Author's Note: :) I've read all your reviews and I would just like to say you people are awesome :) It's still a bit early in the story yet I'm receiving so much feedback! I'm overjoyed, really.
I wanted to reply to your reviews but time is being snatched away from me these few days. I have a literal list of things to do. Sigh. I'm posting this today 'cause from tomorrow onwards I'll be busy till the weekend, or Friday night if I'm lucky, Sunday if I'm not. This chap is shorter than the previous one, but I hope it will make up for my lack of reply. I'll still try to reply to your reviews all the same, on the weekend when I'm more free maybe.
As usual, hope everyone enjoys reading this chapter :) It should satisfy your curiosity. The plot begins.
Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men First Class or its characters.
It is the next morning. Charles has his chin on his hand, a polite smile on his face as he listens to the CIA agent speak.
"As I was saying, we've managed to produce an absolutely magnificent machine," the man says, pride and smugness in his every word. "It can use radioactive waves to seek out the presence of mutants."
"Really." Charles says, his legs crossed and his left arm slung around the back of the chair.
"Yes," the bespectacled man says, eagerly leaning forward. "It is a very powerful device, if I might say so myself."
"And?"
"And it requires the assistance of a telepath," the man continues, unabashed. He laughs. "Luckily, we have you, Professor."
"Hmmm." Charles makes a non committal sound as he stares at the man. He really was oblivious to his annoyance.
"Of course, you will help us, won't you?"
Charles merely continues staring, wondering how he should go about rejecting the man's offer. It was as clear as the shining machine outside that the CIA agent was planning to make use of his mutation for their own purposes. He couldn't say he supported their ambitions.
The man is still waiting for his answer when the door opens. Surprised, he turns towards the new arrival.
"You…"
Charles's reaction is quite the opposite. He had sensed the approaching mind. He hadn't been wrong.
"Erik," a relieved smile breaks across Charles's face as he meets the gaze of the metal bender. "You decided to stay."
Erik just looks at him, but there is no hostility in his eyes, unlike the previous night. He turns his gaze to the man sitting opposite Charles. "If we are to seek out new mutants we will be doing so using our own resources."
The CIA Agent looked affronted, offended even. "Now you can't possibly-'
"I agree with Erik." Charles says casually. He meets Erik's eyes.
The man looks frustrated, his mouth twisting into an ugly scowl. He is glaring at Erik as if he had ruined all his future plans with just his entrance. "And what if I object?"
Charles's lips curl as he looks at the man in amusement. There really wasn't a polite way to do this, was there?
"Then, good luck using your machine without me."
Erik and Charles walk along in near silence. Charles was indeed glad Erik had stayed, but the man's expression was pensive and he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
"Charles."
Charles turns with a smile. "Yes Erik?"
Erik stares at him with gray-green eyes. They are facing each other and he advances forward. "I never did thank you for saving my life."
"That is quite alright, Erik," Charles says, despite feeling a little puzzled why Erik had brought the issue up so suddenly. "I did not begrudge you."
"You never begrudge anyone, Charles," Erik says lowly and his face is suddenly too close. Charles makes to move back, then realizes with a start his back is already against the wall.
Charles tries to look away, resisting the urge to clear his throat. "Is there a point to this, Erik?"
"I wonder." Erik says. And then he bends down and captures Charles's lips.
Charles's eyes widen. He is frozen as Erik kisses him, kisses him like how he had probably wanted to kiss him in the cabin that night. He thrusts his tongue into Charles's mouth, pinning the other man to the wall as he kisses him fiercely.
Charles snaps out of his daze as he feels Erik's hand slide up his shirt. He tears away from Erik, heaving and gasping. "Erik, this- this is inappropriate." He pants as he places a hand on Erik's arm. "Stop."
Erik merely smirks, and Charles's pounding heart skips a beat at the desire in his eyes. "Always so concerned about propriety, Charles." He whispers huskily.
Before Charles can react, he grabs Charles's wrists and hold them in his tight grip beside his head. Charles stiffens as Erik moves closer to him, his knee brushing against his thigh. "But I never hesitate to get what I want."
