Chapter Text
Charles could always feel his husband's thoughts. There was a beauty to them, an intensity, that he found intoxicating most days. Normally, Erik's thoughts were content, or at least hopeful. Over the past few weeks he'd been excited about the arrival of their two new sons. Today though, Charles could sense that Erik was nervous, concern bubbling beneath the surface. Erik wanted to pretend he was fine with this adoption, but Charles knew how anxious he was that it wouldn't go well, that he'd somehow drive their children away. Charles was sure Erik had nothing to worry about, but Erik lacked his certainty.
Stop worrying, Erik. They're going to love you. He pushed the thought forwards into Erik's mind as he wheeled along the corridor to the rooms that had been set aside for their children. His mansion was a ridiculously large space, and he had hopes of one day doing more with it, but for now he simply hoped to turn the ground floor of one wing into a family home.
Erik was fussing in the room they had put aside for the older boy, trying to make sure everything was arranged neatly. Charles watched him for a few moments, before he cleared his throat.
Erik jumped slightly, which was a sign of just how distracted he was - normally he could track Charles's wheelchair without any problems at all. "Hey, is everything okay? Did they call?"
"It's fine, Erik. They haven't called, but I could feel you worrying."
Erik smiled sadly, walking over and folding up his body so that he could curl up with his head against Charles's shoulder, one hand resting against his chest. Charles wrapped his arms around him, holding him in silence for a few moments, and felt the anxiety buzzing within his mind.
"What is it, my love?"
"I just... I want everything to be perfect," Erik admitted, and Charles knew how sincere Erik was in that wish.
"It isn't going to be," Charles told him, not unkindly. "They're going to be scared, and it's going to take time. But we can love them."
"We can," Erik agreed, leaning up for a brief kiss. "I just wish we could have done this properly, met them more..."
"I know," Charles soothed. "I know." He wanted that as well, but the two of them had volunteered to take in mutant children who had problems, and the two boys they were collecting in a few hours certainly had plenty of those. They were the only chance these boys had, and so rescuing them had to be the priority.
"What if we can't do this?" Erik muttered, and Charles gazed up into his beautiful stormy eyes.
"We can do this. We will bring them home."
Erik nodded, and Charles could tell he was picturing the photographs they'd seen of the two boys - the older boy was just twelve, and his brother was only seven. The rest of society had already given up on them, more than once. They knew they were the last chance for the two boys in that photograph, who were holding hands, the older glaring at the camera and the younger hiding his face against his brother's chest.
That photograph had been taken the day after they'd been rescued from the fire, and the older boy's hair was singed. The younger boy, Scott, insisted he'd been the one to burn down their last home, and due to his age and disability it had been decided to find him a suitable placement rather than lock him up. Charles had his own suspicions that the fire had been started by the older boy's abilities, but either way - this was their best chance at normality.
Erik had already drawn his own version of that photograph and had it in his office. Charles understood - having a family meant more to Erik than he could explain. Which was why he was working himself up into an anxious mess right now.
"Ready?" Charles asked, and after a moment, Erik nodded. Charles squeezed his hand. "You can drive."
"Thanks." Erik made his way to the garage, using his powers to unlock the car and then to stow Charles's chair once Charles had taken his seat. The focus of driving at least seemed to help him a little, and Charles kept his mind closely wound around Erik's own, to soothe him and help make sure they didn't crash. Luckily it wasn't far to the orphanage.
The woman who ran the place, a Mrs. Heather Hudson, came out to greet them, a look of relief obvious in her eyes. "It's so good to see you both, Dr. Xavier, Mr. Lehnsherr. The boys are really excited about today. Now, any problems at all, you get in touch..." She smiled at them, but Charles could feel the concern behind that grin. A quick brush of his mind showed that she was worried about Alex causing problems, and afraid of having him stay after the State Home for Foundlings had been burned. She didn't know how to support mutant children - these two were the first she had cared for, and they weren't easy by any means. Getting them into a home with mutant parents seemed to her to be the ideal solution, and she was desperately hoping that the placement worked out for them.
"I'll just fetch the boys." She excused herself, and Erik leaned in and placed a hand on Charles's shoulder. What do you think?
She's concerned, but she cares about them. I think she just feels unsure of what to do with them, but there's no harm there.
Good. There was a finality to that thought from Erik, and despite everything Charles couldn't help smiling at the fact Erik was so protective of their children.
He felt two minds approaching, not planning to look too deeply - the boys deserved better than that. But he could feel excitement and hope from one of them, and anger from the other - he assumed the latter was from Alex.
The boys turned around the corner, and he was able to see them in reality for the first time. Alex stopped in front of them, and glared slightly, looking over them, his attention lingering on Charles's wheelchair. Scott was gripping his brother's hand, his head tilted to one side slightly, a thick cloth wrapped across his eyes to try and stop him from accidentally using his powers.
Mrs. Hudson gave them a brief smile. "I'll just let you get acquainted. I'll be in the next room if you need anything at all."
"Thank you." Charles smiled, trying not to worry. He knew that this was going to work out, because the alternative was unthinkable. Alex's thoughts were loud, already wondering how he would fare in a fight against them, and even though Charles didn't want to listen he felt he had to say something, to stop Alex from going too far down that path.
"Hello," he greeted them. "It's good to meet both of you."
