Chapter Text
People thought Peter's broken leg would keep him still. It did. But he was NOT happy about it.
6-8 weeks seemed like hell for the poor speedster. He could always be found looking at his broken limb with the saddest frown on his face. The others felt the depressed mood projecting and couldn't stand to be in the same room with him for more than an hour.
This made classes hard as others couldn't stay for the whole class. So, Charles started giving him private lessons.
It was going well...Until the first 30 minutes passed.
Tap tap tap. Tap tap. Tap tap tap. Taptap tap tap.
"Peter can you stop that? It's very distracting." Charles asked as he was cut off from his lecture.
Said mutant sighed and placed the two pencils on the desk. "Sorry."
"It's quite alright...Now, back to what I was saying. Shakespeare was a revolutionary writer and often chose to-"
"Some of them want use you. Some of them want to be used by you. Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused-" came the quiet mumbles of the speedster.
Charles sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Peter. Really. You need to focus."
"I'm trying! I really am! I just...Can't sit still." He said sadly.
Charles' eyes softened. "I know, Peter. But it can't be helped. You have five more weeks with a cast and then you'll be free to run all you'd like!"
"Five weeks is so far from now! I can't sit still that long! It'll kill me!"
A calculative look was thrown his way. Suddenly, Charles sighed and opened the bottom drawer on his desk. Out came a vase filled with lollipops.
"Whoah! Professor, you have a stash?!"
The professor nodded and set the vase on Peter's desk. "These should keep you busy until the end of the lesson."
Well...It lasted 45 more minutes.
Peter was a third of the way through the vase and he seemed even more active that before! The professor facepalmed. Of course. Sugar. Why did he think it was a good idea?
"Peter. I can obviously see this isn't going to work. Just...Make sure you study for the test next week and you can leave."
Said silver haired boy cheered and hobbled out on his crutches.
"That boy will be the death of me!"
~~~~
A week passed and Peter once again hobbled into the classroom.
He sat at his regular desk and seemed to already be squirming around.
"Okay, Peter. Today, you will take the test of Shakespeare. But, before we begin, I have something for you."
"Is it a puppy? A rabbit? A snake?! It's a snake isn't it?!" He babbled excitedly.
Charles shook his head. "It isn't an animal, but it will help you keep still."
Once again, the telepath opened his desk and tookn something out. Peter couldn't see what it was until it was placed on his desk.
It was a pacifier...plain white in color...Too large for a child.
"Sir...Why did You-"
Charles silenced him with a hand on his shoulder. "You're too restless, Peter. You won't be getting your cast off for another 4 weeks. So, for the sake of both our sanities, I purchased this."
Peter picked up the small object and examimed it closely. Yup. It was a pacifer. Thankfully, it was devoid of any childish designs.
"It's just like the lollipops, but this won't give you a sugar rush." The professor continued. "And it'll only be us in here. So, will you try it? Just for the test?"
Peter was silent for a few agonizing seconds until he nodded and placed the plastic in his mouth.
It took him a second to get the right rhythm, but when he did, it was like all tension left his body.
His leg stopped shaking, he slumped back into his seat, and his hands were still.
Charles was surprised to note that even his mind had slowed. Not enough for him to read it, but enough for him to notice small thoughts and feelings. Content being the main one.
Charles smiled and patted the boy's shoulder. "Alright. Let's take the test."
The room was silent all except the small sucking noises and the scrape of pencil on paper. Peter was surprised he actually knew a lot of the answers.
When he was finished, he handed the test to the Professor and watched as he graded it. The process wasn't as monotonous as he thought. With the pacifier to keep him busy, Peter found that it was actually pleasant.
-Eter...Peter? Are you listening?"
Peter was shocked out of his thoughts by Charles' voice.
"Hmm?"
Charles was hiding a smile behind his hand. "Peter, you passed the test with flying colors!"
Said speedster's eyes widened. He was so shocked that his pacifier fell out of his mouth an onto the table. "Really?!"
Kids outside of the room had to cover their ears from the sudden cheering that arose from the room.
Charles let the boy have his fun for a few more seconds until he calmed him. He was just as happy about the results as well.
"Well, Peter, you're free to go. Class will resume next week."
Peter couldn't stop smiling as he grabbed his crutches and hobbled to the door. He was just reaching for the knob when Charles called his name.
"Why don't you take this? I'm sure it'll help you overcome the next weeks until your cast comes off." Charles held the plastic out to Peter with a small smile.
