"I should've run," Peter said, "I should've run, but I didn't."
"Stop it," Raven said, shutting the car door, "You're actually making this worse."
She was wearing the guise of a dark-haired twenty-something, her face free of any lines and decorated delicately with make-up. He was glad she wasn't pretending to be some cute honey brown-haired girl. He was into those, and this would definitely have ruined that.
He readjusted the stupid disguise clothes he'd been given, looking out around him like he was on an exciting sight-seeing trip instead of something weird. At least Logan wasn't there to laugh at him, like he'd done for the past seven miles after the announcement. After that, he and Erik had gotten out, holding onto their extra bags at a hotel suitably out of Essex's reach. They'd contact the Professor there, and he'd connect them.
No one would be looking at Erik or Logan for the next few hours, staring hard. They'd be looking at him, and that meant that Peter still couldn't be properly pissed. People were already around, but Raven had told him they could probably keep talking in a low tone. So he ended up with a strange little half-measure, which just made it worse.
"This is awkward for me too," Raven muttered, "But just try to pretend like you're just another dumb tourist on his honeymoon. Don't attract attention, and we won't have to do anything."
"We left awkward behind about ten miles ago," Peter muttered, "This is gross. Major gross."
He snorted lightly.
"And, for someone who says this is awkward, you sure as shit didn't protest half as hard as me," he said.
"What was I supposed to do?" she hissed, an odd tone given the sweet smile she was suddenly wearing, "Erik's right: we're less noticeable this way. People honeymoon around here all the time, and he damn well wasn't changing his mind for your reasoning. And I couldn't change it without telling him who you were, so quit whining."
Peter turned away, trying not to sulk. Instead, he put on a placidly pleased expression as he looked around him. God, how did he end up in this situation? He wasn't one of those creepy guys who were into his friends' moms. No way. Not even if it was spy stuff.
Besides, he could almost picture Kurt's shocked expression if this ever got back to him. He didn't think it would stop him from ever talking to him, but Kurt was super religious and it would really weird him out. Hell, it was weirding Peter out. This must be some sort of cardinal sin, pretending to be married to your friend's mom.
He turned his head to remind her of that, maybe tell her he'd just pretend to faint or something if someone looked at them for too long. However, when he did, he digested her last few words, and furrowed his brow.
"Wait," he muttered, "Why would him knowing I'm his son make him not want us to pretend to be married..."
She tensed in her shoulder, no doubt already irritated with him.
"You two...have you two...were you...?" he asked.
She looked at him impatiently, and it clicked.
"I think I just threw up a little in my brain," he said.
"You need to stop," said Raven.
"Look, I don't care if you and he, whatever, because you're adults, but I do mind if I go into a situation where I might hafta kiss you after you've done that," Peter said.
"Like you'd be any good at it," she said.
At any other time, he'd be impressed by her ability to look like she was having a pleasant conversation with someone and sounding pissed. At the moment now, a new thought was making it into his brain, dwarfing everything else.
"Kurt had better not be my brother," he said.
Her eyes widened, almost breaking her perfect cover. Raven smiled sweetly, linking her arm with his while walking him to a small walkway, slightly isolated. When she was satisfied no one was around, she hit him in the stomach.
He wheezed slightly, but she put her hand on his back, no doubt pretending he was just winded or some other shit.
"Shoulda seen that one coming," he managed.
She leaned into his ear, so close that he could feel her furious breath echoing through his ear.
"Erik is not Kurt's goddamn father," she said, "And if you ever say something like that again, and in that tone-"
Then she paused, almost so she could peer at his expression.
"Did you want him to be your brother?" she asked.
Although the tone was still harsh, she did sound vaguely puzzled. The question more or less floored him though. But Peter had a talent for never really being at a loss for words, at least not for long.
"Wouldn't have minded any," he said at last, "He's really cool, and Team Lightning as siblings? Awesome. Just, if he was and you didn't tell-"
"He's not," said Raven shortly, "His father was...his father was someone else, and I've told Kurt all about him."
Kurt hadn't shared. Peter didn't mind. Fathers were a kind of private thing.
"But you need to stop goofing around and get your head straight so you don't have to do things that so clearly freak you out," Raven said.
"Okay," he said.
"And if you blow this because of whatever's going on in that stupid head of yours, I will beat you up so bad that you puke inside your head for real," she said, "Have you ever seen that?"
"Um, no."
"Good for you," she said, "Now straighten up."
He did so, feeling awkward, and more than a little cowed. She smiled brightly and straightened his shirt.
"Remember," she said, "We are Mr. and Mrs. Tate Langdon, and we are on honeymoon. We're going to enjoy ourselves, right?"
