Work Text:
Set within dark phoenix
Peter slowly opened his eyes, his memories flooded in, rushing, hitting him, knocking him over. He remembers trying to convince Jean to come back home, that stupid miss-step. He gasped at the pain trying to move.
“Peter, you're awake!” peter slowly turned his head to face the familiar voice, there sat jubilee smiling as bright as she can, there seemed to be something else that’s going on, but he was too tired to try and figure it out. “how are you feeling, can I get you anything?” he just looked at her staring at her wide eyes waiting for a reply. “Pete?”
“what happened, I mean after I got hurt? God Is anyone else hurt?” he asked hoping for the best, but he knew the likeliness was slim. Jubilee hung her head.
“jubilee, please, please tell me no one’s hurt pl-”
“I’m sorry peter” she interrupted “I- raven she’s, s-she died” the world span around him, he felt unstable as the words fell out of her mouth, he tried to straighten up slowly. He didn’t want to believe it. He didn’t have to, no, she was still alive. A tear slipped past his cheek.
“no, no-no-no. She isn’t dead.” He said quietly mumbling loud enough for his friend to hear. He needed to accept this, but he couldn’t. he started to cough.
“I’m sorry peter” he glanced at her, her head hung with sorrow and tears rushing down, she sniffled, she wasn’t wearing her usual get up, she wore black clothes, the most he’d had ever seen on her, she got up to leave him alone, but he grabbed her by her sweater.
“no, Jubilee please…stay” he wasn’t going to admit, but he didn’t want to be alone. She was his closest friend, and something told him she didn’t want to be alone either. He wasn’t going to wait for his father either because him showing up is like peter running today: slim.
“are you okay?” he asked, she nodded but he knew better. “jubes, I can see it on your face, you are not okay, talk to me.”
She unintentionally let a tear slip. “they said…they said that the chances of you waking up this week were slim, that you could potentially fall into a coma, and I-” she took a large shaky breath “I don’t know, I just didn’t know how I was going to cope with that, you’re like the only person I talk to, I feel so alone and with raven d-dead, the school is…. gloom. you know you really brighten up this school, right?” she gave a light laugh.
“But I’m here, now, right?” she sniffed and nodded; her eyes were rimmed with the visual effect of lack of sleep.
“jubilee?” she hummed as a response to her listening “How much sleep have you had?” she didn’t look up at him, only playing with her bracelet.
“um well, you’ve been unconscious for 3 days” he was honestly surprised, sleeping for 3 days! That’s like a whole week for him. But she still didn’t answer his question.
“that doesn’t answer my question, how much sleep have you had in these past 3 days”
“well, I didn’t want you to be alone when you woke up. look, okay I don’t know, 6-7 hours maybe” that definitely was not enough sleep. He looked at her, she avoided his gaze. He sighed “Jubes, 7 hours? You know that’s not enough let alone in 3 days.”
“I know, it’s just, what if you woke up and you had no-one around.” She did have a point of being alone, but he was an adult, hell they both were, he could take care of himself. he looked at her softly.
He scooted over to make space and patted a spot next to him on the bed. “come sleep, or we can talk, but you have to sleep.” He watched as she got up, she laid on the bed. She faced him. Jubilee smiled at him, her smile as bright as the sun. she not-so-surprising fell asleep fast.
Jubilee was a firecracker, surprising in many ways. He had never seen her so sad before, she looked absolutely shattered, that’s what you get when your friend goes rogue and tries to kill your other friend he thought. He couldn’t help but stare at her, she looked so peaceful yet so at the thought at the same time, he felt her pain, the loss. He could never compare to her life. Jubilee was abandoned as a child for her possible x-gene, she lived in a mall on scrapes for 12 years, only then was she found and taken to the school, she was strong, it was her that encouraged him to tell Erik that she was Peters’ father. Peter jokily holds it against her, but he’s actually really grateful for it. He’s grateful for her.