A blush rose on the speedster's cheeks, but he nodded and took the pacifier. "Uh... Professor?"
"Yes, Peter?"
"Am I going back to regular classes now?"
Charles felt the anxiety pour off the boy in waves. "Yes, now that you have a method of calming your mind, I thought it would be best to return you to regular classes."
Peter chewed on his lip as his thumb rubbed the plastic shield of the pacifier.
"They'll make fun of me...The others..."
Charles silenced the boy's worries with a tap to his temple. "I'm a telepath, Peter. I'll make sure they won't say anything about it."
A small smile grazed Peter's lips as he nodded. He thanked the Professor profusely before opening the door and hobbling to his room.
Peter flopped onto the mattress. He examined the pacifier in his hand and slowly put it in his mouth.
Immediately, his body relaxed. He curled up in the middle of his bed and suckled contently until his eyelids felt heavy and the speedster fell asleep.
~~~~~
Peter walked into the class the week after feeling anxious. The Professor said he'd make sure no one made fun of him, but that was almost impossible for a school full of students.
It seemed he was the last to arrive as everyone looked at him upon entry.
"Okay, now that Peter is here, we can begin."
Peter took that as his cue and sat at his normal desk in the back. He took out a piece of paper for notes and already felt jittery.
'Peter? Where's your pacifier?'
Said speedster almost jumped out of his seat at the unexpected probing in his head. He looked up at the telepath and nodded towards his apologetic look.
"It's in my pocket, but I don't want anyone to see. They'll tell the others!"
Peter was aware how childish he sounded, but found that he didn't care.
"Don't worry, Peter. I can keep the class distracted. You should relax and focus on the lesson."
And so the lecture began.
Peter waited until everyone seemed engaged in their notes before taking the white pacifier out of his pocket and sticking it in his mouth. He relaxed immediately and saw Charles give him a look of pride.
Things were going great until Jean noticed the subtle suggestions probing the class.
'Stay focused.'
'Don't look behind you.'
'Listen to me.'
She easily pushed the suggestions away in favor of seeing what the Professor was so protective of.
Jean pushed her pencil off the side of her desk and, instead of levitating it up, she bent down to grab it. As she was bending down, she spared a look to the back of the class. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary until she saw Peter.
A snort rose from her mouth before she could stop it and it seemed to catch the attention of the other students who turned to see what caught her attention.
So many people rejecting his suggestions made Charles stumble mentally. The students got sight of Peter before he could stop them and laughs filled the classroom.
Peter's face turned pink then red as he shoved the plastic back into his pocket and limped out of the room. He pushed past Erik in the hall on his way to his room and didn't even acknowledge the man.
The Jewish mutant was curious and went to the class where laughs still came from. He was surprised when they all stopped out of the blue, but he soon found his explanation. Charles held a hand to his temple in concentration as he silenced all the students.
"Go to your rooms and forget what you saw here." He told them.
Erik watched as all of them stood robotically. All of them except Jean.
Erik let the students pass and stepped into the class. The door was shut behind him as he went to lean on a spare desk.
"Charles, what's happening?" He asked.
Charles looked at Erik sadly as Jean unfoze from whatever trance she was in.
"I am afraid I've wronged Peter terribly. I don't think he'll ever trust me again." Charles sighed and turned to Jean. "I'm disappointed in you, Jean. I'd think you of all people would know what it's like to be judged."
Jean's face redened and she crossed her arms. "I just thought it was funny that Peter's so old and still uses a pacifier."
Erik's eyes widened. "He does?"
"No!" Charles took a deep breath to rein in his temper. "I gave it to him because it slows him down and keeps him from thinking of running. And he agreed to use it today so he would not disturb the other student! I was supposed to distract everyone so they wouldn't see him."
"And Jean noticed, so she broke your control and saw Peter which made everyone else see?" Erik filled in.
"Yes. Peter must be so humiliated. I have to check on him."
Erik stepped in front of Charles before he could leave. "Deal with Jean. I'll check on him."
Charles looked at him strangely. "Are you sure, Erik?"
Erik nods and is out the door before Charles could voice any more doubt.
~~~~~
Peter's room was easy to find. If it weren't the 'beware of dog' sign, it would be to rock music blaring on the other side.
The lock was easy to open seeing as Erik had opened bigger and better things in his life. And the music was turned down with a flick of his wrist.
