#a few years later...

[xmenwickedgame]

Long hug for Charles

The gesture surprised him at first; Charles stiffened, uncertain how to respond. It had been a long...long time since he'd received a hug. (Shite, when was the last time? Was it...Raven? Vivian, before she left?)

"Ahh..." he began, but gradually, perhaps painstakingly so, the alarm bells that so often rang inside his head when close contact drew near quieted down. M'gann wasn't a threat, far from it. She was perhaps the kindest individual Charles had ever known:very slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, face half-buried in her shoulder.

Close as they were, his stunted powers needed no assistance, and so in a tentative, telepathic voice he asked: 'is everything...alright?'

[xmenwickedgame]

“You’re damn right you didn’t listen. You were reckless, and selfish, and arrogant.“ wanda to gwen

"But--" Gwen tried to speak up, but her older sister kept going. She was right, Gwen knew she was right but that didn't make her scolding any easier to hear. Not everyone could walk around the world as confidently and sure of herself as Wanda. Or Vivian. Or Peter--or any of her siblings. Some people just weren't built for that.

Gwen was more like her papa Charles, more like X--content within the boundaries of their home, a simple country life where outside threats were far and few in between. If she lost control of her abilities here, no real harm would come from it, and she'd have at least one member of her support system nearby.

"How can you stand there and say that to me?" Gwen said finally, hands curling into fists at her side. "Your powers are like mine, you know how dangerous it is to just...be out there! I could really hurt someone..."

[xmenwickedgame]

❝ it’s okay to cry. i know it hurts. ❞ wanda to gwen

Six year old Gwen looked up at her big sister through teary eyes. She wanted so much to be like Wanda, like Vivian and daddy X who rarely ever cried. They were tough--cool and grown up. Gwen wanted to be grown up too...but Wanda was right. A scraped elbow DID hurt, and try as she might, the tiny redhead couldn't stop the tiny sob that wriggled free as she hung her head.

"I dun wanna cry," Gwen whimpered. She rubbed at her eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop.

[xmenwickedgame]

❝ there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. you’re sick. ❞ for charles

"I...I know," Charles said meekly--then immediately turned his head to cover a hacking cough. Fuck, he thought, wincing around it. Seemed like it was just one thing after another, one ailment to address or comfort or cover...surely the kids were sick of it by now?

"Ugh...shite," he rasped finally, turning to look at her again. Shame and fever burned his face, his eyes, glassy and groggy, unable to hold hers for long.

"I feel more like a patient than your...ahh..." he trailed off. Maybe best to avoid such phrases like 'father-in-law' when he still felt like a stranger at times.

[xmenwickedgame]

//personal headcanon? Gwen grows up to be taller than Vivian. While Viv stands at 5’2”, I see Gwen’s adult height somewhere closer to 5’8”-5’9”. She gets that from Dadneto.

However, she’s still the baby of the family and will hide behind her tiny big sister for comfort/protection, long after she grows up.

[xmenwickedgame]

It's Charles' own fault he took his eyes off the baking for two minutes. "Who knew eating frosting could be such great exercise?" Riley asks, openly dunking a spoon into the bowl of fresh frosting to scoop it into her gullet.

Charles turned around; elbow-deep in flour, he hadn't heard his daughter approach. He turned towards her, taking note of her playful eyes and bright smile, and burst out laughing.

"I suppose you could call it that," he mused. "I find myself working exp-ponentially faster if I know there's leftover frosting to enjoy."

[xmenwickedgame]

“James, have you seen the kids? It’s been rather quiet.”

James paused. Thought about it. Then he frowned.

"No, I haven't." Which either meant they were deeply engaged in whatever they were playing or...they were up to no good. Given how his own childhood went down, James was inclined to believe the latter.

[xmenwickedgame]

📱 for X

[text] what was the name of the cookies you made last week? gwen keeps asking for them. charles says hed make them but he needs the right ingredients...