Erik had fallen to his knees in exhaustion, but after several moments he got back to his feet and grinned. Then abruptly, he looked over at Peter and began frowning. "What did you say?"
Peter blinked, horrified by what he'd just said. Why had he called his father by the nickname his mother had used? Was he just stupid or something? ". . . I said, hey, Erik, awesome."
"No, you said Lehn," Erik said. His eyes narrowed. "How do you know . . . " Erik froze for a moment, then looked at Peter again in confusion. Peter could almost see the connections being made inside his father's head as Erik's eyes flicked from side to side.
After what seemed like another ten years to Peter, Erik finally looked at him and only seemed to see him right at that moment. Peter could see the shock on Erik's face fade away to be replaced with understanding. Instantly, Peter was on his feet.
"Hey, Magnet, I—" But before Peter could say anything more, Erik left and raced into the mansion, leaving Peter alone. The move hurt. It stung and burned. Sure, Erik was probably shocked by this news, but to just leave him like that . . .
Peter shook his thoughts and emotions off and sped into the mansion, not really taking note of where he was running to. He wanted to give his father a bit of time to digest what he'd just learned, but Peter inwardly was kicking himself as he sat down on the couch in the mansion's living room. Why had he inadvertently told his father the truth? He should've waited longer! Why had he been so stupid! Didn't he know that Erik would freak out if he didn't wait long enough to tell him?
Whether or not he wanted the truth to come out, it just had. Peter would simply have to deal with the consequences. But the way Erik had looked at him after he realized the truth . . . it sent a ripple of concern and dread through Peter. Erik had looked shocked. Amazed, and almost disgusted. Not at all happy or joyous like Peter had hoped.
"Hey, Pete."
Peter looked over and raised his eyebrows in greeting, not even realizing that Scott, Raven, and Kurt had entered the room and now sat beside him. "Morning."
"How'd your training lesson go?" Raven asked.
Peter shrugged. "It went. I managed to outrun the sun."
"Vat is amazing," Kurt said.
"And Magnet managed to keep me from running by using his powers."
"Cool," Scott said.
"You don't sound very excited," Raven said. "Yesterday you were practically jumping off the walls."
Peter shrugged again. "I'm just tired from the training, that's all."
At this, everyone exchanged a look, but Peter busied himself by obtaining a gallon of chocolate milk from the fridge and drinking it so that he wouldn't have to answer any questions. Peter had just finished the gallon when Jean entered the room and sat down, looking directly at Peter after a moment.
Jean seemed to soften a bit. "So, he found out during your training lesson."
Peter had to hide his exasperation. Of course she would know. She read minds. Great, now everyone would know. Why was this always happening to him? "Yup, he did," he said brusquely.
"Whoa, really?" Scott punched Peter on the arm. "So the secret's out! Way to go!"
"Did he take it vell?" Kurt asked.
Peter shrugged. "It didn't really mean to tell him; it was an accident. I called him a name that my mom used to call him when they were dating, and he just put the pieces together."
"And how did he take the news?" Raven asked.
"I don't know," Peter said. "He kinda freaked. I haven't really gone and talked to him to see how he took it."
"I'm sure I'd freak out, too," Scott said.
Peter nodded, absentedmindedly working a fingernail in between his teeth before quickly withdrawing his hands.
"You're not worried, are you?" Raven asked.
Peter blinked, then smirked. "No, way. I'm Quicksilver, Blue. I don't get worried." Peter caught Jean looking in his direction for a few moments, but he just ignored her. Why should they know the truth?
"I'm sure it's fine, Pete," Scott said. "Once your dad gets over the shock, he'll be—"
All speech and thoughts of conversation halted as the sounds of yelling came down the hall and into the living room. Peter glanced over at the rest of the team, seeing that they were all worried yet trying to hide it with forced smiles. As the noise intensified, Peter recognized the voice that was yelling as Erik's, and that sudden feeling of dread returned to settle in the bottom of his stomach, causing him to swallow twice.