"Man, I'm not in the mood to entertain right now. So, if you could just go, that'd be great." Came he muffled voice of Peter.
He was laying on his his stomach with his face buried in his pillow.
"I came to talk to you about what happened in class."
"No, really? I thought you came to admire the atmosphere."
Erik restrained himself from smacking the boy on the back of the head. "Peter, I know you're upset-"
"Upset?!" Peter sits up faster than Erik registers. "No, Erik, I'm not upset. I'm fucking humiliated! Do you know what the others will say now that they know? They'll never take me seriously ever again."
Erik shook his head. "No, Peter. Charles wiped their minds of it. They don't remember."
Peter looks up at the metal bender suspiciously. "Professor wouldn't do that. He's got a thing with messing with students' minds."
"Are you sure about that? I don't think he'd let one of his X-Men be bullied and laughed at for something he suggested. Don't you?"
Peter didn't have an answer for that so he turned away and laid back down.
"Where is it?" Erik asked.
"Where's what?"
"The pacifier."
Peter's face heated up. "I don't know. I threw it over there somewhere." He said motioning to a leaning pile of comic books and CDs.
Erik walked over and shuffled said tower around until he found the white plastic. He wiped it on his shirt for a second before reaching in his pocket for a spare bit of metal always had for tinkering. It was a little silver ring he fidgeted with occasionally.
Without a thought, he wrapped it around the ring of the pacifier.
"Peter, look at this."
Peter turned curiously just as Erik tossed the plastic across the room. He watched as Erik summoned it again and tossed it to him.
"There. Now you won't lose it."
"I won't lose it if I never use it."
Erik sighed and sat at the edge of the bed. "Peter, it helps you learn in class and keeps you from dwelling on your inability to run. Charles will be very upset if you don't. And when he does he gets wrinkles. You don't want him to get wrinkles do you?"
Peter couldn't help but laugh at the joke. "Fine. If only to save the Professor from wrinkles."
Erik cracked a rare smile as well and summoned the pacifier. He popped it in Peter's mouth before the boy could register what happened.
The speedster spared a weak glare up at the metal bender but relaxed all the same. Small sucks filled the air.
Erik had a weird look on his face, but it was gone before Peter could figure out what it was.
He dismissed it through and curled up to his pillow. He absentmindedly noticed Erik leaving but didn't stop him.
~~~~~
Erik stalked back to Charles' class and noticed the professor staring out of the window.
"How did it go?" Charles asked.
"Why don't you tell me? I felt your probing."
Charles had the decency to look ashamed. "I apologize, friend. I was worried about Peter."
Erik nodded in agreement. "He was quite upset, but I managed to calm him down. He's not angry with you anymore."
The professor's shoulders slumped in relief. "That's great."
~~~~~
The days then blended together for the people at the school. Peter especially. It was a struggle at first for him to get used to using a pacifier during class, but it seemed as if nobody minded. He was positive there was some meddling from a certain bald telepath, but he felt it was best not to bring it up. Peter himself was surprised by the fact that he could enjoy life without running. In fact, his life was almost as great as it was before. Of course, nothing could stay happy. No. There was always something that ruined their almost perfect way of life.
Such an event came a week before Peter was scheduled to get his cast removed. He had gotten fed up with staying in the school on a couch all day and the professor finally took pity on him.
"There is a small garden area a little ways away with a few benches. I used to go there to clear my thoughts. You can sit and have a change of scenery." He said knowingly.
Peter had never felt better than he did when he sat down on a lightly padded bench on the outskirts of the woods. He wasn't that far seeing as how he could see the school a few football fields away. It was the perfect distance away to get some privacy while still being in reach of the professor.
So he sat.
Having gotten used to his broken leg, he didn't feel as restless and was able to enjoy the view.
There was a deer he could see a few feet into the woods. She was bent down to snatch berries off the bush next to her and Peter really wanted to pet her. He knew it would run at the first sign of trouble, but maybe it was used to humans seeing as how it was so close to the school. So, he stood from his bench, crutches forgotten seeing as how they could scare the doe away.
In place of the crutches, he leaned on trees nearby and tried to get closer to the graceful animal.
Like he had hoped, she didn't run at the sight of him. No, instead she stood amazingly still as he approached. Leaning heavily on a branch, he reached a hand out slowly. He was only inches away when the doe's head jerked away as she looked out in the distance. Quickly, she darted off into the woods.
