Before today, he had never known it would be so tough against Charles.

In order to provide them with a quiet and private environment for calling, the Avengers thoughtfully left this parlor to West. Except for one cat that Bucky had picked up a while ago, the large room was empty, so quiet that only the slightest sound of machinery could be heard.

――It's a good intention, but I always think it's a little bit like that...... Inexplicable embarrassment.

Scooping up Brucky, who was curled up between his feet and yawning—Tony's name for the cat, though he was beaten up by the Winter Soldier afterwards—placed his hand on the cushion of the couch, and West looked up and moved his shoulders uneasily at his eyes as blue as the ocean.

"That, Charles...... 'Dr. Yi' he has reappeared, and his few transformers who are more capable than the original ......"

"I already know about it."

Not surprisingly, Professor X did find out earlier than he did. West kept his mouth shut, and it was not surprising that his adoptive father would choose to hide it from him...... After all, after so many years, how much shadow he has left on him because of his exile is obvious to the entire Xavier School. Just as he had tried to hide it from Charles when he first found out that Elizhe was alive (although it was almost impossible), no matter how frustrated and annoyed they were, they would not be furious at this sincere concern.

“…… It's good that you know. ”

In the end, only one sentence was spoken. The brown-haired boy nodded awkwardly under the professor's gaze, followed by another rambling silence.

In fact, he still has questions that should be asked, such as whether Charles's insistence on him going to the UK has anything to do with it; Did he scare the children by throwing a tantrum last time and almost smashing the entire manor; This week's mission has been lost to Cyclops and Stormtroo, do they feel uncomfortable...... But he couldn't ask, it seemed that he had been overly cautious in front of his adoptive father since he was a child. He was afraid that Charles's answer would make him feel remorse and guilt...... Although he was as gentle and generous as a professor, he never blamed him.

"West?"

Even if you don't use telepathy, you can see his forbearance and awkwardness at this time. Charles Xavier sighed and could only take the initiative to speak:

"Well, it looks like we need to start from the beginning and talk about it...... Are you disappointed in me? ”

“Wh-what？！” As if he had been scratched by a cat, he almost jumped up from the couch, and West couldn't believe what he heard, "Why should I be disappointed in you...... No, how do you think I can have that kind of love for you?! ”

"You smashed your room, walked out of school, and didn't hear anything from me for a week, Will."

Quietly looking at the surprise on the boy's face that could not be concealed, Professor X lowered his voice very softly: "If it weren't for the captain's mission this time, I think this period would have been extended for a long time." ”

“…… But, I thought you were mad at me, Charles? ”

Frowning at the huge virtual screen in front of him, he was silent for a long time, he stretched out a finger and tapped the corner of his forehead:

“…… After all, I disobeyed you and quarreled with you in front of everyone. I think you're going to just leave me to the side and reflect on myself, and then just brainstorm me at some point when I'm slacking off, and order me to go home or just board a plane to England or something. ”

"I won't accuse you without permission, you know it."

Unexpectedly looking young in the virtual image adjusted by Jarvis, Professor X smiled and shook his head helplessly: "Moreover, I have always been a control maniac in your eyes, and I am not allowed to express any different refutations and opinions?" ”

"......" - in fact, he really made others think so.

Relaxing into the couch, West stroked his cheek and smiled. There is always some bias in the anger of people, although it is true that he has not rejected Charles anything in the past years. But those reasons that make him willing, that he has not yet come out of the shadow of losing a qiē decades ago, so it is easy to be aroused such despair, and it is indeed that he is overly cautious.

"Well, I'll admit, I've been the one who's been asking you to take control of my life."

Shrugging, perhaps Jarvis had adjusted the environment in the parlor too much for conversation. With courage, some words are easier to say than West thought:

"But you can't blame me all, Charles. Whoever saw your decadence at that time would not be completely unaffected - after all, I swore that I would never ...... you like Eric and Raven to make you feel lonely.

"I'm glad you take me so seriously."

I was stunned, it was indeed the first time I had heard West be so candid. Professor X looked at him with a loving and smiling gaze, as gentle as water as he had been for so many years:

"But I'm not that paranoid, and I'm not that insecure, Wai. Just as you are willing to do anything for me, I am willing to always love you like a father...... Even if conflicts and quarrels cannot be avoided, they will only deepen our feelings. ”

Even if they eventually parted ways, he never felt that Eric and Raven had abandoned him. Similarly, watching West grow up and spend more time with him than anyone else in his life, Charles certainly doesn't feel anxious about not being able to keep him in his hands, thinking that he will eventually leave him. Just as he has the most powerful psychic abilities in the world but still sticks to his principles from beginning to end, Professor X is also willing to give his adopted son the most love and respect. Not for anything else, just because West is worth it.

"Hey, I'm going to cry, Daddy."

A heartfelt smile finally appeared on his face. The brown-haired boy blinked affectionately like a child, completely unaware that his real age was not much younger than Professor X.

"My pleasure, Tinybear." With a smile on his face, Charles took over from the goodness, "So, can we talk about one more serious matter now?" ”

"I thought mending our relationship was the most serious thing to do." After jokingly protesting to his adoptive father, West immediately sternly said, "Do you want to say anything about Dr. Yi?" ”

The professor nodded, "What are you going to do next?" ”

"I'll go to England, as you have arranged before, and perhaps it will be easier to find clues about Elizhe there."

