I've basically typed half of this whole chapter on my new phone (a Samsung Blue Tetra~), in attempt to learn how to text on it. But sadly, it's not working. I suck at texting. Especially on this tiny keyboard.

Anyways, you have no idea how far I'll go for this fic! c: My idea's have evolved, big time :D Be grateful! ...But really? I should be the one being grateful—for all your wonderful reviews. :) I'm so glad you all like the story so far. I have no idea how far this is going to go, but as long as I have your reviews, I'll happily continue. I've never written a multi-chapter, let alone an AU that I liked before, so this is extremely rare.

Thank you to you all, especially to these reviewers who have reviewed at least twice: WithLoveFromTorchwood, LadyGhai, DeathTrapDaisy, Aisha-Yan, shallwedance9, Petite Amor, Tauras282, and Nillen. You guys are the best!

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: First Class nor do I own it's characters. Unbeta'ed.


Courting My Rival

04. They End Up Splashing in Puddles

He hadn't asked anyone out in a long time, not since he had tracked Magda down and finalized their divorce, so he wasn't particularly sure why he had taken to the man named Charles that he had just met an hour ago,and whom he had fought over with for the precious wine he had been waiting for.

Perhaps it was his impeccable looks, or the charm the man obviously possessed, as well as the personality. It was probably a combination of it all.

He had started work early from home, making sure that he would not be late for the hopeful date that night (assuming that Charles hadn't thought he was too forward or desperate). He had finished about a fifth of his workload that morning (it would have been a fourth, but he had fallen asleep, only to be woken up by his cat, Jingles).

He then went about his day, stopping to talk with Raven during his breakfast as usual. He had accidentally let out that he had a date that night as he stared at her, flustered.

"Oh?" she smiled, "Who is she?"

"He," Erik corrected, his lips morphing into a thin line, knowing that she would comment about that because, hell, everyone commented on that.

But she didn't, which surprised him. "Oh. Who is he, then?"

Erik shrugged, knowing that she was fishing for information. He knew that if she had known what he really did for a job, she definitely would have pried information out of him more desperately. The fact that she didn't do this calmed him.

"A man I met this morning," he says, his tone slightly clipped still.

"This morning? Huh, you must've really liked him then."

He smiled wistfully, "Yes, I suppose I do."

She looked at him inquiringly, "You don't ask people out too much, do you?"

He let out an accidental snort. It was hard shutting Raven out, as she was so friendly and intuitive. "Yes. What, did you want me to ask you out?"

She shook her head, a smile still on her lips. "I had my suspicions that you wouldn't a week after you started coming here."

"Suspicions?"

"You are gay. My brother is too. I know the signs," she shrugged.

"Bi-sexual," he corrected, twice now.

Her head tilted, as her eyes studied him, as if asking him for more information.

"In college…I experimented. It didn't matter that I slept with men and women then—not that it matters now. But I'd fallen in love with my best friend. Her name was Magda," he smiled, looking down at his hands. "She was beautiful. But she didn't love me back." He had stopped.

"What happened?"

"She was drunk. And we were in Vegas. I wasn't drunk, but then again, I was in college. I was so stupid. We got married, and, well…we had our 'honeymoon.'

"I woke up in the morning, and she was gone."

His eyes had closed, and when he had reopened them, Raven was still there, this time instead of standing over him, she was sitting across from him. His fists unclenched as he breathed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to get you into that."

Erik sighed, "It's fine. I should've let it out a long time ago." He looked up at her, "Thank you."

Raven shrugged, leaning over the table to pour the stoic man another cup of coffee. "It's no problem. People always come to me, anyway."

xxx

The day passed by quickly, as he had practically ignored everyone, save for Frost as she wouldn't accept his ignorance towards her.

"Hey, snap out of it!"

Still Erik ignored her, continuing to look over applications.

"Erik!"

He finally grunted, looking up. His eyes landed on Frost with her blonde-white hair, and curiously inquired about the man next to her, the twenty-something year old man with shoulder length brown hair.

"Who is this?" He asked, his eyebrows rising in question. She frowned, glaring at the man who was supposedly her boss.

