Disclaimer: I do not own x-men first class. If i did...well, there would be a LOT more slash. Just sayin'.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! :) They keep me writing. By the way, sorry about messing up Erik's origin, in all honesty I've only seen X-men first class and the 1st and 2nd film, so sorry for my limited or misunderstood knowledge. I'm going to start reading the comics soon. :)
{Just a REALLY important detail…after Tuesday I won't be uploading anything knew for at least 12 days, considering I'm (unwillingly) abandoning my computer and going out to Utah.
You hear me right?
Lips, cold as ice, glinted under deep florescent lights.
You remember so much, don't you?
It was flashes, some quick and some quirky, but all in all they said the same message, spelled it out with ice lips and ragged knives and cool tip markings with steel and scalpels against his forehead: insanity.
You can show it to anyone at any time.
Pictures of police officers, becoming curious to the labs, checking in more than once a month—this woman with the cold lips seemed anxious.
We need you, and you need us.
I need you? Charles answer then, his mind full to the brim, and it hurt somewhat. He had to get rid of these headaches.
What they injected into you—powerful, isn't it? It almost drove me mad in three hours; I'm surprised you've lasted three days, awake that is.
You are a telepath?
Hm. Clever aren't you?
It is fairly obvious.
I'm a class three telepath. I can communicate through minds and project images but that is all. You can do so much more.
Why are you telling me this?
Please, dear, you would've found out anyway.
Your names Emma Frost, isn't it? You work for Shaw.
…I do, Charles Xavier.
Why?
He is making me stronger.
I don't understand.
The labs? They don't test for nothing, dear.
The cold presence soon left his mind, the last of her words echoing like snow in his skull. Charles sat up abruptly, almost knocking foreheads with Raven, who was bending over his bed with a moist washrag in her hands.
"Charles?" He ran a trembling hand along his face, wiping the sweat from his brow, before he turned his gaze up toward his sister. She looked slightly concerned, obviously not expecting him to suddenly wake up like that.
"Raven, you do you know about Sebastian Shaw?" Confusion fluttered across her earnest features for a moment before she slowly began to lower her hand.
"No…who-?"
"He's in charge of all the labs—the maker of them. He has a telepath with him."
"Wait- WHAT?" Charles glanced around the small room, noticing the confused and now slightly angry and fearful Raven, but he had yet to come across the tall man who saved him.
"Where's Erik?" Raven is still staring hard down at him, shoulders tense and fists clenched.
"How the hell should I know? He left a couple minutes after you passed out, now what about Sebas-?" Charles sprung from the bed, staggering some to unknot his feet from the sheets as he makes his way to the door.
"Charles! Where are you going?" Raven's voice pounded on his ears and he tried his best not to look weak by flinching. Or groaning.
"Raven, I'll tell you and Erik together, now let's go!" He heard her hurried footsteps behind her, tried desperately to ignore the pulsing in his mind or the dim quiet laughter.
The outside air hit them head on, and Raven blinked some before following Charles' hurried and frantic steps.
"Since when did this Erik become so involved with us?"
"Since he saved my life, Raven." She fell silent, a pang of quilt striking her heart. She remembered going out that night, going against Charles' warnings and instead tried to drown away her loneliness with beer. She hadn't come home until late, really late, and he had waited up for her. She quickened her pace with that, softly looping her arm through his with a small smile, and dragged him to the edge of the street, shouting for a taxi. About half the crowd around them cleared, and about three taxis' stopped. The clambered in, Raven slamming the door and as the taxi driver shifted uncomfortably in his seat Raven turned an expectant gaze toward Charles.
"Where's he live?" Charles features soften and he smiles slightly, quickly placing two fingers to his temple. His eyes open almost immediately.
"Two blocks down, the hotel on the right. The name is not very clear, but when I see it I'll tell you." Charles tells the driver with a calm voice, excitement and resolve lacing the edges of his tone. Raven rests her head upon his shoulder, eyes slipping closed as she matches her breathing with Charles'. She feels so much calmer in his presence.
"Are you serious?"
