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Peter is confused.Since moving into the Xavier mansion, he had made a point to visit home every two weeks on weekends, and he would never admit it but it wasn’t because his mother would miss him too much, or he would miss his mother too much. Most of the time he visits so that his twin sister, Wanda, could have some company. She mostly keeps to herself, and he couldn’t remember the last time she had been out of the house. Still, being alone with nothing more than your own thoughts ought to be taxing, or so Jean had told him one time when he surprisingly convinced her to skip training and go with him to the nearest McDonald’s. No offense to the professor’s burgers but he was missing the unhealthy and greasy feel of an actual fast food cheeseburger. Plus, he had never really enjoyed Charles’ home-cooked meals ever since that whole ‘vegan for a day’ concept they did for nutrition month that he unfortunately had to take part of despite his age. The film they watched at the end of the day about animals converted almost half of the population of the school into vegans and vegetarians (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and now cooking and grocery shopping has proven to be more difficult. But yes, Jean had agreed to go with him and on her second cheeseburger and Peter’s eighth (he had a fast metabolism, alright?), she confessed how having friends had helped her a lot over the past year. Peter had to agree. Being a 26-year-old guy and still living in your mother’s basement was decidedly way more pathetic than having a bunch of teenagers as your friends. Jean had protested at that, throwing a fry at him with a playful frown. “Hey, I’ll be twenty in three months, you know? I’m an adult.”“Right,” he had scoffed, making Jean throw more fries to his face and only proving his point further.When he arrived home, he walked in on his mother crying over the soap opera she was watching. He slowed down enough to drop a kiss on her forehead before speeding upstairs, only to find it unusually quiet and empty. Hmm. “Ma,” he calls out. “Where are the girls?”He heard a few sniffs before his mother shouts back. “Lorna’s on a school trip and Wanda’s out with a friend.”Peter zooms in front of the TV. “I’m sorry, what? Did you just say that Wanda–my twin sister, Wanda–is out? With a friend?”His mother gives him a stern look that he knew all too well. “Don’t be like that, Pete. She seemed happy.”“Is she out on a date?” He exclaims, horrified. Immediately after he says that, his mother hurls a throw pillow his way but he ducked at the right second. Seriously, his mom never learns.“Nothing like that!” His mom scolds. “Well, I hope not, anyway. She’s hanging out with a girl, after all.” Peter frowned and was about to protest to his mother’s homophobic statement but she beat him to it by raising both of her arms in surrender. “I’m just saying, straight until proven ga–“But Peter already speeded away from the house and ran a round over the neighborhood before running home again. “Where did Wanda say she was, again?”“The mall but don’t even think about it! Let your sister be!”The mall? Peter almost recoiled in shock. Wanda has made it known since birth that she hates crowded places, absolutely loathes it. That’s mainly the reason why all her clothes were hand-me-downs from their mom, and her sleepwear consists mostly of Peter’s shirts and her underwear.“Bye now, mom!”“Pietro Maximoff, don’t you da–“ But he already speeded away.The last time he was at the mall, it was the one fifteen minutes away from the X Mansion and he was in the company of Ororo and Jean. They had convinced the professor to let them shop for new clothes and he was the assigned chaperone (a horrible decision, really, since he was way more childish than both of them combined). The professor had pulled him aside just before he crossed the door to leave, giving him a pointed look that he always seem to receive from everyone. “Peter, I trust you,” was all Charles had said, but his grip on his right arm was enough for Peter to get a clear message of what he was trying to say.It was midday Wednesday when they went and there weren’t a lot of people, a fact that he was at least thankful for. Least people meant least audiences if ever, God forbid, something happens that wasn’t on their favor. Ororo had been obsessed with a new trend she saw Madonna wear on MTV and they spent the entire afternoon raiding shop after shop trying to recreate it. He personally didn’t understand how one outfit could consist of so many clothes (he had a niche that the two girls just used it as an excuse but really were just getting whatever they liked) and at first, Jean was reluctant to buy anything for herself, but Ororo had revealed that Raven had given them Charles’ credit card to use as a reward for their hard work and training and it was all downhill for Peter from there. They ended up in the food court with Peter holding at the very least ten bags (he still wasn’t sure how he managed to carry all of them) and he refused to accompany them to the mall ever since (Jean had managed other ways to convince him but that was just the two of them). It’s safe to say he wasn’t all that fond of the mall since then.Imagining Wanda go through the shops and wait in a queue was almost impossible, but the thought of her dating was enough to make Peter go anyway. Despite being 12 minutes older than him, he always felt protective over her mainly because she lacked control of her abilities and was very sensitive to her surroundings. Plus, she still hasn’t completely forgiven him for living in the same house as their father even if he insisted that Erik had no clue of their parentage. He couldn’t possibly let Wanda on her own with a friend. What if said friend didn’t know about Wanda’s mutation? What if said friend