"Erik-" Charles is cut off as Erik roughly covers his mouth with his. He releases a gasp into Erik's mouth as Erik moves his knee to in between his legs, pushing up against him, struggling against Erik's larger body.
He cannot move his hands – Erik's grip is way too strong. Charles tries to not panic, as Erik's free hand brushes against his stomach. He has never been in such a situation before and he is quite caught off guard.
"Erik stop!" Charles communicates to the other man telepathically even as he moans unwillingly into Erik's mouth as Erik grinds against him. "Don't make me stop you!"
He can feel Erik's lips curve into an amused smile as he chooses to ignore his last sentence. "Why?"
"I've never been with a man before." Charles tries, gasping as Erik's fingers twist his nipple. "I don't- want this."
"Neither have I." Erik replies, his mind voice smooth and composed. "But I want you."
Charles cries out into the air as Erik finally releases his mouth but grinds down into him, growling into his ear. "Charles."
"Erik." Charles gasps. He can feel Erik's arousal, both mentally and physically. His mind is frantically working out a solution get out of this situation. Should he stop Erik? Was it right to use his telepathy in such a way?
Of course it was right – Erik is the one whom had practically assaulted him- Charles's thought is interrupted when Erik rubs his arousal against him, his hands running over Charles's chest, who flushes as Erik growls filthily into his ear.
Charles whimpers as Erik's mouth descends to bite his nipple through his shirt. Erik hastily rips the buttons off his shirt, exposing Charles's bare chest. He growls, and descends to take his nipple into his mouth, causing Charles to let out a surprised cry.
Charles squeezes his eyes shut, whimpering softly as images flash through his head. Why did it feel like he had done this before? Why did it feel like someone else had done this to him before?
It was impossible - he had never been with another man. Not even once. But the images are still flashing through his head; images of a blond man fucking a brown haired girl, of them sitting at a café, the sight of icy blue eyes and pain assaulting his mind, of a shining diamond ring-
Charles lets out a cry of pain. His back slides down the wall and he falls to the floor, hitting his head against the wall as his wide blue eyes stare at the empty air, which is soon occupied by Erik's worried face.
"Charles!?"
"Promise," Charles whispers, staring at Erik but not looking at him. "A promise."
"I remember."
"What?" Erik is staring confusedly at him. Charles watches with blank eyes as Erik removes his grip on his wrists, using his hands to cup Charles's stricken face. "What's the matter, Charles? Did you hit your head?!"
"Erik," Charles says, softly. "Release me."
Erik hesitates, but obeys. His hands slide down Charles's face to his shoulders, before he removes them from Charles's body completely. The desire in his green eyes is gone, to be replaced with genuine worry.
"What happened?"
Charles is buttoning his shirt, his movements the slightest bit shaky. When he is done, he pats his hands down his clothes, before rising to his feet. "I'm sorry Erik, but I have to go."
"Charles-"
Erik moves, a hand reaching out to stop him, but Charles gives him a look. "Excuse me."
Erik stops. Charles smiles at him, then turns to head to his quarters.
"This is a promise, from me to you. I promise we will meet again, someday. And when that day comes, I will keep my promise to not read your mind."
Charles rubs his temples. He remembers everything now, though he wishes he didn't.
He remembers Emmett the telepath. He remembers the sex, the 'date', the promise. He remembers Raven's kind words of advice, remembers her reassuring smile, the diamond ring…
And he remembers making Emmett perceive him as a girl through it all.
Charles sighs. He thinks back to that day, after Emmett had made his promise, after Raven had given her advice. He flashbacks to himself in his study, staring at the diamond ring on his finger and wondering what was he to do.
Charles closes his eyes. He remembers what he did with it, recalls what he told himself. He had told himself to forget. In his maelstrom of conflicting emotions, he had used his own telepathy on himself…
Charles stares at the diamond ring on his finger. Was he really going to do this? Was it right?
He thinks of Emmett. He thinks of Emmett's cold and warm blue eyes, thinks of that genuine smile, thinks of how protective he had been over him with Janos. He thinks of Emmett kissing his hand, then sliding the diamond ring onto his finger…
No, it wasn't right. It wasn't right to forget about someone whom seemed to be a cold person, but had nevertheless placed trust in him, despite all his lies.
