School for Terrible Children

I.

A/N : Translation of L'école des enfants terribles written and translated by me. English is not my mother tongue. Please, tell me if you notice grammar mistakes. This fanfiction is kind of a AU, there will be lots of references to the comic books and movie XMFC. The story begins at the end of the 1950s / beginning of the 1960s.

Disclaimer : X-Men belongs to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby (so of course to Marvel and everyone who worked on this fabulous fandom since 1963 !)

It was very quiet in the flat. Too quiet for Erik's tastes. The thirty year-old man walked along the corridor which led him to his kids' bedroom. He wanted to be sure that they were not up to no good. Indeed, it was late in the morning and usually Pietro and Wanda would already have sacked the kitchen.

Thus, Erik opened the door to enquire about his children's condition. Barely had he entered the room that he was assaulted from all quarters. The fraternal twins –both armed with a pillow– had ambushed the poor man. He should have anticipated it. Without a second thought he grabbed one under each arm and headed to the kitchen. The two eight year-old children were about to throw themselves on the packet of cereals but they were interrupted by their father before the slaughter could happen.

"I serve you", he said severely.

Raising children was not the most relaxing activity in the world. All the more so as the twins were real dynamos –Pietro a bit more than Wanda though.

Once they had their breakfast, Erik did not have to tell them what to do: the twins were used to get ready on their own. Their father could be proud to have such self-sufficient children. Well, he had to confess that he often fixed the mess that the kids could make, or that he checked everyday if Pietro had put on identical socks. Aside from that, the kids did quite alright most of the time.

As every Sunday morning, Erik took them to the park. The two little monsters could unwind instead of destroying the small flat. Some would probable have argued that it was not safer to let them go outside but the mutant did not care. As for the twins, they obviously did not know how to control their powers but keeping them shut-away would not change anything about it.

Wanda and Pietro had just entered the park that they were running everywhere. Their dad tried to follow them but when he finally caught them up, he saw a man on the ground beside them.

"How many times did I tell you that you are not alone? Did you apologize at least?" he told them off while he was helping the stranger to get up.

"Yes, don't you worry! And it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going", explained the man, picking up his belongings. "Professor Charles Xavier, and you?", he asked with a smile.

Erik examined the new comer. What was wrong with him? Usually people hit the road. They do not stop and act friendly. Suddenly the German heard a voice in his head but it was not his!

"What was that? Don't ever do that again!", he shouted. "Did you use your powers?" he asked the twins.

The discussion kept going until the four of them stopped by a café. Erik had conceded to Charles's invitation. He did not really had a choice. The situation was delicate and the kids had already accepted. The twins sat next to each other. They ordered two cups of coffee and two glasses of juice. Then, the professor started to question Erik.

"Do you take care of them alone?"

"Yes."

"When did their powers appear?"

"At four months. Same time."

Charles was trying to make Erik feel at ease but it was not easy. He knew he had to gain his trust first. He could have probe his mind but it would do no good, Charles could feel it. He focused his attention on the children.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Pietro! I can run very fast and it makes dad mad because he can't catch me then! And this is my sister Wanda! She's super strong!", said the little boy, thrilled.

"Oh and what can you d-"

"What's this?", interrupted Erik.

He was getting angry. This Charles Xavier came from nowhere and he thought he could snoop around their lives! They never had to rely on anyone else before. Erik could not let this man do as he wished. After all, he could be dangerous. Charles tried to explain things in a gentler way.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to be tactless. It was not my intention, believe me. Actually, I've just opened a school for, let say, gifted young people."

Mutants were a lot discriminated. They had to be on their guards all the time in order to avoid insults and bullying in the best case scenario. The eldest like Erik and Charles knew how to deal with it but teenagers and children were more vulnerable.

Erik sighed. A school? Pietro and Wanda had not gone to school since the little girl had set fire to some curtains in a classroom. That day, their father left his job to take care of them and give them a proper education. Thus, the Lehnsherr family often visited charities and used Erik's savings to live. Sometimes, he worked a few hours a day for some restaurants or companies, but he could not let the children alone for too long. He did not earn a lot from those jobs but still it was better than nothing. In such conditions, many would have regretted to be mutant. Erik did not. He had went through so much worse before... Charles pulled him out of his daydream and gave him his number.

"Pietro and Wanda are welcomed. And so are you. The mansion is big enough to serve as a boarding school and-"

"I don't think we live in the same world, professor. I can't pay for such a school."

"But I've never talked of money, Erik. I want this school to be a refuge for those who need one."

Erik sighed again. The twins' eyes were gleaming and Charles's sweet and determined gaze did not help him.

"Give me time to think about it."

"Don't hesitate to call me."