With that, he reaffirmed his guess that Professor X must have discovered something earlier. West told him his plan word for word, thinking that he was in Charles's arms, but found that he was slightly frowning.

"I want you to stay at school, Will." charles

Unexpectedly, he said, "I don't worry about you. ”

"But I thought you were the one who insisted on sending me to Oxford?" The boy was puzzled.

"I'm sorry, son. Because when I made this decision before, I didn't know that Elizhe was not dead. The index finger unconsciously tapped on the armrest of the wheelchair, and Professor X looked a little uneasy:

"I've been keeping an eye on your genetic data since Eric got you back. It was discovered that it had fallen into the hands of Hydra not too long ago, and it has paid off, and it is not the best option for you to stay here...... Given that the incident hit you too hard. ”

"But now Elizhe is alive and has appeared before you to show his interest in you. In this case, there is no point in going to England again, and it may even increase the danger because of the loneliness-"

"That's why I'm leaving."

Rarely interrupted Charles. How could he not see that he was indeed a little upset, West took a deep breath and pointed out another possibility:

"I can't stay under your protection like a shrunken turtle forever. What's more, if I stay here, the entire Xavier school could become the target of Elijah's attack...... Charles, you can't put everyone in that kind of danger because I'm alone. ”

“……”

Professor X knew he was right. After all, he also saw today's events, Dr. Yi didn't even care about the Avengers, so how could he not directly attack the manor full of children? Moreover, this matter must be settled by West's own hands in the end, after all, it is a demon that has plagued him for twenty years, and no one, including himself, has the qualifications and positions to stop the 'Hermit' from defending his glory and pride, and avenging the one he has endured.

“…… Magneto should be in the UK lately, and you'd better find him if you can. ”

In the end, Charles finally reluctantly relented. But he also gave such a compromise condition, if it was a matter of the safety of his adopted son, then as his other guardian in the legal sense, Eric would definitely not sit idly by.

"Good luck, West." Before cutting off the communication, he took another deep look at the brown-haired boy.

Remember. Anytime, anywhere, "I will always be with you as long as you need me." ”

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

So, the night before leaving, Tony Stark dragged West, who was packing up, out of his room and went to the top floor of the building to give him a small farewell party.

Of course, the so-called "farewell meeting" is just a unilateral claim by Iron Man. Captain Steve Rogers insists on calling it the 'Cooperative Symposium Against the Forces of Evil,' while Natasha Romanoff and Clint Patton both argue that it's a celebration of the elderly finally entering college and ushering in their second spring.

First of all, this sentence is absurd in terms of content, syntax, and interpretation...... Secondly, on the subject of age, Natasha, you have no right to laugh at me. ”

was pulled by the bold Thor and forced a whole bottle of vodka. West fell to the couch in a daze, but he didn't hold his nerve and fell headfirst on Bucky's mechanical arm.

"Whew...... Jarvis! How can you put a stone in?! You see it's bleeding!! ”

“……”

The smart housekeeper said how innocent he was.

"He was drunk. Thor, you shouldn't have poured him so much wine. ”

Check out Jarvis's scans at a workbench away from the wine table. Dr. Banner stared at the blood alcohol level, thinking that he might be the only person in the room who was worried about West's life right now. After all, he really didn't dare to trust his teammates outside of the battlefield, especially if he drank too much-

"Listen to you Mummy, Jarvis...... Get that broken rock out there. ”

For example, Tony Sakuda, who was visibly delirious on the couch, was waving his hand at the ceiling and saying, "Hey! Baby, comeon, well done Daddy, I'll reward you!! ”

"You actually asked Jarvis to call it West-Mummy?" This is Black Widow, a glamorous agent with an unbelievable face. She turned her head to look at the person who was sleeping soundly with the Winter Soldier in her arms, Stark who was howling 'you have to kiss to get up', and Captain America who was cramping at the corner of her eye, and she really didn't know what expression to use to look directly at this Shura field.

"One more drink!!" Raising his hand and smashing the cup again, completely unaware of the so-called Thor kicked away the pile of fragments at his feet, he seemed to have his own unique opinion: "Mummy? When did Wayne marry Tony? But he seems to like Barnes better, doesn't he? ”

Covering his forehead, Dr. Banner almost wanted to bury himself in the stream of code like Jarvis.

"Ahem, actually, I think, Bucky ......" Putting down the champagne glass, Steve, the only remaining conscience of the Avengers, finally coughed lightly and summed up this farce:

"If you really feel bothered, you can express it with actions - I remember that the mutant body is very good."

“！！”

The wine in Clint's mouth squirted out.

…… Captain!! I didn't expect you to be such a captain!!

Nodding, he stood up to the sound of Hawkeye laughing that nearly topped the ceiling. The Winter Soldier, fed up, finally pulled his arm from West's arms with a blank face, and kicked the drunk under the couch.

Five hours later, when a headache-ridden West rose from the mess, he had to deal with not only his hungover head, his broken forehead, but also a bruise in the shape of a footprint on his chest.

What's even more terrifying is that when he staggered up from the coffee table and was shocked by the pile of human bodies in different postures on the sofa, he heard Jarvis's metallic voice without any sense □□ color-

"Good afternoon, glad you woke up before your plane took off, Mommy."

…… Excuseme？！！

The poor 'hermit' was completely frightened.

And when he regained his strength, after flipping through the audio recording of last night provided by the butler AI. Xavier, who realized that his future was not guaranteed, grabbed the nearest Iron Man and threw him headfirst into the trash bin at the door.