Erik was not the most artistically inclined person. He could appreciate art, and could somtimes even analyze it with a certain degree of intelligence. But he was by no means an art buff.

" Umm, I don't know what I'm doing," Erik was fumbling to mold the clay he had been given into what he wanted. It looked like a Picasso painting in pottery form. How had he been talked into this anyway? Ah, Raven of course, with her silver tongue, always chiding him into one bet or another. Really it was his own ego that pushed him into ludicrous situations. But they could be so lucrative sometimes. This time he had been forced into an art contest with some unknown rival. The winner took home three hundred dollars along with the loser doing their house chores for a week. In short she made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

"Really? I hadn't noticed, " Raven looked smugly at the six foot figure bent over in a kindergarten kid's seat. He, in return, looked up and gave a mean huff.

At just that moment Peter sped in, leaving a tornado of finger paintings in his wake. He looked at the poor clay pot his father had made with fake enthusiasm.

" Having fun metal head? Just kidding, it looks…. good. I mean it looks like, um, like a Dali!" He sheepishly rubbed his head and then made his way to stand behind Charles and Raven in preparation for the lash back.

' Nice save right ? ' Peter aimed a sly smile at Charles.

' We'll see about that…' He chuckled inwardly.

" Salvador Dali was a painter young man, " Erik was speaking through his teeth. His head fell into his hands.

" Honestly, what are you teaching them Charles?" Raven perked up.

" Oh nothing important, " she began, " just how to survive in a world all too trigger happy to gun them down, but please do keep talking of how cultured you are." Erik rolled his eyes.

Suddenly there was tension, not a heavy tension, but a friendly tone that seemed to vocalize the closeness of their relationship. Charles now outwardly laughed.

" It's getting quite lively huh?," he wiped a tear from his eye and wheeled himself towards Raven and Erik. He pat his good friend on the shoulder and wrapped Raven's waist in a hug. Truly is was in these moments that Charles felt most content.

" Well, if you can't do pottery, you could always make modern art out of metal daddio-" Peter promptly shut his mouth. Erik looked at the young man and quirked his eyebrow. It seemed that the whole room was holding its breath. Peter certainly was. Raven gave out an amused sough.

'Wow,' she thought, 'smooth.' She rubbed her temples as Charles light elbowed her in the side.

" 'Daddio'? What is this the 50s ?" And all at once the breath was released.

" Hahahaha, well I try to use lingo you dinosaurs will understand ya know?"

' Close call my boy. If you want, you could tell him right here right now, we'd be here to offer support.' Peter winced. No. He wanted to tell Erik on his own.

' Thanks Professor, but I wanna tell him by myself.'

" Well don'f forget," Erik pointed at his chest, "this dinosaur can still throw down… dude," Erik huffed and stood up. And as he went to stride out of the room he paused next to the silver haired mutant and awkwardly scruffed Peter's hair with a pleased sigh and left the small room with a slight grin.

"Hey! Don't forget you can choose whatever art medium you want! Keep at it… DADDIO!" Peter called after him with a large smirk across his face.

Later that day, Erik was strolling through the gardens smiling to himself. It really felt as if he could build a life here. He had before. He was surrounded by his closest friends and by fellow mutants who thought him a hero. He even began enjoying the sounds of children running amok in the mornings. And he felt the pleasantness of making a new friend. That Maximoff kid was quite cute,in his own eccentric way. But there was a part of him that didn't trust this calm. He knew better than to get too comfortable. Knew better than to get too attached. He had lost his parents, he lost his wife and child. Settling in one place too long never seemed to work out in his favor.

' Ha!,' he thought grimly, 'I seem to attract more than metal. I'm a magnet for tragedy huh?' He sat on one of the many stone benches. The sky was beginning to dim into a pool of pale orange, and suddenly he was sad. Tears began to well up as he was filled with longing, and regret.

'This isn't how it was supposed to be.' He held his head in his hands trying to muffle his sobs. There was silence for a long while, until a familiar voice rang clear.

