it comes to Pietro, as much as he'd like to take this off Erik's busy hands.

Pietro is sitting on a plastic chair in front of the teachers' lounge when Charles steps outside. He sits next to the little boy and waits silently for a moment. There are tear and snot tracks running down his chubby face and Charles feels a twinge in his heart at the sight. He pulls a tissue out of his pocket and hands it to the child.

"Do you want to tell me what happened, Pietro, or do you want to wait for your dad?" he asks softly, startled when the little boy's head snaps up and he looks at him wildly. "Vati's coming?" New tears well up in his eyes, "But I didn't do anything, I didn't-"

"I don't believe you did," Charles carefully dabs the tissue at Pietro's nose, "Your dad knows you, Pietro. He won't believe Mr. Cohen over you."

He doesn't push for more information, momentarily just focusing on reassuring his student. It seems to work. Erik is a strict but fair father, and Pietro seems to recall that. He will listen at the very least before he does anything.

"I didn't mean to do anything," Pietro sniffs after a short while of silent sitting and Charles looks down at him in surprise, "But Mr. Cohen said my picture was terrible...that I was stupid...again and again...that I can't stay in his class a-nd-" His small voice quivers, breaking, and before Charles knows it he is curled into his side, little shoulders shaking as he cries into his cardigan.

Charles hugs him, dismayed. That sodding Cohen guy.

It is then that Erik choses to round the corner.

He halts for a moment, seeing his son cry in Charles' arms, then his step takes on new stealth. He is standing in front of them momentarily. "What happened?"

Little Pietro flinches at the tone and Charles flashes Erik a warning look. If the principal told him anything on the phone he will be upset, but showing it in front of his son will only make things worse.

"There was a disagreement with the art teacher," he tells Erik calmly, rubbing Pietro's back. "Apparently he did not like Pietro's work so he told him he wouldn't to pass the grade."

Saying it alone makes him angry -but it is nothing compared to the expression that dawns on Erik's face at his words. One more look at his crying son and he's stalked into the teachers' lounge, no knocking, no questions asked.

"Mr. Lehnsherr-" He can hear the principal's worried voice before the door falls shut. Shite.

"Pietro, will you be alright here for a second? I'll be right back." He disentangles himself, gently but swiftly, running after Erik.

He thinks he is expecting the worst but it becomes very obvious that he had no idea what the worst was until he sees what is happening in the room.

"Your son is disturbed, he's antisocial and now violent!" Cohen is barking at Erik, ruddy-faced while the principal is wringing his hand behind his desk. "He doesn't need a school, he needs a shrink-"

"DO. NOT. Speak about my son like that!" Erik's voice is ice-cold, angry like Charles has never heard him. He's jabbing a finger in the teacher's direction warningly, taking a threatening step towards him.

Charles steps in before things can get worse. He pushes down his own anger over the man's words for the moment and focuses on deescalation.

"Erik, don't," he speaks up, "there's no point. I will take care of this. Let's just go home-"

"Oh, so that's it!" Cohen jeers hatefully, interrupting him, "Well, that explains at lot! What's supposed to happen to a kid when his father and his teacher are both fucking f-

He doesn't get to finish the sentence. Before he can, Erik has grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and slammed him into the next wall so hard that the man cries out in pain.

Xx