"It's probably no big deal," Scott said.
"Erik and Charles argue all the time," Raven said.
For a moment, no one said anything, then Kurt broke the silence.
"I know how to play Schafkopf. Vould anyone like to learn?" Kurt asked.
"Yeah, come on, Pete. You learned chess in eight hours," Scott said. "This'll probably take you five minutes."
Peter, knowing full-well what his friends were up to, couldn't take it a second longer. He didn't want to stay here with his friends; he had to know what Erik was arguing with Charles about. Instantly, Peter was up and off toward the sound of the argument. As he drew closer to the noise, Peter found his worry intensifying. The way Erik had looked at him had been bad enough. Now he was yelling, practically screaming, about something Peter couldn't yet understand, and it sent a distraught wave of panic over him. He swallowed twice more, then put his head back, inhaled deeply, and blinked hard to keep his emotions in check. Maybe it was nothing, really. Maybe it was just another stupid argument.
If only Peter believed that.
As he came to the site of the argument, Peter stopped and hid behind the end of a hallway, his ears easily picking up the conversation that was occurring no more than two dozen feet away. He closed his eyes and listened.
". . . don't you understand, Charles? I can't!" Erik yelled. "After all that's already happened, there's no way I would—"
"Just give it a chance!" Charles shouted back. "Maybe this is what you really came back for and you just didn't realize it until now!"
"I know why I came back, Charles, and it wasn't for this," Erik said.
Peter listened, his wariness intensifying the longer he listened. Were they actually talking about him? He couldn't tell.
"How do you know that?" Charles asked. "Think about the good inside you—"
"What good?" Erik's voice was now getting louder again. "Horrible circumstances seem to enjoy following me around regardless of what I do or how I try to change! How—"
"That wasn't your fault, Erik. Don't do this."
"Wasn't it?!" Erik was screaming now. "Do you know how painful it is to be holding your wife and daughter in your arms and knowing that it was your fault that they died?"
"I know your pain, Erik. I feel it," Charles said. "I know it—"
"You don't know pain like that!"
Peter suddenly felt the ground shift underneath his feet, and Peter, losing his balance, stepped forward and into view of Erik and Charles. He saw that Erik and Charles were nose-to-nose, screaming at each other, and the entire hallway seemed to be bending out of shape as Erik's powers took over.
In an instant, Erik and Charles looked up and saw Peter standing there. Erik's eyes widened when he saw Peter, and Peter thought he saw his father's eyes soften for just a moment. But maybe it was just a trick of the light, because Erik's eyes hardened no less than a second later.
"H-hey, Magnet," Peter said, grinning briefly before looking down at the ground. "What's going on?"
Erik looked at Peter once more before turning away with an exasperated sound. "Stay out of my way, Peter," he growled.
Peter tried to stay calm and detached, but the inflection within his father's voice struck something deep inside him and caused his lips to tremble. "About what I said, I just—"
Instantly, Erik rounded on Peter and rushed him. Using his powers, Erik pulled a metal support beam from the wall itself, stripping one end to a point and holding it up to Peter's throat.
"Erik, please. Don't," Charles said.
Peter, his eyes wide, tilted his body away from the javelin that was now pressing into his throat. Not enough to puncture the skin, but with a single movement, Peter could find himself in a lethal situation with a punctured jugular vein. He placed both hands on the bar in front of him and stared at his father, blinking hard to keep his emotions in check. "Did I do something wrong, Magnet?" he whispered. "Are you just mad at me for beating you at chess? Is that it? Is that it, or do you just wish I wasn't around to get in your way?"
For another instant, Erik's eyes flashed, and behind the rage that Erik seemed to be displaying, Peter could've sworn that he saw something . . . different. But what was it that he saw?
"Stay away from me, Peter," Erik growled. "I don't ever want to talk to you again. Understand?"
Peter blinked hard and swallowed once. "Yes, Erik."
