iscah wanted maximoff chanukah, so have a short fic!
It turns out it never gets less weird to come into the kitchen and see Magneto, Master of Magnetism and President of Genova, standing over the stove.
"William," he says, glancing up from the pan he's not touching. "It's good to see you."
"Uh, hi," Billy says. "Anything I can help with?"
"I think we have it covered," Wanda says cheerfully from the other side of the kitchen, where she's mixing something in a large bowl. "Why don't you take a seat in the living room? It's nearly sundown."
"Sure," he agrees, not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. It's hard making small talk with Erik Lensherr, but if Wanda's helping cook, that means the people in the living room are the family members he knows a lot less well.
Except for Tommy, but Tommy doesn't count.
Dr Grey is the first one to notice him come into the room, probably because she's a telepath. "Hi, Billy," she says warmly as he looks around for a seat. "Good to see you again."
"Hey," he says, waving awkwardly. Jean Grey is probably the family member he knows second-best, after Wanda, and she's really nice, but he's never sure what he's supposed to call his real mom's wife.
"Hey, little brother," Tommy calls, smirking. Billy gives them a look and doesn't answer.
"Well, don't just stand there," says Pietro from the other side of the room. "Go on, sit down, is not dinner almost ready?"
Pietro is one to talk, considering he's currently leaning against the back of the couch, where his half-sister - Billy's aunt - Lorna is sitting. She smiles when Billy makes eye contact and gestures to the seat beside her. He crosses the room and hesitantly takes a seat at the other end of the couch.
"Oh, don't be shy," Lorna says, tucking her green hair back behind her ear. "Come and chat."
"No time for that," Tommy says, pointing to the windows. "Sun's setting now."
"So it is, Thomas," says Erik as he emerges from the kitchen with a steaming plate of latkes in one hand. "Would you and your brother like to do the honors?"
"What? Us?" Billy says, blinking.
"Unless you'd prefer not to," Erik says, raising his eyebrows. It's a stern, severe expression, but that might just be because he has a stern, severe face.
"Love to, Gramps, except, um," Tommy cuts in quickly. "I don't know how to do that."
"Ah, of course," Erik says, and sighs. "I'd forgotten those people who raised you..."
"I'll do it with you," Wanda says, and moves to put a hand on Tommy's shoulder.
They go unexpectedly very still. "Oh," they say, in a small voice. "Okay."
"Here," Wanda says, offering Billy a small box of matches. "Shall we?"
Billy gets up again and moves to the window on the right of the door, while Tommy and Wanda take the window to the left. "Baruch atah Adonai," he begins, in a melody that doesn't match Wanda's at all, and breaks off, laughing.
"Why don't you say the first blessing, and I'll say the second," Wanda suggests.
"Alright," he agrees, and begins again. "Baruch atah Adonai Eloheynu Melech ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Chanukah."
"Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, she-asah nisim la'avoteinu v’imoteinu bayamim hahaeim baz’man hazeh," Wanda sings, her hand still resting on Tommy's shoulder.
"Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higiyanu laz'man hazeh," Erik says, very solemnly, and nods to them. Billy strikes a match and lights the shamash. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Tommy doing the same as he lights the first candle and puts the shamash into the menorah.
"Now that that's finished," Pietro says when they've finished, "let's eat, before the food goes cold."