Peter had a mere few seconds to wonder what could have scared her off when he felt something being shot into his neck. A deft hand reached up to yank whatever it was out.
A dart. One of those animal tranquilizer darts at that.
And just like that, he felt the world swim. Another sting, this time in his arm.
Peter was out before he hit the ground.
~~~~~
"Charles, where is Peter?" Erik asked walking into the telepath's office.
"Greetings to you too, my friend." Charles smiled at his own joke. "Peter's out in my garden to enjoy some alone time. Last I checked, he had found a doe."
Erik's brow furrowed as he walked to the window. He knew what garden the professor was speaking of, but he couldn't see the trademark silver haired boy. Only a pair of crutches.
"He's not out there!" Erik said, dread rising.
"What do you mean he's not-" Charles halted in his words. He had tried to reach out to touch Peter's mind, but hit a wall. He couldn't feel the speedster's mind at all.
Erik seemed to pick up on this as he stood right in front of the telepath. "What happened? Where is he?"
"I...I don't know..."
"What do you mean you don't know?!"
"I can't feel his mind. Something's blocking it."
Erik was out the door before Charles could even finish the words.
~~~~~
When Peter woke up, he was slumped on a cold floor. Concrete. It was freezing cold. There was no light.
Just as the thought passed through his mind, bright blinding lights flashed on. He covered his eyes at the pain as a voice came through a speaker.
"Where is Erik Lehnsherr?" The voice demanded.
Peter froze. Oh God. Not this.
"I-I don't know who that is..."
A cold blast of something blasted him in the back and he cried out. It was over almost instantly and he was left shivering. Looking around, he saw cold water draining through a drain in the middle of the concrete room. He was soaked with it and there was no blanket or towel to dry off.
"Where is Erik Lehnsherr?" The voice asked again.
"I told you man, I. Don't. Know. Who. That. I-"
Another blast, this one directly to the face.
He was left spluttering on the floor as he coughed up lungfuls of water.
"Where is Erik Lehnsherr?"
"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW ALRIGHT?!"
Wrong answer.
More water.
What felt like an eternity later, he was left barley able to speak as he shivered. Pressed up against the corner as if he could shield himself from the onslaught, he sniffled. He was definitely going to be sick.
"Tell us what we want to know and we'll put you down quickly."
Peter whimpered. He fucking whimpered. Of course, he'd been trained not to give in. He knew better. He'd rather die than be responsible for someone else's death.
“F-F-Fuck. Y-Y-Y-You!” He spat.
And so began another round of torture.
~~~~~
It was remarkably easy to track down the people who had taken Peter. Hank had used his surveillance system to spot a suspicious armored vehicle speed away from the Xavier property in under 3 hours. It was almost too easy to find a nearby warehouse where they were hiding poor Peter.
Erik and Charles led the way into the building. Erik crushing the helmets of anyone who approached him and Charles. Charles digging through the weak minds of those carelessly tossed aside to direct the team through the halls. Finally, they came across a large steel door with several locks on it. Erik took one look at it and flicked his wrist. The metal crunched and warped on itself to expose a dark room with a flickering light above.
For a second, Erik thought they had walked into the wrong room, but then he caught a glimpse of platinum hair in the corner. The whole team rushed over in unison only to be halted by the most pitiful, heartbreaking, and wounded screech from the man in the corner.
They looked on as Peter shook and tried to shield himself from what he thought to be another attack.
“I don’t know! P-P-Please!...I don’t know! Kill me! Please just kill me!” He begged.
Erik felt rage boil inside of him. Not towards the boy in front of hhim. No. It was towards the scum leaking brain matter all over the floor outside of the room. Even so, he was not able to hide the emotion from Peter.
“Peter. We’re leaving!” He demanded.
The boy just shook harder and curled up impossibly tighter. Sobs were forced out of his body as he cried out. His skin was unbelievably pale and his lips were tinted blue. The thin clothes he wore stuck to his skin leaving no protection against the elements.
“Erik, you need to calm down—“
“No, Charles! I will not calm down! Look what they did to him! Look at him and tell me those maggots outside deserve to live!” Erik spat as he pointed at the cowering boy. “Your precious humans did this. He’ll never be the same!”
“This is not about me, Erik! This is about Peter. He needs to get out of here or he’ll get hypothermia and die! Is that what you want? For Peter to die while you fulfill some vendetta?”
