Deep breaths, stay calm. Nik wasn't nervous so much as he was uncomfortable in some undefinable way. He'd never picked Lucas up from school before. He'd never picked him up from anywhere public before on his own, in all reality. The press hadn't really caught on bout the fact that he was the father yet. They were more focused on the fact that he and Emeline had been spending more time together and speculating about whether or not they were dating. It was scandalous, sure, but it didn't really involve Lucas yet. It was only a matter of time before they caught wind of the real truth, but him doing things like picking Lucas up from school wasn't exactly going to prolong the lull. They'd find out no matter what Nik and Em did to avoid it. There was no reason to make his son suffer in pursuit of a hopeless cause so Nik had accepted the idea of picking him up without any hesitation.
Still the discomfort was there. There was just something about facing teachers that had such a short time ago been considered his superiors as peers. It was an unusual experience, and he could see the teacher sizing him up as he approached. It was interesting to see the expression on the woman's face change as he came closer. It was a pre-school and therefore there was no way that he was a student. Nik could see that she hadn't recognized him yet, and maybe she wouldn't. He was famous in his right, but he was in no way his older brother. If someone didn't read the tabloids or watch much television they could very well miss who he was. The teacher had settled on two of the most likely options. Nik was either an older brother or a child molester. The second thought caused Nik to have to suppress a grin. The teacher would be mortified if she knew he'd heard that. Nik wasn't one to intrude into the minds of others, but he couldn't help but hear what was projected right at him.
"May I help you?" the teacher asked politely when he came within suitable speaking range.
"Just here to pick up Lucas Jones," he said calmly. Immediately the word "Ransom" shot through the teacher's mind but her expression didn't change at all. He was pretty impressed, actually. Most people would have at least flinched slightly in the eyes, but she'd held pretty strong. Props to the teach.
"Oh, are you his older brother?" she asked convincingly. She knew he didn't have an older brother. This woman wasn't very good at keeping her thoughts to herself, but in her defense she didn't know she was talking to a telepath. Some people shouted their thoughts. It was an admirable trait in Nik's opinion. It usually meant they were open and accepting of who they were, and that was rare. Nik respected it. He opened his mouth to assure the teacher that he wasn't the boy's brother, that he was actually his father when the excited, child-like squeal of "DADDY!!!!" exploded through the air and Lucas bolted from wherever it was that he'd been playing toward his father. Nik gave the teacher a small smile then smirked and ducked down to hug his son when the boy reached him. Upon releasing him he sat back to look at Lucas.
"Hey, little man," he said, giving his son a side-five. "Pound it, dude," he said and he and his son tapped fists before Nik stood up again, taking Lucas's proffered hand in his. Emeline pretended to hate the handshake thing. Nik didn't have to be a telepath to know it was an act.
The teacher looked baffled. This woman was the first to know outside of the family who Lucas's father was and it looked like she didn't realize he was Nikolaus Tröger. Sweet deal. She did seem pretty shocked and unsure what to think of his age, though. That was to be expected. Nik would have been shocked and a little unsure what to think of his age too if he'd been the teacher. It was cool.
"Sorry," he said calmly to the teacher. "I thought Em called."
The teacher seemed to realize that she was being rude and snapped herself out of it with a mental scolding. "Oh! Yes! I'm sorry, I just didn't realize..." she trailed off, feeling awkward.
"Naaaah, no worries," Nik said in casual dismissal then looked down at. "What do you say, amigo? The movies or football?" he asked Lucas who screwed up his face thoughtfully before proclaiming that he wanted to do both. Nik rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Thats doable. How 'bout we get out of your teacher's hair and-" Nik was cut off by Lucas's insistent pulling on Nik's hand in the direction of the rest of the class waiting to be picked up. "Come this way!" So Nik did, casting an amused glance at the teacher as his considerably smaller son dragged him toward his friends.
"Guys! This is my DAD," Lucas announced proudly, causing Nik to have to stifle a laugh. The announcement was received by various degrees of 'I thought you didn't have a dad' comments from his peers. He'd gotten shit for it in the past already. At three years old. Shit. There were moments when Nik discovered things he didn't really want to know.
When the children turned their fascinated attention on Nik he greeted them with a half-wave and a "Sup?". He'd kind of expected to hang with the kids for a while longer but Lucas was apparently done. "We can go now, Daddy," he said matter of factly before dragging on Nik's hand in the opposite direction again (...)