Jubilee was his closest friend he had, ever since Wanda ran-away he didn’t have anyone to be close with, he did still feel her sometimes, and wonders if she feels him, like when he broke his leg, he likes to think that she feels it too, but who knows where the hell Wanda is, at least he knows she’s not dead, which is good. His aunt that brought him up doesn’t talk to him much anymore, he knows she misses Wanda, A LOT. And of course, he misses his younger sister, but Lindy is a teenager now and has no time for him. He can’t help but feel a sort of abandonment from all of them, but of course, the one he feels the most distant is the closest, his father. They do talk sometimes but not enough, Erik doesn’t even know peter, at all, couldn’t care enough for him to watch him grow up. He hadn’t even told him that Wanda exists, does it even matter though? She’s gone, but yet it still screamed at him, tell him, he would want to know. Peter sighs looking back up at Jubilee’s peaceful face.
Peter smiles, “goodnight Jubilee” he whispers as he finally drifts off to sleep, a calming peace washing over him, even in all this chaos he feels peaceful.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Tell me again what happened,” Erik asked hank as they walked down the hall passing students on the way.
“It was fast, but I think he tried to climb to get her, and she removed one of the pieces where he was going to stand on, it’s there he hit him with a blast. He then, um smashed into a pile of rocks, now Erik” hank continued “Let me remind you he might fall into a coma, were doing the best we can, we can’t take him to a hospital because the type of his mutation is difficult to treat from non-mutants.”
It was obvious to Hank and the other students that Erik was angry, Erik knew he wasn’t the best father in the world, but he still did care for his child. “yes, I understand”
“Right, good, just this way.” They walked into a room, it was small, and the decor had changed last time he saw peter, as it always does, with his change in music preferences. In the corner of the room was a bed, he saw both peter and a girl around his age sleeping, the girl curled up in a ball and peter more spread out.
“oh, he must have woken up”
“who is she?”
“mhm, oh Jubilee. Peter and she are good friends I believe, around the same age. They can make a chaotic duo though; we should probably come back when he’s awake”
Erik took one last look at his son peacefully sleeping, he nodded and left the room. Hank and Erik sat down and played 2 rounds of chess one Erik won and hank the other. They played until Erik heard a noise from behind him. Her turned around
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peter woke slowly at the noise of faint voices coming from the hallway, he looked at Jubilee he was still sound asleep. He slowly got up not wanting to wake her. Thanks to his mutation he healed pretty quick, peter got up balancing himself, holding onto any piece of furniture that can keep him stable. He slowly made his way out to the hall to see two familiar faces, one I’m particular he didn’t think he would see. His father. He obviously made some type of loud noise because they both turned around to look at him.
“um, hi?” they still just looked at him, it felt like hours which was just probably 10 that hank replied
“hey peter, how are you feeling, maybe it’s best to come to sit down, yeah?” hank pulled out a chair and peter reluctantly sat down. Why did he get a parent-teacher interview vibe? Erik didn’t say anything.
“can I check your vitals?” peter shrugged “uh sure, do whatever you want man” hank left to get his medical kit. Which now left Peter and Erik.
“How are you feeling peter” once again peter shrugged not looking at Erik. Erik didn’t know how to bond with him, they basically had nothing in common.
Tell him, Wanda would want you to the voice said “actually there’s, um something I want to tell you” this caught Erik’s attention
“yes, what’s wrong” why was peter freaking out so much, it was just oh you know, you have another daughter, but the thing is she can’t control her powers and ran away like 10 years ago, nothing much else is going on in my life but hey, how’s your life going?
“so um, right remember when I told you I was your son”
“yes” Erik answers unsure how this could go.
“um well, I forgot to mention one little detail…”
“where is this going peter”
“I’m getting there okay, look I don’t know how to put this so I’m just going to tell you straight up,ihaveatwinsisterandsheslikecrazywelliwouldntsaycrazyjustdoesntknowhowtocontrollher
powersandsheranawayfromhomesoIhavenoideawheresheis
“you and I both know that was too fast” peter looked down at his lap. “hey if you don’t want to tell me you don’t have to,” Erik said.