"Right," said Peter.
She linked her arm with his again, and pulled him out of the small garden. Peter gave her what he hoped was an adoring look, the picture of a newlywed couple getting ready to live happily ever after.
Truthfully, she scared him shitless.
"Dad?"
Charles looked up from his class's papers. Truthfully, he hadn't been reading them. The words had just been running in and out of his eyes like water during a rainstorm. He'd actually been contemplating giving them all grades based on completion and having done with.
He'd been having trouble concentrating on his school work. Thoughts of Moira, their little, loving son raced through his head. He thought of Erik's mission, of what Peter had said to him about Kevin before he left. He worried about his family, Peter and Erik, about his X-men, and the students who continued to live in ignorance.
But it was time to put that aside. Under normal circumstances it was difficult, almost impossible. Now though, now it was as though the wind had picked up on a day where the air was filled with heavy fog.
Seeing Kevin in the doorway, a piece of construction paper in his hand, was a blessing indeed.
"Didn't school let out an hour ago?" asked Charles, wheeling out from behind his desk, "Or is there a book report I don't know about?"
Kevin shut the door behind him and sat in one of the chairs, his hands laying flat on the yellow paper.
"Laura said Emma would get Scott to agree to drive us and anyone who wanted to come to visit mom," he said, "We were making cards. Her idea."
Charles felt a lump form in his throat.
"Yes, that's a wonderful idea," he said, "I should've thought of it myself-"
"You were busy," Kevin said, one of his fingers sliding over the paper, "You would've taken me soon anyway, but I know you can't right now. I know that...what with all the stuff in Japan, and that guy who hurt mom..."
He swallowed, and Charles once again remembered Peter's words. Charles reached out and put a hand on his cheek. Kevin wrapped his hands around his wrist, letting go of the paper.
"I was surprised when Laura told me she thought of it," he said, "She said she wanted to make me happy."
"That does sound like her," he said.
Charles paused, the headmaster in him warring for a little bit, but this was his son.
"I think she may have a little crush on you," he said.
His son flushed and looked back at the construction paper.
"Girls are gross," he said.
The words didn't really seem to have any force behind them, and even Kevin didn't seem to like them.
"She's too little to have crushes," he tried again.
"How old do you think she is?" asked Charles, "She's only two years younger than you."
Biologically.
"Right," Kevin said.
He let go of Charles's wrist and then looked down at the construction paper.
"But I was making a card," he said, "And I thought you might want to write something in it, because I know you can't come, and she'll want to hear from you."
Charles smiled, gently taking the construction paper out of his hands.
"When are you leaving?" he asked.
"We thought tomorrow, at 10:30 a.m., so I need it back before then," said Kevin, "Scott's coming, and Laura, and Emma's going to be there, obviously. I think Kurt and Amanda are too. Now that Kurt's my cousin and all, he wants to visit."
It was true. When Raven had announced Kurt's parentage, Kurt had suddenly realized he had an aunt, an uncle, and a cousin. Another cousin would be on the way soon. He'd reached out, and Kevin had been waiting, almost as curious as Kurt.
It must have come as a shock to Kurt to realize his entire family had been right next to him for so many months.
"How much room do I have?" Charles asked.
"All of one side," said Kevin, "Just fold it in half first, because it's not a card if you don't. Laura was pretty insistent on that aspect."
"Sounds like her," Charles said.
And it did. Laura had only seen most tasks done two or three ways, some only one. It was that first time that struck her, because that was the right way. Anything Emma or Logan did would override that, but she was still learning. Soon, she would have to find her own path in all things but, for now, she was still a child.
He reached back, putting the paper on his desk.
"How are you?" he asked.
"You know," Kevin said, "You feel it too. I know you do."
Charles pulled him close, and Kevin leaned in closer.
"I know," he said, "I want things so badly to be normal for you to be good. I..."
He swallowed hard.
"I never wanted anything like this to happen," Charles said, "I...when she first brought you here, I thought things might get better. When you called me dad, I..."
"They'll get better," said Kevin.
His voice seemed soft, but quietly certain.
"I've already got a little brother on the way and...for the first time, I've got a dad as well as a mom," Kevin said, "I have friends. I just...we just need a few things, and then it's gonna be great. I just need to wait, right? And then it'll be fine."
Charles rocked him back and forth silently, praying that it would. Kevin was right: he did have more now. They all did. But one thing Charles had learned was that having more things just meant more could be taken away.
He'd learned that the hard way, just as Erik had. But they, like Erik, had a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Kevin was right: they would just have to wait it out.