"This is Janos Quested, the new intern." She shoved the man to Erik as if she were throwing in a big slab of meat to a shark (which was a worthy comparison as she had seen him with his overly large grin plenty of times). And there was that grin once again, his eyes flashing dark for a second.

"Hello," he drawls out, and Emma once again compares him to a shark coming in on it's prey. Smiling, she left the intern.

Erik gave him enough work to keep busy until the end of the month.

xxx

He had rushed home that evening, checking his watch closely as he drove home. His clothes had been laid out carefully (he had done this in the morning).

Erik sighed. He was probably hoping for too much. It was his first date in a very long time, though—that was his excuse. Yet he couldn't even convince himself. Charles was the reason for it all, he knew, and he couldn't stop thinking about that damn man. He had even put on cologne for him, for God's sakes.

Luigi, the restaurant that Erik had invited Charles to was a small restaurant he had gone to since the first time he had moved there, years ago. He'd had a special attachment to the place, and if he were really honest, he didn't know any other restaurants, since he had been working nonstop since Shaw had promoted him. Besides, it was in walking distance. He really wasn't in the mood to drive, sure that he would crash into someone according to his nerves.

Drip—drip—drip...

Erik looked up, noticing the water drop down from the roofs of the stores as he walked past, and looked up to find that grey clouds had spread across the sky. His hands, which were stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket, reached up as if he were trying to catch the rain. He had reached the restaurant, but stayed out, closing his eyes as the rain grew and showered him. His jacket, as well as the white button up dress shirt underneath had started to drip.

It rarely rained where he lived, and he had missed it, having moved from a rainy climate. In all honesty, he relished the rain.

He grinned, smiling wide to those around him—though half of them had given him weird looks—and laughed out loud, forgetting everything around him, letting everything fade away. He blinked as a drop landed on his shoulder and looked down at himself. His hair was plastered on his face and his entire body was dripping with water and yet he didn't feel cold.

He then felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around, a grin still on his face.

"Erik?"

His eyes grew wide as they landed on Charles.

"Charles..." he flushed, "I forgot."

The other man chuckled, "I can see that."

Erik paused for a moment. "Join me?"

Charles' eyebrows raised, and he smiled, leaving Erik with another image of him with his ruby red lips and sparkling blue eyes in the rain, his hair beginning to stick in odd places on his head.

"Just standing here?" Charles asked softly as he jumped into the nearest puddle, splattering the both of them.

Erik laughed, his teeth showing again and joined him, jumping into the same puddle, but loosing his step as he fell backwards onto the ground, his slacks becoming wet and heavy. Charles laughed, offering his hand to the man in the water. He obliged, using his help to stand up again.

Erik bit his bottom lip, still holding onto the soft hand sporting nimble fingers against his rougher, more calloused hands. Charles smiled another brilliant smile and gripped his hand harder, as if he were reassuring him, and pulled him along, jumping into another puddle. They continued for another hour, smiling at each other as they got wetter and wetter.

Their hands were still grasped together as they stood, exhausted from the splashing.

Erik pulled Charles towards him until they were facing each other and they both grinned.

"I think we missed our reservation."

The corners of Charles' eyes crinkled, "I think I'd rather do this."

"It'll still end the same way," he said softly in a rare voice.

Erik leaned forwards, pulling Charles closer to him and brushed his lips with Charles, and smiled as the other man responded shyly, the rain still showering them. They spent the rest of the hour kissing, just chastely at each other's mouths as they smiled into each other.

I think I could fall in love with him—

"—Charles! Stop snogging your boyfriend and get in here, both of you!" They separated, as a car stopped in front of them. "Jesus Christ, it's drenching and you'll both get pneumonia, I swear."

Charles grinned, "Dear Raven, I would be much obliged if you don't interrupt us."

Erik froze as Charles' sister stepped out of the car, holding a bright yellow umbrella. "...Raven?"


It may take a couple of days until the next chapter, because I still have to brainstorm some things. But who knows, I might post the next chapter tomorrow, if I can c:

Review please~ (Don't you want your username up here too? xD)