“no, I want I just” he sighed “ Okay, so I have a sister”
“yes, you said, she is a teenager and the daughter of your aunt, right” once again peter didn’t look at him. “peter, you’re talking about lindy, right?”
“W-Wanda” that’s what he wanted to call Nina, Wanda but something told him no. “My twin sister and I wanted to tell, I did! I just- I haven’t said her name in like 9 years, you know”
“why, what happened to her?” Erik didn’t mean to raise his voice, but he did.
“she ran away from home…her powers, they’re, um unstable” oh now he gets it, he can tell peter thinks it’s his faults, it’s not. “yeah, but I know she’s still alive”
“you contact each other” he shakes his head.
“no, I-I feel her, when we were younger, we used to say we had twin telepathy, well when I hurt myself, she can feel it, vice-versa. I think it may have something to do with our mutation, I don’t know man, but if she…died…I would have felt it” Erik couldn’t tell if that would be called a gift or a curse. To feel someone’s pain, emotions, feelings if so then Wanda must have been in pain for the last 3 days. This whole Wanda situation makes him hate himself more, when Erik found out that Peter was his son, he felt the guilt of missing out on the many years of his youth, now a daughter? God, he was a bad parent. It all made sense when peter would just randomly get sad for no reason.
“when do you…feel her,” Peter thought for a second, when was the last time he felt her?
“I don’t know, let me think…well last Tuesday I could tell she wasn’t feeling her best, she was sad, but sometimes I can’t tell if that’s me or her, OH! Actually, 4 weeks ago I was sick, just out of random!”
“alright peter let’s give you a check-up” peter stuck out his arm as hank gave him multiple tests, he took his blood, checked his heart rate.
“How are you feeling now Pete, 1 from the worst – 10 the worst pain you’ve ever felt in your life”
“Mmmmm a 3, really not that bad, you guys aren’t going after jean, right? You aren’t going to hurt her right” Hank and Erik looked at each other
“Peter, you understand what she did right? She killed raven” his father said.
Peter suddenly stood up “no but this isn’t what she would want-”
“peter please-”
“no, listen, s-she needs help, she’s just like Wanda, she needs people to help her, not to push her away”
“whose Wanda,” Hank asked visually confused
“I can understand that you miss her, but this is Jean, not Wanda” Erik completely dismissed hanks question “ Jean had murdered someone, a friend, our friend, and I understand you miss your sister I do-”
“and you haven’t murdered anyone have you! and don’t make this about how I’m feeling, it’s about how Jean is feeling alone” peter hissed back, he then turned to Hank “she would not want this especially from you Hank”
“you don’t understand peter, you’ll-”
“don’t you dare say when I’m older, or it’s because I’m a kid, I’m an adult, I may not always act like, but I am! Raven meant something to me too, she was like a big sister to me, but Jean is in pain what she needs is help.” With that Peter left to go to his bedroom.
Peter closed the door softly. “Peter are you okay” Jubilee sat up; she tilted her head seeing his sad expression.
“Did I wake you up?” he asked coming to sit next to her. She didn’t answer and he took that as a yes “sorry”
“no, no it's fine, really…do you need to talk,” Peter thought for a moment, yes, he did need to talk to someone, he could take all this pain he was feeling. “yes”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I’m sorry, and you still…feel her sometimes” he nodded. Without warning, Jubilee hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her feeling the sense of warmth and comfort.
“peter, for real. In spring break, do you want to search for her, together I mean, if you’re up to it I’m obviously not gonna-”
“yes, I would really like that actually, thanks,” he says with a smile, unwrapping another twinkie.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hank and Erik left the school, Hank, ready to fight, but something was telling Erik to not fight. He was going against his son’s wishes.
“Hank” Erik took a stop “maybe…maybe Peter is right, I mean Raven wouldn’t want this” Hank just looked at Erik, that look he knew, revenge. Hank was engulfed in hatred, regret, and revenge. “Hank, hank look at me, okay, Raven. Wouldn’t. Want. It., Okay?”