"Hello!" Scott said cheerfully, waving a hand. "I'm Scott!"
"I know, you're Scott and this is Alex. And the two of you are mutants, just like me and my husband."
"You're a mutant?" Alex asked, breaking his silence. "You don't look like a mutant."
"Mutants all look very different," Charles corrected. "I teach science at a university, and genetics, especially mutations, are one of my specialities. But we are mutants. Erik?"
Erik hovered a couple of small coins, reshaping them into tiny birds which he landed in Alex's hand.
"He's a metallokinetic, and I am telepathic, but I won't look into your thoughts unless you invite me in."
Concern flickered on Alex's face for a second, but then he nodded. "Thanks for the birds."
"You're welcome. I'm happy to make you boys whatever ornaments you'd like," Erik told them. "It's a hobby of mine, really. Making decorations and jewellery."
"It feels bumpy," Scott grinned, running his hand over one of the tiny creatures and then putting it into a pocket for safekeeping. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome," Erik answered, and Charles knew that his husband already loved both of their sons with his entire heart. He wasn't surprised by that - he knew how much Erik loved, and how much this family meant to him. He still felt a little anxious, but he tried to put his concerns aside. They'd passed all the checks, and these boys were never going to be given to a human family. This was their chance.
Charles just hoped he wouldn't fuck it up.
"Come on you two, let's get you home. We can have some pizza tonight because it'll be late."
"Can we have pepperoni?" Scott asked hopefully. "Or... or pepperoni with mushroom, because mushroom is Alex's favourite."
"We can have pepperoni and mushroom," Erik was reassuring, and he settled down to talk to the two boys as Charles set about filling in the remaining forms and reassuring Mrs. Hudson that the boys would be well cared for. There would be someone to check in on how the boys were settling in visiting in a few days, and Charles was looking forward to that visit, to the reassurance it would offer to all of them that things were going as well as could be expected.
Eventually, the boys were in the car, their twin suitcases in the trunk. Scott had claimed the middle seat and was resting against Alex's shoulder as Alex rubbed his back. Alex didn't do up his seatbelt, but Erik snapped it closed for him with a quick twitch of his fingers. Alex frowned, but didn't argue. Even without peering into his mind, Charles could sense the protectiveness and determination which were coming off of Alex in waves. He was determined to protect his brother, no matter what happened. Charles felt proud of him for that.
Erik put on some music for the drive home - a ghastly popular music channel that Charles was sure Erik had only chosen for their boys' sake - and the journey passed quietly, with only a few stilted attempts at conversation. Scott was clearly tired, and Alex was nervous, and his nervousness made him sharp.
Once they were home and a pizza order was put in, the two of them showed the boys their rooms. The two rooms were next to each other and currently fairly plain, although there were shelves, a desk for homework, and a large wardrobe.
"I know it's really quite modest for now," Charles explained. "I thought that you could decorate it however you wanted if we did it like this."
Scott stepped forwards into the room, holding out his hand for Alex. "What's it like?"
"It's a room." Alex shrugged and placed his hands on his brother's shoulders to turn him around, showing him around the room with far more pressure than Raven used when guiding Irene. "There's a bed there, and a desk, and a window, and a wardrobe." Alex put his brother on the bed. "Here."
"Thanks!" Scott clambered back to the pillows, drawing his knees up to his chest. "Thanks, all of you."
"That's okay," Erik answered as Alex fussed with his brother's hair.
After a moment, Charles smiled. "I've got a sister in law who is blind, and she might be able to advise you. Also, one of my friends does some research into mutations, he might-"
Alex stared at him in anger, and there was a slight shift in the air - the way it felt before a storm.
"Alex?"
"We aren't meeting your friend," Alex said, trying to sound confident even though it was obvious he was afraid. "Scott isn't some lab rat."
"My friend is a mutant as well," Charles corrected. He knew mutant children had sometimes heard horror stories of what scientists would do to them - he should have thought of that. Still, he could at least reassure him. "Hank is a very clever man, and he specialises in helping children with mutations that are difficult for them. He does wonderful things for them. And he won't do it if you don't agree."
Slowly, Alex nodded.
The rest of the evening stayed tense. Alex was clearly uncertain, but he did melt Charles's heart by carefully picking slices of pepperoni off his pizza to add to Scott's. Scott seemed delighted, and Charles could tell how much Alex loved him. The two of them were both yawning by the time dinner was finished, which was hardly a surprise after the stress of the day.
"I think it's time for you two to go to your rooms. If you need anything, we're just down the corridor," Charles reassured them, telling himself that it was going to be fine. Nothing was going to go wrong - they would sleep, and in the morning they'd make a fresh start. The two boys went to their bedrooms, and a short while later Charles curled up in bed with Erik, leaning against his husband.
"I'm so scared," he admitted. "There are so many ways this could go wrong."
"It won't," Erik promised. "I know... I know we can do this. They're great kids, just scared. And we've got each other. We'll be good for them."
Charles tried to relax, but a moment later he heard a door along the corridor creak open.
"I'll get it," Erik told him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before climbing out of bed. "You rest. It won't be long."
Charles watched his husband retreat, and tried to reassure himself that they were going to get through this. He trusted Erik, even if he wasn't sure that he would be a good father. He wanted to be. He was going to learn, and Erik would help him through it, show him how to be the kind of man he would need to be. The kind of man these boys deserved.