Work Text:
The door to Pietro's room are open. Magneto knocks anyway. After the speedster invites him in, he comes with a heavy heart.
It's the first time since he sent his son back to Charles. Magneto looks him over. His wrists and ankles are bandaged, his skin still mottled with bruises. Magneto still refuses to look away. He did this.
Pietro stares at him, pale like he'd seen a ghost. He scrambles back, closer to the corner. Slowly.
Too slowly.
There's an inhibitor collar on his neck.
Why would he have that? Charles didn't restrain his students now, did he? All the metal things in the room start to shake and rise.
It's Pietro's terrified look that forces Magneto to let go of them. He scarred him enough already, he didn't want to terrify him further.
"What do you want?" Pietro asks, false bravado in his voice everpresent. He doesn't look very fearless now, brown eyes blown wide. Magda's eyes.
"I wanted to see how you're doing, Pietro." His own voice comes out raspy as well. There's a lump in his throat, guilt eating him alive since he found out.
Pietro keeps looking at him. Studying him. After a while he answers. His voice is still as hoarse as it was when they last spoke, ugly green bruises are still visible under the collar. "Better than before." He starts fidgeting with a Rubik's cube he was holding before Magneto entered.
"Why do you have the collar?" He asks the question that's burning his tongue.
Pietro drops the cube again. When he looks at Magneto, his eyes are full of anger. "I can't heal when my metabolism burns all the food on speed. And the refeeding syndrome makes it hard to get enough calories."
Magneto feels like all the air has been squeezed out of him. The guilt from the pit of his stomach fills his entire body.
Pietro's eyes keep studying him. He can see his jaw clench before he speaks again. "Hank said I'll be able to take it off soon." The anger in his eyes goes away, leaving only tiredness.
Soon. That was good. "That's good news."
Pietro doesn't say anything to that.
"I wouldn't want to keep you busy." He can't face him anymore. His boy, so broken by his actions. He turns to the door. "I wish you a fast recovery. And... I'm so sorry."
He leaves in silence. Pietro lets him.