But then again, it hadn't been right to trick Emmett to think he was a girl. The things Emmett had done- they were for Charlene, not Charles.
And Charlene didn't exist. Not anymore.
Charles looks at the diamond ring. For the first time since he had received it, he examines it curiously, not like a scientist but as someone whom wanted to see the beauty in a gift.
Raven had been right – it was beautiful. Charles had close to no real knowledge of jewellery but even he could see that the diamond ring was simply exquisite. The jewel is shining with beauty and luster, well crafted and as beautiful as Emmett's smile when he had slid the ring onto Charlene's finger with that promise…
Charles closes his eyes, making his decision. He would forget. He would forget about the time he had sex with Emmett. He would forget about Emmett Frost and his personal agenda with his friends. He would forget about Emmett's promise and the diamond ring he had given to Charlene.
The first problem was; what would he do with the diamond ring? He couldn't just throw it away, it seemed like such a pity. It was probably really expensive too, and Charles didn't want to waste Emmett's money. He contemplated giving it to Raven, but didn't want her feeling guilty over it.
Emmett had given the diamond ring to Charlene, which meant he expected her to keep it. But Charlene was actually Charles.
Yet, Charlene's body was Charles's. Her hand was Charles's, merely made to be perceived in a different way. Charles smiles at the thought.
He had found the perfect solution.
Charles holds out his hand. At first glance it seemed to be completely empty. With his free hand, he holds his fingers to his temple, concentrating.
The telepath smiles as his power works and silver starts to form. The silver curves around his finger, shining and misty, to form a shimmering diamond. Charles exerts a little more of his power and the mist dissipates, and the feeling of having a ring on his ring finger is back in his mind.
The diamond ring is shining and beautiful, as beautiful as the day Charlene had received it from Emmett. Unconsciously, Charles raises his hand and touches his lips gently to the precious jewel.
Charles lowers his hand. He smiles sadly at the sight of the diamond ring. The perception of invisibility he had placed over it was gone, and he found himself with no more the desire to remove it than he had all that time ago in his study.
Although he had made himself forget, he hadn't had the will to make himself completely forget everything. He had settled on forgetting and pushing the memories to the deepest recesses of his mind – to only emerge when there was a suitable trigger.
Even now, Charles still wasn't sure what the trigger was. Maybe it had been when Erik had touched him like Emmett had done. Maybe it was when another man showed affection or lust towards him. It could even be a kiss with another man, or the coldness in another man's eyes.
Whatever the trigger was, Erik had pulled it, though unintentionally. But the memories had flooded into Charles's head, and now he remembered everything. Whether it was a good thing or not was still up for debate.
Charles sighs. Unfortunately, he remembers not only Emmett but Janos, Emmett's friend. And even the mention of their friend Azazeal-
Charles freezes at the thought. Azazeal, Janos. Memories enter his mind again, but this time they are memories of recent events, memories of using his telepathy on the ship to stop the tornadoes, of being ambushed by a red-skinned man whom claimed himself to be Azazeal.
At the thought, Charles subconsciously raises his hand to his neck. The bite mark is barely visible now, but the memory still echoes in him as if it had happened yesterday.
Emmett's friends were called Azazeal and Janos. Charles had seen Janos for himself – a dark haired man with curly black hair and a harsh glare. He remembers Janos tossing a tiny whirlwind leisurely between his hands, so different from the powerful tornadoes he had seen overturn the men's boats.
He had felt Janos's mind while trying to calm him down – furious like the tornadoes he controlled, but with a strange sense of calmness. Charles bit his lip. There was no doubt about it; Emmett's friend Janos which he had met in the past was the same Janos whom had been on Shaw's ship.
Azazeal's image appears in his mind next, his wicked smile, his dangerous tail so close to his neck, his windpipe. A man, a mutant with red skin.