had been using her for her mutation? How did they meet, anyway? It’s not like his sister goes out of the house. It was too dangerous and Peter wasn’t going to stand idly by and wait for a disaster to happen. Wanda was a ticking time bomb, and possibly the worst thing that could happen was if she was with someone who could trigger her. He ran four times over the entire mall before he finally spotted something that caused his knees to buckle in panic. The all-too-familiar red sparks nearly sent him in a daze before he got ahold of himself and speeded towards it. The sight that welcomed him was one he wouldn’t be forgetting anytime soon.Wanda had her fingers flicking the way she always does when using her powers, and in front of her stood Jean Grey, Jean Peter’s-friend-from-the-mansion Grey, and he stood in silence frowning for exactly ten seconds (which was basically a lifetime for him already) before both women sensed his presence.“Peter,” Jean says at the same time Wanda sighs in frustration: “What are you doing here, Peter?”“I…I thought you were out on date!” He accused. “Wait, are you on a date with Jean? Wanda, you know I–“Jean was laughing before he could finish his sentence, doubling over as if Peter had just said the funniest joke. “Peter, I am not dating your sister, as gorgeous as she is.” Her comment made Wanda smirk, and Peter almost threw up at the thought of almost spitting out the fact that, well, he liked Jean. But she must never know, because it would be weird, because he’s, like, a decade older than her and no matter how annoying Scott was, Peter would never intentionally make a move on a girl his sort of friend likes. It’s times like these that he was glad telepaths couldn’t read his mind, his thoughts processing too fast for them to get even a glimpse inside (although he was almost sure the Professor is a slight exception. That man was the most powerful telepath Peter had ever known). “Jean was just taking me shopping,” Wanda explains with a small smile. “Apparently my clothes are three decades out of date.”“Mom would take offense to that,” Peter quips before frowning again. “But wait, I saw the red sparks thing that comes out of your hand when you use your powers.”Jean blushed. “That one’s on me. I stepped on a puddle and I almost slipped. God knows why there’s a puddle inside the mall. Wanda was just trying to catch me. No one noticed, I promise. Or if they did, they’d have forgotten about it by now,” She reassures, pointing to her temple with a wink.“This still doesn’t explain how you two know each other.”Both girls shared a look before Wanda sighed defeated. “Alright. I guess we kind of owe you an explanation. We’ll just pay for this and we’ll talk on the way home.”Peter forgot to ask how exactly Wanda was paying for all the stuff on her cart, but was afraid his sister was going to be offended or embarrassed so he just let her be. Of course, he was too impatient to wait for them to finish paying (there was a queue) so he zipped around the mall a few dozen times, stealing a few things he thought looked cool here and there as well as some new records. He came back just in time, seeing the cashier hand Wanda and Jean their shopping bags and receipt. It didn’t come as a surprise when both girls handed the bags to him without a word, and because Peter was a whipped asshole, he carries them all with only a few complaints. Wanda’s been sending him teasing looks the whole walk home, and Peter could trip her if that wouldn’t make such a bad impression on Jean. His twin knows this fact, of course, and uses it to her advantage. “So that explanation you were talking about?” He prompted, nudging Wanda and narrowing his eyes at Jean.The redhead sighed. “Okay. Don’t be mad, alright?” Peter frowned even more before gesturing at Jean to continue.Apparently, it happened a little bit like this:Erik was leaving. It comes as no surprise to Peter. He had always known that his father couldn’t be kept in one place for too long. His long-suffering therapy sessions (if you could call it that) with the professor had been enough to make him realize that he shouldn’t keep his hopes up. Besides, he had survived twenty-six years without a dad. It’s not, like, something he needs anymore. Except Peter didn’t exactly anticipate just how much it would hurt, which is stupid, because he hasn’t even told Erik that they’re related yet. They barely spoke more than ten words to each other his whole stay in the mansion, so they never really formed a bond or something. Still, deep inside, Peter couldn’t help but feel like he’s once again too late. And too much of a coward to just march up to his terrorist father and tell him: “Hey, so like, my mom once hooked up with a guy who can control metal? That’s cool, huh? Well, that guy was you. And now there’s me. So…” Yeah, maybe not.When Erik packed his bags, his friends had instantly been by his side, offering comfort and sympathies. A part of Peter had been bitter and didn’t want help from a bunch of teenagers, but apparently he’d been projecting too loudly or being too obvious because Jean glared at him knowingly before hugging him fiercely.He appreciated the gesture, he really did, but it still didn’t help the feeling that he was suffocating. He came to the Xavier Mansion to get to know his dad, after all. And he felt like he failed, yet again, and that he no longer has purpose. He had to get out. He didn’t even pack an overnight bag. He selected a playlist from his Walkman, put on his headphones and goggles, and sprinted the hell away from Westchester. Here’s the part that gets interesting:Jean knew. And, well, shocker, Jean always knows, but she somehow knew, you know? And he ran past her and caused her to spill the tea she was holding all over her night gown, but that’s besides the point. And because she’s Jean, instead of letting him go