“no”
“yes, you need to accept this, not to mention she’s a child”
“ERIK”
“no, you listen to me, we're not going to hurt her, we're going to help her” hank slowed down his pace, not looking at him.
“I’m going after her, and you can’t stop me.”
“I know, and I won’t try”
Hank walked away further and further from the school, further away from where Raven lay, he walked away from what he would know.
Erik walked back to the school passing each student on the way, he felt it wasn’t the better choice to see Peter, so he went out passed through the oval.
Wanda’s name still danced around in his head; he still had a daughter. Erik couldn’t help but feel like he let down a lot of people. Maybe if he was there when they grew up, he could have helped her. He wondered what her mutation was based on the information he had been given, it seemed dangerous. Must have been hard for both Peter and Wanda, and it must have been bad if she’d ran away.
Erik looked around finally setting his eyes on a distant figure, they were sitting down right next to be what Erik thought to be Raven’s grave. Once he got closer the figure was revealed to have silver-grey hair, Erik sighed knowing that hair. Peter wasn’t supposed to be out, and it was obvious that he had run there which was worse. He walked closer to the boy from behind, his body was slumped over holding his knees just looking at the grave. Erik sighed looking at the poor boy.
“peter” Erik sighed; the boy slightly flinched at his father’s voice. Peter turned around to face him.
“what are you doing here, thought you were going to murder my friend” Peter mumbled not looking at him.
“I’m not, I’ve chosen to go with your judgment and not go after jean” Erik sat down next to peter “I cannot say the same for Hank, but I did try and convince him, it wasn’t much of some help, unfortunately.” Peter picked the grass of the group, playing with it. They sat in a long and uncomfortable silence.
“Thanks, by the way, but I still think that there’s no hope for her. I…I wish I could say that I could help her, but I can’t, I’m stuck here” Peter looked down at his knees.
“Peter, if you think this is your fault, it isn’t, you tried and failed, so what? You can’t succeed at everything can you?” Peter still didn’t look at him, the pain was visible, you could see it all over his face. “come on, let’s get you some food, yeah?” Peter slowly got up from where he was seated. He stumbled across the field.
“did you run here Peter?” Erik knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from his son.
“No” peter lied mumbling digging his hands into his pockets. Erik looked down at him disappointingly. “yeah…yeah, I did” he said guiltily know that there was no way out, he was in trouble.
Erik sighed “Peter… You’re not even supposed to be on your feet, let alone running, and I know you know that.” Peter nodded.
“I’m sorry”
“don’t worry about its kid, here” he handed peter a protein bar. “just maybe rest is best…how are you feeling, any better?”
“Yeah, I guess, better than 3 days ago” peter muttered quietly eating. They sat in silence, which they did most of the time, so Peter was fine with it.
“if you don’t mind me asking” Erik broke the silence “What was your sister like,” Peter thought for a moment, it had been years since he had seen her, but he remembered her like yesterday.
“she didn’t look like me, she was kind, accepting, although she does have some anger issues, they didn’t really come out much…due to her mutation her hair was, is brown and red. I would say she is more mature than me” well you have to be mature to run away from home don’t you peter thought sourly to himself.
“what was her mutation?”
“it’s a bit confusing, I would say chaos magic. Let’s say we're in the car and she’s happy then the lights would go green. She’s also a telepath, she can see a revisit people’s worst memories, she also shots red wiggle woos out of her hands, that’s why her hair is red, her mutation is red. Now to think of it, I would say it’s more of a curse than a gift, she hates them really, always has.” Peter looked down. “I wish I could have helped her”
It became obvious that Peter didn’t want to talk about her any further. “How’s school going, now that you’re a teacher, right?”
“Okay, it’s not too bad. I’m not sure whose been taking over my classes” he said silently. “it feels cold…I think I’ll just go to bed”
“yeah, yeah sounds good”
“You have a bedroom, right?” Erik nodded. “goodnight” with that peter speed off.