'Old friend,' it was Charles, of course it was. He didn't need this now. Didn't want to be coddled like a child.

'I'm fine, I was just nostalgic for the past is all,' he sniffed and wiped away the tears that were trying hard to push past his fingers. It seemed like he was always the most broken, always the burden, and it wasn't like he could disagree, but he just wished it weren't true. He wished he weren't wrong all the bloody time!

Charles was heading towards the large garden now. He knew Erik didn't like to be comforted. But he was his friend, and he'd be damned if he didn't try. Charles understood perfectly well Erik's feelings. Hank had babbied him well enough when the first class X men had disbanded and it was belittling to tell the truth. He knew loss, he knew the pain of losing his family. But still, here he was, fighting the good fight, giving purpose to his own life! He just wanted his friend to be able to accept that good things could happen to him once again.

As he was wheeling his way forward there was an abrupt catch in his wheelchair and before he could realize he was eating a face full of mud.

'Ahem, umm, old friend-' before he could finish a roaring voice, that he identified as Erik's, was surging threw his brain.

'No! You listen old friend, if I wanted your help I'd ask now stop trying to pry!' Erik was slightly seething; the corners of his eyes started to turn red.

'While you do make a good point, it is actually I, that require your assistance. I seem to have fallen near the entrance to the garden, right next to the grove of lilies.'

'Oh.' Erik was on his feet quickly. He laughed to himself, a big hardy laugh.

'Sorry old friend, I'm on my way.' Charles rolled his eyes.

'Don't think I didn't hear you laughing!'

'I was hoping you would to be honest,' he sighed. He turned round the bend to see a bald man face down in the wet mud. It was quite the sight to see the oh so prestigious teacher eat dirt like a school kid who had just biffed it on a bike. For a moment Erik thought he might leave him there. But ultimately decided against it.

Steadily, Erik grabbed Charles by his waist and shoulder and flung the telepath over his shoulder. He landed with a hard 'umph'.

"Erik! Please put me in my chair," he struggled in vain to break free of the strong arms that barred him. Erik didn't listen.

" Your chair is covered in mud my good sir. I'll carry you back to the manor and clean your chair afterwards." Charles huffed, annoyed.

"I asked for a bit of assistance not a knight in shinning armor, thank you very much." He crossed his arms in protest. Erik sniggered at how pathetically cute he was being.

"Well just consider this payback for always trying to pry open my psyche old man!" Erik jostled his friend playfully around for a bit.

"Who are you calling old man? OLD MAN." Erik was now walking towards the academy with the Professor in tow and many students gawking at the absurd sight.

"And another thing! PAYBACK?! Erik you PARALYZED me!"

"Oh you are just never gonna let that go are you? Seriously Charles, what are you 12?" Charles rolled his eyes and tucked his head into the other mans shoulder. Talking into it he replied, "Oh yeah i just can't walk anymore, no biggie… nothing I can't look past for a friend."

"There, see how easy that was?" Charles narrowed his eyes.

"Don't think I won't sick the kindergarteners on you."

Early in the morning, when the sun was just showing itself, Erik crept out of his bed to sneak into the art room and practice his acrylic painting. His feet hit the wood floor quietly and with expert precision as not to disturb the sleeping.

As he entered the colorful room he spotted a certain silver haired boy in the corner. It was quite dizzying to watch the young man speed and slow as to get his art just right. He had to lean on the door frame to catch his balance. Slowly, with his expert X men presicion he moved towards the acrylics.

Quickly Peter spun around to run to the painting cabinet only for him to entangle himself with the older man, who he noticed was moving at a snails pace. Luckily Peter caught his dad by the head just in time to give them a somewhat soft landing.

"OW! Damn that hurt!" Erik tried to sit up but noticed a certain young man was lying atop his chest. There was a short silence that was cut off as Peter playfully responded, "Well I guess you know who your up against, ya scared yet?" Peter smirked and waggled his eyebrows. Erik looked down at the mutant who was now laying his head in his hands like a school girl and smirked.

