For JustLove201, I hope you like it!
Word Count: 928
the start of the chain
It happens in 1960, in England. Charles is still working on his doctor title, but tonight is one of those nights he gave himself off.
He plans to visit a pub with some friends and Raven intends to meet him there.
As always, Charles has gotten distracted by one thing or another and is now late.
In the exact moment he steps out of his apartment building, it begins to rain - because of course it does - so he has to go back inside and get an umbrella. He really needs to start keeping one on his person.
Charles is just about to step outside again when he bumps into someone. It is odd, the man seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Charles is very tempted to use his...more unique abilities, but he doesn't. For one, it is terribly rude, for another, Charles is slightly afraid of what he might discover.
The man is tall and not particularly muscular. He seems to be around Charles' age, give or take a few years. There is a look of confusion on his face that makes him seem out of place somehow.
While Charles is studying the man, the man does the exact same thing to Charles, only that he seemed to recognize him.
"Charles?" he asks. "Is that you?"
Not sure what else he could possibly do, he nods. It's not like he has been doing anything illegal (at least not purposefully) and they can't prove anything Raven may or may not have done. Even Charles didn't know which of the two it was, because of plausible deniability and all that.
The two young men look at each other for a moment, both quite puzzled by the situation, albeit for very different reasons - or so Charles suspects.
He is just about to open his mouth to ask the other man who he is and what he is doing here when the other man steps closer and puts his lips on Charles'.
For a second or two, Charles isn't quite sure what just happened, but once he thinks he has it all figured out, he decides to return the kiss. Because the man – whoever he is – is most certainly a good kisser and attractive as well, so who is he to say no?
So the two men just stand there for a minute or two – directly in front of the door of Charles' apartment building, blocking any way in and out – kissing.
A part of Charles – the more unique part of him – is urging for him and the other man to become closer. Normally, Charles always tries his best to block out any thoughts that aren't his – but it is hard and the voices are always there in the back of his head, buzzing, never clear enough to understand any specifics.
But now he feels compelled to link his mind with the other man, to bring their thoughts so closer together that being one isn't that far apart.
The thing is, Charles won't do it, no matter he feels like he should. Because, intellectually, he knows that it is wrong. Should he ever do it, he would need the other man's permission first, and the other man would have to know exactly what Charles planned on doing.
There is no way that a stranger would agree to this.
They pull apart, and both of them take a moment to gasp for air.
It is Charles who speaks first once they are done. Maybe he is faster to find words or maybe he has different things on his mind than the other man. He doesn't know. He could, but he doesn't.
"You just kissed me," Charles stated. "And, don't get me wrong, it was completely amazing, but... who are you?"
The other man's expression is quite odd. It's almost as if there is something he find hilarious and painful, something ironic and perplexing. He doesn't seem to be quite sure how to react.
"Why don't you just take a look?" the man asks eventually. "You won't believe me otherwise. Hell, I don't know if I believe myself. I'm half-convinced that I'm just dreaming and Storm is going to shake me awake to warn me of another attack any moment now."
"Excuse me?" Charles inquires. "What are you talking about?"
The man laughs. "You know very well what I am talking about, Charles Xavier. Or at least concerning the first part of my statement. So, go ahead and take a look. You'll understand."
So Charles does. There's nothing wrong with it f the man requests it, or is there?
And he is glad he does. He would not have believed the tale of the man – Erik – if he hadn't.
Erik's tale is filled with time travel and aliens, with superheroes and mutants – people like him, like Raven, like Erik, and yet not. It's filled with death and destruction, with betrayal and governments acting a way that wouldn't be out of place in a dystopian novel.
He sees himself as well. Growing progressively older in the man's mind – getting shot, balding, even dying once or twice – as the world around them darkens.
Charles sees so many things, he isn't quite sure what to focus on, but from what he can see, none of it is happy.
"Well, Erik," he says once he thinks he saw the most important points, "it looks like we have some work ahead of us."
"That we do, Charles," Erik replies with a smile. "That we do."
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