Mike's new home, a small, detached two floored building.
"How's that? Like it?"
Mike asked Gwen, looking down.
Gwen nodded, surveyed her new room and said, "It's so nice!"
The pale pink walls were dotted with some floral style paintings and the chandelier on the ceiling, which was a sun-like chandelier, looked lovely.
"It gets even better."
Mike smiled mysteriously, closing the door and drawing the curtains, and the moment the room was darkened, a starry sky appeared above their heads, lighting up the darkness.
Gwen looked up and her mouth grew in surprise.
"Yes, it's beautiful!"
"Do you like it?"
"Mmmmmm!"
Gwen nodded her head quickly.
"Papa!" She hugged Mike excitedly and said, "I'm super into it! I love Papa the most!"
Smiling happily, Mike picked Gwen up and lifted her over his head.
"Giggles!"
Gwen giggled happily and held herself up, saying, "Daddy, higher, I'm going to catch the stars!"
Mike lifted it hard and, with a gentle push, tossed Gwen up as she exclaimed.
Father and daughter laughed happily.
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell rang and as Mike put Gwen down and went to pull the curtains, Gwen opened the door and said to Mike, "I'll get it!"
"Slow down!"
Watching Gwen stride towards the stairs, Mike shouted and smiled as he pulled the curtains open.
Gwen leapt down the last two steps and, with a big smile on her face, opened the door.
A man with a face full of dismay and surprise.
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
Gwen sized up the other man.
Charles blinked, looked at Gwen, and half-crouched down with a smile on his face as he said, "You must be Gwen."
Gwen nodded and said curiously, "How do you know? Do I know you?"
"I know you!" Charles smiled mysteriously and said, "You guys just moved in yesterday, didn't you?"
Gwen looked at Charles in surprise, but suddenly frowned and said, "Are you one of those perverts who stalk kids!"
Charles "..."
Just as he was getting depressed, he saw Mike coming down the stairs.
"Dad!"
Charles opened his mouth and called out.
Gwen took a step backwards and looked at Charles in surprise, astonished, "You're the older brother?"
Charles stroked Gwen's head and said, "Hello, Gwen."
With those words, he stretched his arms towards Mike and hugged him with a smile on his face.
Mike gently patted Charles on the back and said, "Well done, I saw that."
"Well?"
Charles squeezed his eyes at Mike and said, "Didn't I look good on TV?"
Mike grinned and said with a straight face, "Not even close to me though."
"Ha ha! That's right!" Charles laughed playfully, patting himself on the back, and said, "Dad's the most handsome."
Ugh!
It was building the underground space that still needed his dad's hand, so he had to be this shameless.
Mike waved at Gwen and said, "Gwen, this is your brother, Charles."
Charles?
Gwen cocked her head and looked at the smiling Charles with some confusion.
The name, and the face, looked like she'd seen it somewhere before.
"TV!"
She exclaimed, "I've seen it on TV! They say you're a mutant!"
Charles covered his face, bent down to Gwen and jerked his hand open to make a face.
"Whoa-ho!"
Gwen settled down and laughed out loud happily at Charles' comical face.
Charles reached up to Gwen, cupped Gwen's face and laughed, "You're not afraid of me?"
"Not afraid!"
"Why?"
"Because you're brother!"
Gwen smiled, her big eyes full of joy.
Charles subconsciously used his powers, and after sensing the joy that Gwen now felt inside, he was immediately fond of this sister of his, whom he had met for the first time and who was nearly twenty years apart in age.
"Slap!"
Mike slapped Charles' hand away.
Hiss!
Charles sucked in a cold breath as he clutched his hand and looked at Mike who was rubbing Gwen's face and bared his teeth, "Dad, the difference in treatment between me and Gwen is too much!"
Mike squinted at Charles with a disgusted look on his face and said, "You're comparing yourself to Gwen now? Don't make a fool of yourself."
Charles: "..."
Crack!
Did you hear that?
The sound of a broken heart.
He let out a long breath and staggered up the stairs, then immediately recovered and called out to Mike, "Dad, which is my room?"
"The one on your right now."
Charles stepped into the room and looked at it, his eyes lighting up.
It was much like his room on the farm, and it looked like his dad should have kept it as close to the original as possible.
Lying back on the bed and looking at the ceiling, Charles suddenly thought of Clark and Eric.
"And I wonder how they're doing."
He muttered, falling silent.
Just then, Gwen peeked her head out of the doorway of his wide-open room and surveyed Charles' room.
"So this is what my brother's room looks like."
Charles sat up sharply and waved at Gwen, digging in his pocket and pulling out a small mushroom-shaped hairpin and handing it over.
Gwen's eyes lit up and she put her head over, saying, "Brother put it on my head!"
Charles touched the silky hair and his heart grew soft.
Gwen touched the hairpin on her head, took Charles' hand and said, "Brother, come with me!"
Charles followed Gwen to the pink room and grimaced.
Gwen closed the door behind her, pulled the curtains closed, pointed at the starry sky that appeared and said, "Nice, isn't it?"
Charles: "..."
He wasn't sour at all, he was in his twenties, he wasn't going to be jealous of a little girl.
So he put his hands in his pockets and said faintly, "It's not good!"
Gwen was struck down and pulled back the curtains in silence.
Her head was down and before she could get upset she was being picked up by Charles.
"But it's pretty!"
Charles smiled and nudged Gwen's head.
Getting off Charles, Gwen quietly took out the candy she had hidden, and carefully looked out the door and handed one to Charles.
"Shh, don't tell Papa."
Charles nodded and tossed the candy into his mouth.
It tasted good.
Glanced at little Gwen.
Gee, that was a sneaky one, too.
He let out a mental whisper.
Gwen sat on the bed, eating the candy with Charles, both legs flopping gently.
"Brother, can you tell me about the mutants? I've heard they all have superpowers!"
Charles smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said, "Wanna hear about it!"
"Mmmmmm!"
...
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