Chapter Text
Charles Xavier absolutely hated Erik Lehnsherr with every fiber of his being. Erik was cocky and stubborn, and pushed every single one of Charles’ buttons. He told himself he wouldn’t let Erik get to him, but he really does get under his skin.
He first met the metal bender in college in the laundry room of all places. Having there only be five washers and dryers in a dorm filled with nearly fifty students, laundry was a competition. Charles, being knowledgeable of this, always did his laundry every Saturday at five in the morning. Most students were still out partying at this time or sleeping off their hangover that they got from the previous night so the laundry room was free.
Or so Charles thought.
Someone started to pick up on his pattern and took the last available laundry machine that there was. Charles glared at the tall figure with auburn hair as he recognized him being the same boy who always debates with Charles in his Mutant Rights class: Erik Lehnsherr.
“Do you find it the least bit creepy that you’re starting to copy my morning regimen?” Charles asked as he slammed down his laundry basket hard on one of the washers and glared at Erik.
“You’re the telepath,” Erik mused, turning to look at Charles’ glare with a sly smirk, “it’s not my fault your habits have become useful to me.” Charles shook his head at the mutant and slumped down in a nearby chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
“If I was mistaken I’d say you were stalking me, Erik,” Charles brisked as he watched him take a seat next to him, both waiting for the laundry to be done.
“It is a small school, Charles. Considering that we live in the same dorm and have classes together, I am bound to run into you,” Erik pointed out and Charles grunted in distaste.
“So you’re observing me,” he scowled at Erik’s now sheepish smile. “Am I supposed to be flattered?” Erik laughed but Charles’ expression was unamused. “Can you use your powers and speed up your laundry?” He looked away from Erik’s amused expression towards the laundry machine that was slowly running. “I have my own load to do.”
“It doesn’t work like that, Charles,” Erik let out a small laugh and shook his head, “and it’s not my fault I got here first.”
“Well it is your fault because you’re the one who’s stalking me!” Charles exclaimed and Erik rolled his eyes this time.
“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Erik stood up then and walked towards the door of the laundry room, turning back to look at Charles. “Don’t touch my laundry,” he warned before leaving and Charles rolled his eyes.
He thought running into Erik on his laundry days was the least of his concerns, but then Erik would start what he considers “disagreements” in their Mutant Rights class, but Charles considers them arguments.
“So what you’re saying is that humans and mutants should be considered equal?” Erik rephrased Charles’ stance with disgust, making Charles clench his fists with frustration. “What about-
“Enough,” Charles interjected as he quickly gathered up his stuff. “I’m sick of this back and forth with you, Erik. I think we’ve both established that we will never agree on this,” he gave Erik a final glare before breezing out of the room.
“Charles!” Erik called after him but Charles ignored him, until he couldn’t. Kudos to his magnetism, Erik held Charles in place by the metal of his buttons. Erik ran up to him and looked at him with an apologetic expression. “Look Charles-
“I don’t want to hear it, Erik,” Charles snapped. “Now let me go. You told me when you first met me to stay out of your head and I expect you to do the same with me and your mutation,” he watched as Erik’s expression shifted entirely and he let Charles go with a scowl. “You are the most insufferable person I have ever met, Erik Lehnsherr. I want you to stay far away from me.”
Erik eyed Charles one last time before scoffing. “Fine.”
“Fine,” Charles repeated, wanting to get the final word before walking away.
“Fine!” Erik yelled now, the panes in the windows creaking.
“Fine!” Charles yelled back before exiting the building. He got the final word and it would remain that way.
-
It had been nearly ten years since Charles last saw and heard from Erik Lehnsherr and he can’t help but say that he was thankful. Charles had graduated with a PhD in genetics that he used to help him get a job at a community college teaching genetics. Charles also had a son, David, who was starting kindergarten this fall. He loved being a father and didn’t mind being a single dad at all.
“Do you have everything?” Charles asked David that morning, checking and rechecking his backpack for the fifth time. “Lunch?” David nodded. “Pencils? Paper?”
“Yes Daddy,” David replied and started to walk off into the classroom, but Charles stopped him and pulled him into a hug.
“I love you,” he presses a kiss to his brown locks and pulled away to look at his blue eyes with a stern expression. “Do not tell anyone about who you are, alright?” David nodded his head and gave Charles a final hug before running off into the room. Charles smiled as he watched him before getting back in his car and driving to work.
-
“Daddy!” David ran up to Charles’ open arms when he picked him up from kindergarten later that afternoon.
“How was school?” Charles beamed at his son as he walked them back to his car.
“Good! I made a new friend today!” David enthused as Charles helped him into the backseat and buckled him up.
“That’s lovely, David,” Charles pressed a kiss to his forehead before making his way to the front seat and stated to drive home. “What’s their name?”
“Lorna,” David replied as he watched the cars out the window drive by them. “She said I can go over to her house tomorrow after school. Can I Daddy? Please?”