The pair stared at each other in a challenging way. Erik broke away first and crouched in front of Peter. He didn’t care about his pants getting wet. He just tried to get closer to Peter.
“Peter…I need you to look at me. It’s me…Erik Lehnshe-“
“NNNNO! NO! NO! NO! I DON’T KNOW HIM! BAD! BAD! BAD MAN!” Peter screamed out as a fist came up and hit his temple. It happened again and again as he repeated himself. He was stopped as a hand grabbed his own and shook him out of his thoughts. He gazed up at the Jewish man and whimpered.
Erik’s eyes softened. “Shhh…It’s okay…Everything is going to be okay.” He whispered. “It’s me…You know me. You’re safe with us.”
Erik was almost bowled over as Peter threw himself at him. He was quick to hold onto the boy despite the freezing cold seeping through his clothes. “That’s it. Nice and easy…Let’s get you warmed up.”
Erik carried the speedster outside and to their own armored vehicle. Hank had set up a first response station as they approached.
“He needs to get those wet clothes off.” He said grabbing towels and blankets from the various cases.
Erik didn’t even look back to know that the others had made themselves scarce. Only Charles and Hank remained. Erik turned back to the boy in is arms and reached for his shirt. It was difficult to remove sopping wet clothes from Peter’s body, but he managed. Hank was quick to follow with heated blankets to wrap around him. The entire time, Peter did not remove his head from Erik’s shoulder.
The drive back to the mansion was short, but quiet.
~~~~~
A problem arose when they arrived at the mansion and had Peter in Hank's lab for a check up.
The speedster's cast was soaking wet and they had no choice but to remove it seeing as his toes were still blue. Luckily, it was only a week before it was scheduled to come off. Hank managed to set up a brace for the foot until the week was up.
"I'm sure Peter will be quite happy about that." Charles said with a small smile.
Said boy had fallen asleep some point during the trip. Erik dreaded having to wake him from his sleeping position against his shoulder. Sadly, Peter needed to eat. He had gone too long without a meal without adding in his faster metabolism.
Erik had somehow managed to dress Peter in a pair of sweats and an old Nirvana shirt. By that he meant shimmying clothes onto the boy and freezing when he so much as breathed wrong. He couldn't explain his sudden care of the boy, but felt he was in some way responsible for him.
The fact that Peter was taken to get information on Erik was not lost on him.
Finally, he had to wake Peter up to eat. Erik tried to be as gentle as possible when he shook the speedster's shoulder, but it didn't stop him from nearly falling on the floor in surprise. Luckily, Erik has a secure hold on him.
"You need to eat, Peter." He said.
Peter didn’t react as he sniffled against Erik’s shoulder.
The metal bender quietly carried the boy into the kitchen to sit at the table. Again, Peter didn’t make a sound. Making a sandwich, Erik put it in front of the daydreaming boy. He could hear Peter’s stomach growl. Still, he didn’t reach for it.
“Peter?” Erik prodded quietly.
“Mm?”
“You have to eat now.”
“ ‘Kay.”
Peter reached over and picked up half of the sandwich. He was slow as he brought it up to his mouth and took a hesitant bite. It was as if a switch had been flicked and he began to devour the sandwich.
“Shh…Slow down, Peter. Nobody’s taking it away.” Erik soothed.
Peter looked up at Erik for the first time and clumsily wiped away a spot of mustard on his lip. “So’y. G’d san’ich.” He mumbled.
Erik smiled kindly. “That’s okay, Peter. Just take it easy.”
He was quick to make another sandwich as Peter showed no sign of being full after the first one. Even so, he didn’t reach for the second sandwich.
“Aren’t you still hungry, Peter?”
Peter didn’t answer verbally, but he spared a look at the offered food. “Mine?”
Erik placed the food onto Peter’s plate. “All yours, Peter.”
It took three more sandwiches and a large glass of milk before Peter slumped pleasantly in his chair. “Thank you…” He mumbled as he fought off a yawn.
“No need to thank me, Peter. Let’s just get you up to bed. You’ve had quite a rough day.”
There was no fight put up as Erik carried Peter up the stairs to his room. Erik soon had the boy tucked into bed and found the pacifier with a flick of his wrist. “Here you go, Gepard.” He said gently as he pushed the plastic into Peter’s mouth. The speedster’s mouth immediately began to work the rubber teat as his eyes drifted shut.
