They meet in Haifa. Initially written with prompt #11 ("History") from firstclass100 in mind, but as usual, it kind of took on its own life. Set prior to the original animated series timeline, but follows the bits of canon (both from the OAS, and also gleaned from the comics a smidge) for Magneto's and Charles' shared history fairly closely. Erik/Charles, implied Charles/Gabrielle. Title comes from the song "At The Beginning" from the movie "Anastasia."
No One Told Me I Was Going To Find You
1.
Erik Lehnsherr strikes him immediately as a person he would like to know better. "Call me 'Magnus,'" he tells Charles. His hand is warm. Erik doesn't have to explain that it's his middle name, but Charles acts like he doesn't know that.
Over a span of weeks, fragments of Magnus' life, his motivation for doing this work, become clearer. Most of the time, he volunteers the information himself, his gaze pointed intently downwards. Charles listens raptly, transfixed by the heart that still beats beneath Magnus' gruff demeanor, and resists the urge to brush the other man's hair from his eyes.
2.
Magnus is a mysterious man. Charles can sense his suspicion, the way every morsel of trust he bestows on another is hard-earned, given with the utmost reluctance. He doesn't pry; not only because he knows he shouldn't, but also since, quite frankly, Erik has some of the strongest mental shields he's ever encountered. 'What do you keep locked away so tightly?' he muses, glancing sidelong at his companion, and then snaps to attention when Erik looks at him suspiciously.
"Everything all right?"
Magnus' brow furrows. "I … think so," he mutters, and Charles sighs and vows to be more careful.
3.
There's a heavy downpour one night, heavier than most, and the makeshift hospital is short-staffed as it is. "Evacuation's gonna be rough," the supervisor offers over the roar of the storm. "Trying to secure our current shelter is our best option."
Charles offers to help, but Magnus intercepts, picking up a metal support beam. "Go, tend to the patients," he nods, almost knowingly. "They could use your comfort."
Charles isn't sure how, but Magnus manages, working by himself, to reinforce the shelter. Charles sends soothing thoughts to a young native woman, his hand pressed gently to her forehead, and wonders.
4.
Charles learns what it's like to kiss Erik before he learns that he's a mutant. They have an evening to spend together: It's chess, as usual, buoyed by wine, homemade locally, followed by an off-handed comment by Erik: "I think there's more to you than most think, Charles Xavier."
"I have my secrets," Charles boasts, secretly pleased that Erik has noticed; or perhaps not so secretly, given his reddening face. It's little more than a reflex, then, and their mouths come together; it's sweet and a little rough, and Charles likes that Erik closes his eyes.
For a long moment, silence reigns. Erik does not say anything, even as Charles' gaze flutters up to meet his, and Charles is suddenly afraid that he's misread any and all cues, mental and otherwise, that Erik may or may not have been sending to him. "Magnus, I … I'm sorry," he whispers, licking his lips nervously. If Erik is too furious, he can take away the memory of it altogether, just this once –
His train of thought is interrupted by the other man tugging him close again by the lapels. "Don't be sorry," Erik whispers against his parted lips, and he nods happily.
5.
Looking back, it's not difficult for Charles to understand why Erik becomes Magneto. The signs were there - if only he'd opened his mind to them the way he'd accommodated the knowledge of their shared mutantdom.
He leaves Haifa shortly after that, Gabrielle in tow. She, too, remembers the warm camaraderie the two men shared, though she seems to tactfully avoid mentioning it. "Fancy a game?" she asks one evening, having fished Charles' old chess set from storage.
The bald man shakes his head. "No, thank you," he intones softly, and Gabrielle watches him frown at the slowly setting sun.