Chapter Text
It's hard to live with Pietro. His irritable nature makes it difficult to simply coexist, especially in the state Erik is in. It's lonely, compared to the constant chatter Erik is used to from the Brotherhood.
Even now, only few feet apart, it feels like they are separated by a thick wall of their shared history. Pietro pointedly ignores them while they're preparing the food.
Despite the distance between them - and to Erik's surprise - Peter had shoved a heavy plastic bag towards Erik before harshly asking whether he knows how to make pierogi.
Erik carefully nods before peering into the bag to see if everything they needed was there.
"You don't need to check old man. Everything is there. The man who sold me these told me that is all that is needed for the recipe." Pietro snaps.
Erik wordlessly starts unpacking the food while getting a pot to boil the potatoes. He then reaches for the peeler but Pietro catches it before it can get to Erik.
"Let me help." His offer to help sounds more like a command.
"Erik hands Peter the potatoes before turning to start making the batter. He still vividly remembers him and Ruth with their mother watching her making them, while Erik and Ruth battled for her attention to tell her what happened that day.
Erik sometimes wishes him and Peter could have that atmosphere when they cook together. But all Erik hears are the potato peels landing against the side of the metal bowl while Pietro peels them. Not in super speed, leaving Erik once again surprised
Erik works wordlessly next to him when he feels it. It's an odd feeling, like a pressure in his head. A familiar presence.
A telepath nearby.
It isn't as obvious as it would be if he still had his powers, his mental shields have significantly weakened since. He looks at Pietro to see if he's similarly affected.
"What are you staring at?" Pietro doesn't look up from his work, but notices anyway.
"Do you not feel it?" Erik asks in concern. Perhaps his mind is playing tricks on him. They are, after all, away from any settlement.
"Feel what?" Pietro asks in exasperation. "There's nothing."
Erik frowns. Why would Pietro lie about such a thing? But then, maybe he was more sensitive to it than others, from his time spend with Charles and Emma.
Pietro tilts his head. "I asked you a question." He snaps. "What should I feel?"
The passing sensation is already over. Erik shakes his head. "Nothing."
Pietro doesn't let go though as stubborn as Erik. "What did you feel?" He questions further.
Erik doesn't answer but simply grabs the freshly peeled to shred them and then finally drain them. Instead Pietro grabs Erik's wrist hard enough to bruise later. It wouldn't be the first time.
"Tell. Me." Pietro says through gritted teeth.
"I felt someone in my mind." Erik finally declared after what felt like an eternity. "It felt like him."
Pietro scoffed once again. "Okay? And we have at least five telepaths living. You saw him die."
Pietro doesn't even have to say his name anymore. Everyone knows that Erik loved a small group of people and who had been in that group. Erik still foolishly hopes that he survived Jean somehow. Pietro turns his back to Erik before erupting. "He is gone and you have to stop chasing ghosts."
Erik sighs. He knows Pietro is right. If he truly felt someone in his mind and it wasn't just a foolish wish, it couldn't be Charles. He rubs his wrist. It hurts, but he'll concern himself over that another time. It doesn't bother him as much when it comes from Pietro. He causes him enough grief in life to deserve it. Pietro always seemed to hurt him carelessly nowadays and Erik has given up on resisting. The only thing he could do was not irritate him further.
Pietro lets him continue cooking. "I'll check the perimeter." It's a flimsy excuse at best. "Make the food before I'm back."
He's gone in a breeze of ozone smelling air. He does that a lot.
Erik keeps on working on the pierogi, doubling the portions to make sure that Pietro doesn't go to bed hungry now that they for once have food and Erik doesn't have to pretend to not hear his son's stomach from the bed while pretending to be asleep to not further agitate him.
When Pietro comes back, the pierogi are already cold where Erik left them for him on the counter, while Erik had left to wander in the forest nearby. The cramped room heightened the ever present unease within Erik.
It happens again a week later. Erik drops the cutlery he's holding when he once again feels that familiar presence that he felt last years ago but instead of the calming effect it used to have, now all it leaves is confusion and fear. Is someone watching them?
Pietro drops from where he was sitting on the kitchen counter by the cacophony caused by Erik. "What happened?" Pietro inquires while moving to Erik's side in a split second. "Are you sick?" Pietro continues while simultaneously pressing the back of his hand on Erik's forehead.
Erik shakes his head. This means Peter can't feel it. Despite it being so clear and distinctive. Erik attempts to close his mind the way Emma taught him when they were stuck in random withered motels for weeks at a time. But he can't do it. Losing his powers seem to also have affected that.
Pietro snaps his fingers in front of Erik's face. "Lehnsherr, what is happening? Is it that thing again?" To Erik's surprise he does truly sound concerned. "Is it getting closer?" Concern quickly turns into anger when Erik doesn't react. "Answer me, for fucks sake!" He smacks his hand on the table, the dishes rattling.
Erik looks at Pietro. Blue meets brown. "He- It feels close."
"Do you want to scan the place? That person has to be somewhere close."
"No" Erik's voice is strict.
It couldn't be him. It must be someone playing tricks on Erik.
So they must have known him well enough to know what affects him but Erik trusted all the mutants that he kept close.
Erik goes for the door with his hand on the door handle when Pietro appears in front of him.
"Let me check, old man. You have no powers. I can run away."
"No. You stay here. This person is calling for me not you" Erik declares, in hopes that Pietro will just accept it.
"You don't know who they're calling for. It could be for everyone. It could be a trap." Pietro snaps. "Superspeed blocks telepathy. And the people that would call for you are the people you don't want to see."
Erik keeps his hand on the handle. The urge to go is strong but he knows Pietro is right. He couldn't defend himself if it was a foe. He wasn't even strong enough to raise his mental shields. It could be a trick.
The presence in his mind stays still and intense. He can't block it.
Pietro pushes his hand off the handle, gentler than usual. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." His voice is firm with the last sentence.
Erik takes a chair and places it close to the door not wanting to be too far should Pietro not manage to evade danger. The wait isn't long as five minutes later Pietro is back looking as calm as always.
"I looked everywhere. There is nobody for miles. Maybe you just imagined it?"
Erik deflates but relents. "Yes, maybe. We should just go to sleep".
Before sleep takes over him, all Erik can see are familiar blue eyes.