He had not seen Azazeal in the past, only Janos and Emmett. But it is too much to brush off as a coincidence. Janos not only had Emmett's friend's appearance, albeit with longer hair as Charles had seen while accessing his mind, but also his abilities, and his mind. And Azazeal had attacked him for 'messing with' Riptide's mind, which Charles supposes is a codename for Janos. If those two were related, then so was Emmett Frost.
They were mutants with a cause, as Emmett had told him. Only, he had not specified what their cause was, claiming it was for justice.
Charles can no longer hope it is not true; Emmett Frost had been on that ship. He had probably followed Shaw into his submarine, along with Janos and Azazeal. He and his friends were working for Sebastian Shaw, their current target.
"An Omega level mutant with powerful influence" ; Charles wants to curse his good memory as he gives a dry laugh at the memory of Janos's words.
So Shaw's subordinates had been searching for him from so long ago.
A part of him wonders why he is so affected. Hadn't he wanted to forget about Emmett all that time ago? And now he is making his presence known in Charles's life again, and he hadn't even met the man yet.
He remembers the cold mind which had repelled him, and gives a dry smirk. Once again, Emmett had shown his true colors, only he hadn't been there this time to apologize and kiss Charlene- no, Charles. No wonder he had felt a vague feeling of déjà vu.
The smirk slips off Charles's face. He sighs, resting his fingers on his forehead and suddenly feeling weary.
He was losing control of himself. This was not like him. Charles bites his lip, his blue eyes contemplative.
Charles now knew Emmett was Shaw's accomplice. But Emmett didn't know Charlene was his enemy and was actually a man named Charles.
Charles smiles. He looks at the diamond ring on his finger. His fingers are already on his temple and he uses his telepathy to put the guise of invisibility back onto the promise ring.
When he can no longer see the ring, Charles gets up. Composing himself, he heads for the door, planning to discuss with Moira their future plans to take down Sebastian Shaw.
Charles now knew, but Emmett didn't still.
He didn't need to know.
"Azazeal."
Azazeal smiles. "What is it, Emmett?"
"You've been smiling more often than usual," Emmett points out, regarding Azazeal with a bored expression but with curious blue eyes. His lips curve. "Did something good happen?"
Azazeal smirks. He turns to look at the blond. "I merely found someone amusing."
"Who is?"
"You wouldn't know them, Emmett," Azazeal says, taunting. "I found them on the enemy's ship."
Emmett blinks, then smirks. "Fraternizing with the enemy, Az?" He asks, blue eyes amused. "Never thought you were the type."
"I only pinned him down and bit him." Azazeal didn't even sound like he was defending himself.
Emmett smiles, cold and evil. "Bit him?" He says casually. "Are you going to tell me what exactly happened or am I going to have to pull it out of your mind?"
Azazeal returns his smile. "Go ahead."
Emmett smirks. He looks straight at Azazeal, using his telepathy to pick out the incident from Azazeal's mind.
He sees Azazeal teleport onto the ship and grab his target's wrist. He sees him pin him to the floor and snarl at him. He sees the man looking determined despite the fear in his pretty blue eyes, then sees Azazeal laughing, not evilly, but in amusement. Dark amusement.
Azazeal bites the man on the neck, who cries out. Emmett withdraws from Azazeal's mind, who is smirking at him. "So?"
"He's pretty," Emmett smirks back at him. The man had looked familiar, somehow, but he was Azazeal's target. Besides, his own target was a girl, a pretty brown haired girl he could not forget even after such a long time. He raises a hand to his chin. "You have good taste."
Azazeal laughs, long and loud. The sound draws the third member of their team to the location, who raises his eyebrows at them disbelievingly. "Are you laughing, Azazeal?"
"I believe so." Emmett says sarcastically, and sends the images he had witnessed to Janos's mind.
He watches as Janos gasps shortly, his eyes widening as he takes in the sights, before he whirls to scowl darkly at Emmett. "A little warning would have been nice, Frost."
"It got the point across." Emmett taunts, smirking. "You should thank me for satisfying your curiosity."
Janos glowers. "So what's so special about him, Azazeal?" He asks darkly. "He's just another human."
"He's a telepath, actually," Azazeal has finally stopped laughing, and he smiles darkly at Janos. "He was the telepath who was controlling your mind."