“Yes, you may,” Charles laughed as a smile rested on his face as he drove. “I will pick you up by dinner time though, alright?”
“Okay, thanks Daddy,” Charles looked in his rear view mirror to see him grinning and it only made Charles smile more.
When they got home, Charles let David go up to his room to play while he stayed downstairs and made dinner. He decided on making brownies as well for Lorna and her family as a thank you for having David over, it’s the least Charles could do after all.
David practically ran down the stairs when he smelled the brownies too. “Are those for us?” He ran up to the oven door, which he was too short to reach, and watched the brownies bake through the door.
“They’re for your friend but I’m sure they’ll let you have some,” Charles ruffled his hair and resumed to cooking their dinner.
“Daddy?” David looked up at Charles with a nervous expression. “Lorna knows I’m a telepath,” he admitted and Charles took his eyes away from the chicken on the stove to his son. “But she’s a mutant too!”
“She is?” David nodded. “What’s her mutation?”
“Magnetism.”
Charles froze for a moment, staring blankly down at the pan sizzling in front of him. The only person Charles knew that had a mutation of magnetism was Erik…
It was a coincidence, it had to be. There is no way, no way that someone actually married and had babies with Erik Lehnsherr. Charles has a PhD in genetics, he knew there were other telepaths in the world so there had to be other metal benders.
“That’s lovely, David,” Charles cleared his throat as he escaped his thoughts, “I hope you too have fun.”
-
Charles, thanks to David before hand for the address, was nervous driving to Lorna’s house to pick him up from the play date. He needed to meet Lorna’s parents to confirm his suspicions. Charles honestly doesn’t know what he’d do if he saw Erik Lehnsherr again but Charles doesn’t want to think about Erik right now because Erik was not Lorna’s father.
He took a deep breath as he parked his car and got out. Charles slowly approached the front porch and raised his hand to knock on the door a couple of times. His grip around his car keys tightened slightly as the front door opened.
Shit.
“Well, I thought I’d never see you again,” Erik greeted in an almost friendly manner and Charles felt himself starting to scowl.
“Hello Erik,” he gritted as he glared at the same silver gaze he did all those years ago.
“I see you’re still holding a grudge. After all these years, you’re still mad at me Charles?” Erik smirked as he stepped aside to let Charles in. “Oh come on, Charles. I’m not going to bite.”
With his shark grin, Charles was unsure of that but stepped into Erik’s house anyway. It was fairly large, had two stories and a spacious living room that was scattered with toys. “Is your wife home?” Charles asked as he started to look around for David, resisting the urge to use his telepathy to find him. “I’d love to meet her.”
“I’m divorced, actually,” Erik replied and that didn’t surprise Charles at all.
“Shame,” he said dryly as he followed Erik to the kitchen where he could see David and three other kids playing. “You have three children?”
“I do. Why do you sound so surprised?” Charles shrugged and made his way towards the door that lead outside but he felt a hand close around his wrist, stopping him. “Look Charles-
“Whatever it is you have to say Erik, I don’t care,” Charles clipped as he turned to glare at him once more. “I’m here to pick up my son and I thank you for having him over but it will be the first and last time that he is over at your house.”
“And why is that?”
“Because Erik I will not let my son be around you.”
Erik crossed his arms over his chest and studied Charles under his gaze. “Well considering you make David hide his mutation, I don’t want my kids around you either.”
Charles scoffed. “For heaven’s sakes Erik he’s turning six! He’s too young!”
“Or maybe you just want him to be human. Isn’t that what you always wanted? For humans and mutants to coexist?” Erik retorted and took a step closer to Charles, both mutants glaring at each other. “I can’t believe you’ve passed on your ignorant ways to your own child.”
“I am not ignorant,” Charles felt his eyes starting to water out of anger and frustration.
“My apologies, but wasn’t it I that got into school on a scholarship?”
“Go to hell, Erik,” he turned away and walked outside where he faked a smile as he saw David run up to him. “It’s time to go,” he scooped him up in his arms and ignored the cautious look his son was giving him.
Charles carried David out as he said goodbye to Lorna and Erik’s other kids, he didn’t catch their names, as he made his way back to his car and strapped David in. “Drive safe,” he heard Erik say behind him. Charles closed David’s door and made his way to the front seat, ignoring the metal bender.
“Daddy?” Charles glanced at David through their rear view mirror as he started to drive home. “Why were you upset?”
“I wasn’t,” the word ignorant flashed in Charles’ mind and he felt his chest sting.
“But-
“I wasn’t upset, David. Mr. Lehnsherr and I just got into a little disagreement, that’s all,” Charles said sternly.
“So can Lorna come over Friday for a sleepover?”
Charles took a deep breath as he started to feel guilty. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, David.”
“Why not?” Charles could tell his voice was on the verge of tears.
“It’s hard to explain,” he sighed, “You'll understand when you get older.”
“But Daddy,” David whined, “that’s not fair,” Charles heard him sniffle and his chest hurt even more.