Erik watched the other mutant sleep for a long while. He couldn’t explain the feeling that overcame him as he watched. It felt peaceful and natural. Just as he watched Nina sleep after long nights at the factory. Gepard? He had to admit, the name was fitting. But terms of endearment? Peter was an adult. Then again, he didn’t put up much of a fuss about it…
With a heavy sigh, Erik stood finally and walked to the bedroom door. “Goodnight, Gepard.” He muttered before closing the door behind him.
~~~~~
Erik was surprised when Charles touched his mind the next morning. “Erik. I need your help. It’s Peter.”
The last word barely passed between the two before Erik was taking the stairs two at a time to get to the speedster’s room. When he arrived, he was surprised at the sight he saw.
Peter had obviously wet the bed. The large stain covered the sheets and the front of Peter’s pants from where he sat shaking in the corner. Charles looked pale, most likely from trying to enter the boy’s fast mind.
“Bad! Bad! Bad! Bad!” Peter repeated with his hands over his ears.
Erik’s instincts kicked in before he could stop them. “Shhh, Gepard. Look at me. Look. It’s me.” He soothed as he crouched in front of the younger mutant.
Peter sobbed as he met the man’s eyes. “Bad!”
Erik shook his head and gently placed his hands on Peter’s wrists. “No. Not bad. Not bad at all.”
It took a lot of calm, quiet reassurances before Erik was able to remove Peter’s hands from his ears. He wiped away Peter’s tears with the back of his hand. “Good. Good boy.”
“G-Good?”
“Good. You’re a good boy, Peter. I think it’s time to get cleaned up.”
Peter all but slumped against the wall in relief. He wasn’t in trouble. “ ‘Kay…”
~~~~~
That night, Charles proposed a solution. Of course, Peter protested right away.
“No! NO! No diapers! I’m not a baby!” He said immediately as Charles held up the package.
“It won’t make you a baby, Peter. It’s only to help you!” Charles defended.
Luckily, Erik chose that moment to enter. He had heard Charles’ calls and had prepared himself for the worst. He was surprised by what he found.
“Erik, please explain to Peter that diapers will not make him a baby.” Charles said incredulously.
Erik took the package from Charles and took a moment to look at them. Plain except for a blue wetness indicator down the middle. Pretty absorbent based on the writing on the package.
“Charles is right, Peter. Wearing diapers won’t make you a baby. It makes you more responsible for trying to solve the problem.” He said sitting on the bed. Peter crossed his arms and spared a look at Charles. Erik picked it up easily. “Charles, can you leave us to talk?”
The telepath nodded easily and headed out the door, locking it behind him.
When they were alone, Erik patted the space next to him. Peter didn’t think as he slumped into it. “I don’t want to have an accident.” He muttered.
“I know, Peter. But you were in a very traumatizing experience.”
‘I know…but…diapers?” Peter whispered as if the word was a curse.
Erik couldn’t help the chuckle. “Yes, diapers. There’s no other solution.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to dump all of this on you.” Peter said suddenly.
The metal bender sighed and wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulder. He knew how the speedster must feel and felt pride that he was able to overcome it to better himself. “No. You are not dumping this on me. I’m glad you’re confiding in me.” He reassured. “Now, would you at least try the diapers? For only a couple of nights?”
Peter bit his lip before nodding. “I guess.”
A few minutes later, Peter limped out of his adjoining bathroom with arms wrapped around his torso and head pointed down.
“Any trouble?” Erik asked in the same place as before.
“Uh…No. They’re…different. Weird.” He shuffled nervously and blushed as a rustling sound rose in the air.
Erik chose to ignore it as he pulled the blankets back on the bed. “I think it’s time for bed now.”
Peter tried to hustle over to the bed as quickly as possible but the crinkle was audible to Erik immediately. Again, the metal bender chose to ignore it as not to embarrass the boy further. Soon, the boy was in bed and under the blankets.
“Goodnight, Gepard.” Erik said pulling the blankets up and summoning the white pacifier. He slipped it into Peter’s mouth. Peter, obviously exhausted, felt his eyes flutter immediately.
“G’night…Papa.” He mumbled as he snuggled into the pillow.
Erik froze. Papa…That was definitely new. He could understand of course. From his knowledge, Peter had never had a father figure growing up. It would only make sense that he imprint on Erik as a father figure…He supposed, only in private, the term would be okay. Just as Peter was Gepard, Erik was Papa.
~~~~~