"I thought only I could do that." Emmett says, interested, his smirk widening. "Control Janos's whirlwind of a mind, I mean."
Janos pretends not to hear him, but he is scowling. He crosses his arms. "Calm down, Janos. Calm down." He mimics in a caustic voice. "There is no enemy."
"And yet you listened to him." Emmett points out dryly. He smiles, blue eyes cold. "He must be the telepath whom I blocked from accessing our minds."
"It says volumes about your skills as a telepath if he was able to control me." Janos counters, smirking.
Emmett frowns. "His mind was strong and powerful," he admits reluctantly. "I gave him quite a strong mental attack. I didn't expect him to attempt to use his telepathy again."
Azazeal smirks. "So he was speaking the truth when he said he could crush my mind," he says, dark amusement in his voice. "And when he said he didn't damage Janos's mind."
"How interesting." Janos says, and they cannot tell whether his words are genuine sounding. "A mutant whom has caught the interest of Azazeal and is uninterested in using his power to crush people's minds, unlike Emmett Frost."
"A telepath who had no difficulty in calming Janos down," Emmett adds, a sly smile on his lips. "An interesting mutant indeed."
"Now all we have to wait for is for him to take an interest in this new telepath." Janos smirks.
Azazeal growls, and Emmett says. "Oh please. We all know he's only interested in the subjects he has created," the blond drawls. "Erik Lensherr, for one."
"The man whom destroyed our ship with a single anchor." Janos says. "How admirable."
"He didn't manage to stop us from getting away." Azazeal points out smugly.
Emmett chuckles as he leans against the submarine's wall. Speaking of telepaths…
He is about to speak to Azazeal when a warm feeling envelopes him. Emmett blinks. He raises his hand, realizing the feeling is coming from a particular spot on his ring finger.
The feeling is a pleasant one, as if someone had placed a gentle kiss on his finger. It is full of warmth and affection and Emmett finds himself smiling genuinely for the first time in a long while.
He had felt it when there was something hiding the diamond ring from sight. He had assumed, albeit disappointedly, that Charlene had used her telepathy to make the diamond ring on her finger invisible. But he hadn't been entirely disappointed because that hadn't necessarily meant that she had forgotten him.
He couldn't see through the diamond on the ring, which was a pity, but he could vaguely feel the emotions towards it – Charlene's emotions. And when he had felt no particular feelings towards it for a long time, he had been afraid that she had truly chosen to forget about him.
But she had remembered. Even after so long, she had remembered. Emmett smiles. It had taken him some time to accept his feelings towards her, and now that he had a second chance to gain her affection, he wasn't going to screw it up.
He hadn't been lying – the diamond was a part of him, part of his diamond form. And she had accepted it – had tried to hide it then, but had accepted it now. The gladness he felt was well worth the long wait.
"…Emmett?"
"Are my eyes deceiving me or is the White King smiling?" Janos asks in disbelief.
Emmett smiles, relishing in the slightly freaked out expression on Janos's features. "What do you think?"
"I hope my eyes are deceiving me." Janos says dryly once he has gotten over his surprise.
Emmett laughs, and Janos twitches. "First Azazeal laughs, then now you," he says. "What, have you found a pretty target too?"
"Actually, I've already found my pretty target long ago," Emmett says, smirking. "And she has just remembered me."
"You mean she forgot about you?" Azazeal asks curiously, lips twitching. "Who could forget you?"
"You- don't tell me it's that telepath girl you met eons ago," Janos says in a deadpan voice. "If I were her I would already have forgotten about you."
"She did forget about me, but she just remembered me." Emmett says, knowing his sentence made little sense.
"That doesn't make any sense." Janos replies, predictably, Emmett thinks. He shakes his head, speaking sarcastically. "So. She remembered you. Are you two going to go on another date then, after all these years?"
"You read my mind, sweetheart." Emmett drawls, and smirks as Janos blanches at the affectionate term. He was too easy.
Emmett turns to Azazeal. With the amused smile on the red-skinned mutant's face, he doubts he would have to telepathically convince him to assist him.
"Hey Azazeal. I have a favor to ask of you."
