Chapter Text
Hank is sweating through his dress shirt. Alex, who is comfortably in jeans and a t-shirt, does him the favor of pretending not to notice.
“I told you it would be hot,” he says.
July in New York, of course it’s hot. At least they’re not in the city, where the concrete jungle would up the temp by at least ten degree. Alex has discovered over the past few years that he’s not really much of a city guy. He needs room to breathe.
“It’s not that,” Hank says. His lips are red from biting at them on the drive here. It makes Alex want to kiss him. “I’m just… nervous.”
He says it like he expects Alex to make fun of him. But if there’s one thing Alex has learned over the years (thanks therapy), it’s that you never make fun of your boyfriend when he’s vulnerable.
“I get it,” Alex says instead. “But I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. You’re like a million times overqualified for this job.”
It would probably not be cool for Alex to bring up the nepotism angle, so he keeps his mouth shut.
“That could be a detriment,” Hank says, and bites his lip again.
“It won’t be,” Alex tells him with complete confidence. “This is the fastest growing mutant youth organization in the country. Why would they not want the best and brightest for the inaugural year of their Academy?”
And okay, maybe he lifted most of those words directly from the brochure. But it’s not like it’s plagiarism; he helped write the damn thing. Or at least, he contributed a few ideas here and there on a video call with Charles three nights in a row while Erik was going over the legal paperwork again.
Hank sighs heavily, then straightens his shoulders.
“You’re right,” he says. Glancing at the clock, he adds, “We should go in.”
They climb out of the car and Hank puts on the jacket to his suit. Which will at least cover the sweat marks, as long as he doesn’t die of heat exhaustion first.
“Come on, Bozo. Can’t be late for your big important interview,” Alex says, and okay, maybe he’s teasing a bit now.
He grabs Hank’s hand and playfully swings their arms as they walk. The grounds seem mostly empty, though a suspicious solo rain cloud over the back garden means Ororo must be lurking somewhere. She’s been bored, stuck here all summer without her friends (though Scotty says they have a non-stop group chat going). At least she’ll have a few of them here starting in September.
Charles is waiting for them just inside the main door, and he pulls them both into a hug.
“Hello!” he says excitedly. “I’ve missed you both so much.”
“We talked on the phone last week,” Alex says, rolling his eyes fondly.
“Yes, but I couldn’t feel you.” Charles taps his forehead meaningfully. “Forgive an old telepath his quirks.”
“Professor, you’re hardly old,” Hank says loyally.
Charles beams.
“Thank you, Hank. But I’m afraid running around after children on this big estate does make one’s bones ache.”
“Better get used to that,” Alex says.
And because he doesn’t want to stand around here all day, he says, “Hank’s chomping at the bit to do this interview.”
“Yes, of course,” Charles says, clapping his hands together. “Let’s go up to the office and see if the, er, headmaster is ready.”
They troop up the stairs to the top of the house, where Charles lets himself into “the office” without knocking. Erik must have heard or felt them coming, because he’s ready: sitting in an impressive winged chair with his hands folded on the desk in front of him. The expression on his face is clearly meant to intimidating.
“Hello, darling,” Charles says, upbeat and apparently unimpressed. “Hank is here to interview for the Professor of Science position.”
“Come in,” Erik says gravely.
Charles says, “Good luck, Hank!” and ushers Alex out of the room.
Once the door is closed, Charles laughs quietly.
“He’s been practicing all morning,” he tells Alex.
Alex laughs too.
“Hank was pretty much peeing his pants on the way up.”
“Silly boys,” Charles says, shaking his head. “Do you want some tea while we wait?”
“Yeah, okay,” Alex says, and lets Charles lead the way.
Alex has only been here a few times, most of them over the past few months as he’s been trying to help Charles and Erik get everything set up. He’s mostly been delegated as remote support since the drive here from where they’ve been living in Boston is nothing to sneeze at.
He’d been surprised at first by how big the kitchens are, but they’re going to need all this space when the school year starts.
“How many kids have you got enrolled so far?”
“Twenty-seven,” Charles says happily. “Not counting my three or Kurt.”