or going to the professor, she went to Kurt instead. Peter had shown them a few pictures of his family home in DC. Pictures of a younger Peter with his younger sister (Wanda refused to be in any of them) and his mom sitting on his front porch, of the burnt welcome mat on their door step, of his basement and all the stuff he stole and stacked there. It was risky. But Kurt had seen his home, so it has to work, right?She was worried, Jean had argued later when she was explaining everything to him on the way home form the mall. That explains everything, he thought sarcastically. She was worried so she asked their teleporter friend to teleport her to his house because of course he would go there. He doesn’t have anywhere else, or anyone else for that matter. The flaw of the plan was Wanda.Jean knows Wanda exists, because she was one of the people Peter trusts the most. But she didn’t know of her name, or even her mutation. And she didn’t know just how strong and ill tempered his twin sister actually was. When Jean and Kurt poofed outside his home, the redhead immediately told her blue-skinned friend to go home. I’ll phone you and you can come get me, later, she had told him. Kurt obeyed. But the minute Jean took one step toward the porch, red and solid sparks held her feet in place and her hands together. It felt weird, like electricity but with a lower voltage. It tickled, but it was also a strong grip, strong enough to bruise. It reminded her of the fire that she released when they fought En Sabah Nur, but this one burned more magenta than fiery red. “You’re a mutant,” The girl emerged from the backyard, her tone not questioning but her expression wary. “Are you a friend or foe?”Jean hesitated, and in the back of her mind she already knew who the girl in front of her was. Wincing, she took to her telepathy to reply. “I’m here for Peter.”The restraints on her hands and feet tightened and she almost lost her balance. Wanda didn’t flinch. “Friend. Or. Foe?”And then Jean felt a tingling sensation in her mind, and with a small gasp she realized that Peter’s twin was also a telepath of some sort. “I think you can find that out for yourself, Wanda.”“Stay out of my head.”“Only if you stay out of mine,” Jean retorts before failing to fight the smile forming on her face. “I’m Peter’s friend. Jean Grey.”The moment she mentioned her name, the red sparks disappeared and Wanda stared at her curiously. “Peter had mentioned you in his phone calls.”“Well, he’s never mentioned you, so…” Jean replied. “I’m guessing you’re Peter’s twin sister?”“Your guess will be correct.”“Listen, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Jean began. “Peter’s upset. I think that’s why he came home. I was just worried that–““You worry for him? My brother?” Wanda interrupted, quirking an eyebrow. Jean frowned. “Of course I do. Peter’s one of my closest friends–““Right.” Wanda interrupts again, this time with a small smile. “Do you want to come inside? I can call Peter for you.”“No, that’s quite alright. I trust that you will look after him. I probably should go.”Wanda fought off a pleased expression. “Of course. Well, see you later, Jean.”“You too, Wanda.”Peter didn’t know whether to be happy or shocked. Probably a bit of both. He had mentioned Jean to Wanda before, of course he had, he was practically drooling over the redhead, but it still shocked him that Wanda had opened up so easily to, well, a stranger. But what shocked him even more was how Jean had instantly followed him a few hundred miles from home to make sure he’s okay, because he was being a child about Erik leaving. It made his insides warm and he fought off a blush. “I didn’t know you cared so much, Grey.” Peter smirked. Behind them he heard Wanda scoff and make her way inside, yelling a goodbye to Jean before slamming the door. Jean groaned exasperatedly. “This is why I never told you, you narcissistic asshole.”“Woah! Language, dude!” Peter teases before nudging his arm against hers. “Thank you. For befriending Wanda and making her realize that she is indeed not alone in this world. I couldn’t even get her to go out for ice cream! Now you two have these shopping trips. So, thank you for that, I guess.”“Oh, I’m not doing it for you,” Jean replies with an eyebrow raised. “Wanda is really cool. She is now my favorite Maximoff.”Peter gaped. “I beg your pardon?”From inside, she could hear Wanda’s laugh, which made the situation even worse.“You heard it right. I’ve decided on a favorite Maximoff and it ain’t you, Quicksilver.”“No!” Peter wailed, stomping his foot. “But you’re my favorite Grey! This is so unfair!”“Peter, I’m the only Grey you know.”“Then you’re my favorite mutant.”“I know for a fact that’s not true.”“Uh, no you don’t.”“You have a picture of Mystique on your wallet.” Jean deadpanned, but her eyes were amused nonetheless.“That doesn’t prove anything!” He protested.Jean just laughs at him. “Of course, it does!”“Well, I have a picture of you in my room, so.”Silence.Peter backtracks at what he said, and shit. Shit shit shit fuck fucking idiot shit fuck motherfucker. “That…came out wrong…?”“Peter…” Jean trails off with an evil grin. “Do you have a picture of me in your room?” And then she did the unthinkable: she pressed her fingers against her temple and proceeded to wince the next couple of seconds while Peter stood frozen in front of her. “You do, don’t you?” Her voice softens this time, but she already knows the answer.Peter stutters. And chokes. “Uh, that’s just because, you know, you’re like, this super cool, uh, co-worker, so…”“Do you have photos of Ororo, Kurt and Scott in your room too?”Peter opens his mouth to answer but nothing comes out.Jean smiles at him.Wanda slips her head out the window. “He likes you! So kiss already! Idiots.”“Huh,” Peter scratches the back of his neck. “So…”Jean shuts him up. (You can imagine how.)