"When pigs fly Peter. Well now I know I'm gonna win at least," Erik waggled his own eyebrows back. Peter scoffed. Oh it was on now.

"You just keep underestimating me then, it'll make it an even sweeter victory when you lose!"

'Oh poor boy, he actually thinks he can win,' Erik comically wiped a tear from his eye. He was beginning to like the kid, he really was, but he wasn't about to let three hundred dollars and free labor slip through his fingers. He would admit that maybe pottery wasn't his strong suit but he still had four days to pull his act together, and he had done more with less time.

"Wow daddio, you're pretty firm for a forty year old sweet potato," Peter was poking his chest now with a lighthearted curiosity. Erik couldn't help but roll his eyes again.

"I do work out young man, as opposed to you. You're heavier than I thought, maybe less Totino's pizza rolls and more broccoli?" It was Peter's turn to roll his eyes.

'Who does he think he is? His dad?'

'Oh yeah,' he cackled to himself.

"Well if you say so DAD, but I won't like it," he began to push himself off the mans chest.

In the process of untangling their limbs Jubilee appeared in the entrance to the room stunned and flustered to see the house guest and her close friend entangled and a mess on the floor!

"O-oh! Umm I'll just be going!" she sped outta there almost as fast as Peter. The two gentlemen promptly picked themselves up. There was an air of awkwardness between them now, much like the one that had plagued their visit to McDonald's.

Peter felt a bit deflated that his hard work had been for nothing. He hoped to keep their relationship light and to hopefully tell Erik he was his father when they were both comfortable around each other. He was actually starting to know who his father was, he was getting to know the softer side of the Iron Maiden.

"Well! As fun as it was to take a trip with you, I have some paintings to attend to," and with that Peter bowed and took his leave.

Erik groaned. How was he supposed to explain this to Charles if he found out. Well that's if he found out. He suddenly had the idea to talk to Jubilee.

Jubilee was on her way to visit Raven, the only adult she felt closest to. How was she going to reveal what she just saw?

'I mean, sure they're both legal adults but he's got twenty years on Peter! And they're gay?! Peter was always so suave, well I guess I shouldn't assume, but still-'

'May I ask what's on your mind Ms. Lee? You're awfully loud this morning,' Charles rounded the corridor with a quizzical look upon his face.

"Oh! Professor, um, I was actually about to voice my concerns to Raven," she bit her tongue not knowing if should tell anyone at all. He gave her a smile.

"Well how 'bout Raven and I listen then?" Jubilee nervously shook her head and led him to the library where Raven began her day helping Logan teach mutant history.

"Well that's why I'm asking you, I don't know where she sped off to after I left the room," Erik was talking to his friend in the corner of the large library trying to learn the whereabouts of the bubbly Jubilee.

"Well lucky for you, she's here, now go, class begins in fifteen!" Raven shooed her companion away for him to be met by an edgy mutant teen and a very curious headmaster. Erik immediately made a hard right towards the door.

"Erik! How splendid of you to be up with us on this fine morning! Speaking of, what are you doing up so early?" Charles wore a smirk that signaled he had found his culprit. Of what , he didn't know, but he intended to find out. And he had a sneaking suspicion that somehow his friend was at the center of whatever Ms. Lee was about to confess.

"Nothing! I was just catching up with Raven, well I'll make my leave if you don't mind, I should go eat-" Raven had mysteriously emerged behind Erik, sly eyes telling him that he was under the bus now.

"Breakfast can wait can't it, I have a feeling there's something important you might want to hear, Old Friend." And with that the four were sat at an oak table.

*sorry for the super late update! School got way intense! hope it was't too hard on all you lovelies! I'm working on the next chapter right now, so look forward! Also have a good day, love ya and remember prompts are always accepted, well suggestions, just run something by me sometime ;) k byeeee