Thirty-one kids. It’s gonna be a circus.
“What about Angel Salvadore? Her kid would be about five now, right? I see her posting pictures online. Is she going to send him?”
“Not quite five,” Charles says. “When we spoke last month she said she’d like to keep him home for now, but could be persuaded to send him in a few years.”
“What about Sean Cassidy? He’s got a kid now, doesn’t he?”
“Oh yes,” Charles says, and he purses his lips like he tasted something sour – only for a second, then he’s smiling again. “As a matter of fact, both he and Moira have agreed to join us on staff this year. And they’ll be bringing little Theresa with them. But of course she’s far too young to join the school aged children. I think we’ll end up starting some type of daycare program; Erik and I were working out the details last night.”
“Speaking of that,” Alex says, and gives Charles a once-over. “You’re looking a little…”
He trails off, not sure how to finish the sentence without being a dick.
“Pregnant?” Charles supplies, and his eyes are sparkly like he’s really happy.
“Yeah,” Alex says. Definitely pregnant. “You guys break a condom or something?”
Charles sticks his nose in the air and says, “I’ll have you know this was a planned pregnancy.”
Alex whistles through his teeth. He doesn’t believe that for a minute but if it’s true… pretty brave of them to have a baby the same year they’re opening a school.
“Well, if you need a babysitter, just let me know. Not sure what else I’m gonna be doing while Hank’s teaching… assuming he’s got the job?”
“Of course he has the job,” Charles says. “Even if I weren’t so fond of him, it would be bad business to turn away a candidate with his qualifications. But as for what you’ll be doing… Alex, have you ever considered teaching?”
Whatever he’d thought Charles was going to say, it sure as fuck wasn’t that. A few years ago, he might have said something mean to redirect the conversation to some place less uncomfortable.
Instead, he takes a breath and says, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t have a college degree.”
“That’s no obstacle,” Charles says.
Alex isn’t sure that’s true, legally, but it goes without saying that Charles makes his own rules.
“I don’t have any experience,” Alex says.
“Neither does Hank,” Charles says. “Or Sean Cassidy. This isn’t going to be your average school, Alex. That’s the beauty of being privately owned. We’ll do things our own way, the way we think is best. Just like we always did at the center in Hammer Bay.”
Alex won’t lie – he misses the center sometimes. He’d worked there all that first year, helping Charles and Erik cobble together something legitimate. He’d had to stop when he followed Hank to Boston, but he’d helped out every summer since. It had been absolutely crazy, in some ways: seeing how different the place was each summer, how much David and Lorna had grown, how much sappier the Professor and Erik had managed to get. And to see the two of them now, starting a new project and having another kid...
The thing is, Alex hadn’t trusted Erik at first, and he hadn’t liked him either. But Erik had proved himself. He was never nice, exactly, but he clearly cared about his family, and about Alex by extension. He had all this life experience and he wasn’t shy about telling Alex how not to fuck up his own life.
‘The man behind the mistake,’ Charles said once, and he was right – both about Alex and about Erik.
And hell, maybe Charles is right now, too. Maybe this is what Alex is supposed to do, where he’s supposed to be.
Before he can even hope to put that into words, their party gets crashed by two little monsters: David and Lorna playing tag.
Alex grabs Lorna in a bear hug as she tries to run past, and tickles her as she squeals. David takes refuge behind his dad, safely out of Alex’s reach.
“Where’s your older sister?” Charles asks him over the chaos.
“I’m here,” Ororo says, coming in on light feet. Her hair is damp and she smells like a rain storm.
“Hello, darling,” Charles says. “Have the flowers been watered?”
“Oh yes,” Ororo says, and her smile reminds Alex of Charles’s ‘I have a secret’ smile. Based on the rain cloud Alex saw when he came in, he’d bet the flowers have gotten more than a little water.
Before the conversation can go much further, Hank and Erik come in, both grinning. Erik leans down to kiss Charles full on the mouth, so Alex isn’t shy about grabbing Hank’s hand and asking, “How’d it go?”
“Got the job,” Hank says, and kisses him.
Alex grins against his lips.
“Funny thing,” he says. “Me, too.”