5

Having not been expecting visitors, Erik was pottering around the house in sweats and was surprised to hear his front doorbell. Glad that this door had a peephole, so that he didn't have to take the precaution of a weapon every time he opened it, he peered out to see his son standing on the doorstep carrying two large boxes from Krispy Kreme. He did *not* look happy. Quickly unlocking the door and welcoming him in, happy at an unexpected visit, but concerned at Peter's apparent mood.

"You want a doughnut?" he asked, went straight through to flop on the couch and open one of the boxes, "Say now if you do"

"And hello to you too, Peter. Good to see you, and no thank you"

"You sure? Last chance"

"I'm sure. I'll go and make us a drink shall I?"

By the time Erik had returned from fetching himself a coffee and Peter a can of Pepsi, both boxes were empty and his son looked slightly less like he wanted to punch something, laying comfortably back on the sofa. He half-smiled up at Erik, coming to take a seat beside him.

"Even you will make yourself sick doing that" he warned, "What's wrong? I take it you didn't just come over to have somewhere comfortable to stuff your face"

"I was in the area" Peter lied, "I wanted to see you – I've… well, I've not had a good morning. I figured you'd get it a little better than the folks back home"

His son had that distressed kicked-puppy look that he got when something had seriously ruffled his feathers, and Erik could not help but gently lay an arm around his shoulders, a little shocked when Peter had immediately flung both arms around him for a hug, clinging on tightly to him. Even at this age, his cuddlesome nature was no less prominent, and somehow it still surprised his father sometimes.

"What's happened, dear boy?" Erik asked, patted his back soothingly, "Perhaps I can help"

"I've got a new student," Peter mumbled into Erik's chest, "Another speedster. Her family are… not good people. I went to see them this morning and…"

He paused a long while, shook his head. Sat back out of his father's embrace and settled into the sofa, let his belt out a little and sighed heavily. He hated feeling angry, knowing it just wasn't him – he wasn't an angry sort of person, really. But just sometimes, something like this would make him feel like he wanted to set a tornado around someone until he pulled all the air out of their lungs or stripped off their skin, and he hated it.

"Is this what it's like for you, when you see someone mistreating Mutants?" he asked, "Like, you just get this overwhelming anger and need to do something about it? Need to help your kind, even if it means hurting someone?"

"At times," Erik told him mildly, "I do try to stay away from those actions that would harm others now, but yes. The anger can be powerful, when I see our kind treated wrongly. Have you done something"

"Not yet," Peter shook his head, "But I really want to. I was hoping you could help me do it through a different channel – I… I'd love to hurt those people, Dad. But that's not the right path. I've got to channel it somewhere else"

"Hence two dozen doughnuts?" Erik teased, Peter half-smiled at him again, shrugged

"I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs – what else am I gonna use to cope?"

Erik squeezed his shoulder, let him stay quiet for a few minutes. Drank his coffee, could see that Peter was starting to calm down, think more clearly, would be fine soon enough. He felt profoundly glad that he felt he could come to him, and trusted him not to immediately take the action that Peter himself would hold back from.

"What's happened to your student?" he asked, "How has she been mistreated?"

"She's the youngest of nine – all human except her – they're trash, and they treat her horribly. Used to hit her, tell her not to talk, that sort of thing. They don't care about her"

"And what did you want done about it?"

"Actually I kinda wanna pull their house down with them in it, but I'd settle for having them reported for the way they treated Flick – the new kid. She's great Dad, you'll love her. She didn't deserve the way she was treated"

Erik thought for a moment, reached for his address book from the coffee table, flipped through to find the number he was looking for

"Since she no longer lives at that house, Child Protection have no leverage sadly. But if you call this office –" he copied out a number neatly, handed it to Peter, "Then you can report the conditions she was living in, and get whatever financial aid they received for her cut off, they may even have to pay a sizeable quantity back. Humans don't like being hit in their pockets. Tell them I'm your father, they'll be most courteous to you"

Peter took the number, stuffed it into a pocket. It wasn't much, but at least it would hurt them, and it would have to do. He just couldn't let them get away without any consequences, even if he couldn't bring destruction down on their heads. Felt a little better knowing there was at least something.

"I was thinking of applying for legal guardianship of the kid" he said quietly, "Me and Angie – Flick's only nine, she kinda needs something approaching a parent in her life. D'you think that's something that we could manage?"

Erik chuckled kindly at him, thought suddenly what an adult thing that was for him to consider and sobered.

"Are you ready for that responsibility, Peter?" he asked, "it's not the same as adoption, but –"

"I've talked it over with the Professor. He thinks it's a great idea"

"Well…if you have Charles' blessing, I'm sure you must have shown yourself capable in his eyes. That's no easy task, but neither is guardianship. If you and Angela are prepared, then I think you will make splendid guardians for the young lady"

At last, Peter smiled fully. Leaned in and hugged his father again

"Thanks, Dadneto. Appreciate the faith in me. I'll need that Mutant lawyer you know – the one with the persuasion gift?"

"I'll call her tomorrow for you" Erik smiled, "Are you staying, or do you need to run off?"

"Not yet dude – if it's okay with you I thought I'd stay for a while, get some Dad time?"

"Some napping off doughnuts time is more like it, but you're very welcome, I'm free today as it happens. Stay as long as you wish"

Peter had stayed until he'd realised it was late afternoon, and that he really should get back to the Academy and teach his classes. Raven was excellent, but she wouldn't cover for him all day. Besides, he had phonecalls to make and a little speedster to go and hug, and suggest his plan to.