"Please, Raven. I'll be down as soon as he answers the door. Just wait here." She crossed her arms with an indignant huff, but nodded, and Charles raced across the dark wooden floor to the elevators located to the left of the front desk. He really shouldn't take the stairs, although, being stuck in a crowded elevator with invasions thoughts really didn't sound too appealing at the moment. As he was riding in the elevator he wished with all his heart that he had taken the stairs…
Charles made his way down the halls, they were narrow and the walls were tall and cream coated paint, but he only remembered bits and pieces of the time he was here. He did, however, remember where Erik's room was. He turned right, following down the hallways that all looked the same, mirror images of each other, until he spotted a door a darker shade than the rest. It was at the end of the carpets, of the cream crackling paint, and old nostalgic photographs, and when Charles saw that door he picked up his pace without even realizing it. He didn't even remember knocking on the door, but he heard some shuffling inside, the tossing of sheets and the creak of springs and he instantly felt uncomfortably rude. What time was it? The door creaked open, and Charles stood ramrod straight as Erik's eyes came into view. They were wide and alert, but with a slight haze to it, and when green grey saw baby blue the door opened wider still until half of Erik's body could be seen. Charles' embarrassment and uncomfortably shot up ten fold, as Erik's bare masculine chest was capturing his entire gaze. Unbuttoned jeans hung around his waist-and they looked as though they were thrown on in the alarm of the moment. His hair was slightly mused, ruffled with the awakenings of sleep, and his cheeks were somewhat flushed with the freshness of the day. Charles didn't know where to look.
"Charles?" The deep rumble of a sleep-induced voice made Charles' head shoot up to meet Erik's calculating gaze. "What happened?" Charles smiled then, a big bright smile, and Erik stepped aside to let him in.
"I came to believe I was the telepath here, Eric." The man didn't respond as Charles shrugged past, his knuckles lightly brushing against the exposed hot skin of Erik's hip, and for that moment of accidental physical contact an electric pulse raced like lightening through Charles' stomach and chest. It lasted for only a short time, and when he had walked more fully into Erik's room the hot energy turned into a calming buzz. Erik was closing the door when Charles spoke:
"Sebastian has a mutant with him. A telepath." Erik froze then; door still opened a jar as he turned slowly to face Charles.
"A telepath?"
"Yes."
"He has a mutant? Sebastian Shaw?"
"Yes." The rage and confused disgust rolled off of Erik in writhing waves, reaching out toward Charles with knobbed knuckles and creeping fingers. A feeling of unease stretched across Charles mind, and he felt the metal in his jeans vibrate softly.
"Erik…" The man's gaze was hard and burned like fire, and he took two long strides to stand in front of Charles.
"Stop reading my mind."
"I don't need to to know that you're upset." The metal of the bed's headboard shook now, the handles on a dresser, the buttons on his cardigan… "Erik, I meant no harm in coming here, and I am sorry if this visit is unwelcome, but my friend, you must calm your mind." The metal in the room slowed, became still and silent once more, and Erik's gaze never left Charles, dark and enraged.
"You do understand what it means that he has a mutant?" Charles nodded somberly and Erik stepped forward, surprising Charles into stepping back. "He's up to something Charles, something with the mutants. You remember the experiments, how they always targeted your direct line of power?" His words struck Charles and his head throbbed, and with every word Erik would grow closer, pronouncing physically the point of his speech, and with every step forward Charles took backwards until the back of his knees hit the edge of Erik's mattress. Erik didn't stop moving until he stood just a breath away, the heat of his skin radiated from his bare chest. Charles' flushed at the close proximity, and his gaze never wavered from Erik's.
"We have to fight." Charles blinked at the question, taken aback and unprepared for something so brashly abrupt. "We need to stop this before it becomes too much." Erik's voice was hard edged and determined, and Charles felt like he was drowning in those deep green eyes. His heart sputtered with the words he longed to speak.
"We aren't prepared for a fight, Erik. We don't know the layout of the labs don't know how they operate. We can't just run in there and tear everything apart. We'll be slaughtered."
"Charles…"
"I know your point, my friend, and your reasoning. But we can't rush. Not yet." Erik's gaze softened some, and he gave a low sigh, shoulders slumping down slightly in aggravation. His mind was still reeling in Charles' head.
"Besides, I am not sure how beneficial I will be at this moment and in time to come." This drew Erik's attention again, away from the metal controller's dangerous thoughts, and a single eyebrow was quirked in sign for Charles Xavier to continue.
"My power…may not be of much use in battle." Erik scoffed at this, leaning over slightly, and Charles felt his warm breath fan leisurely across the planes of his face.
"You are foolish, Charles. Your gift…do you know what you can accomplish with it? You can get into anyone's mind, control them from the inside out, twist their own thoughts and imaging's, change their point of view…you could win this single handedly, Charles." The telepath didn't know what to say, and for once, what to think of a situation. No one had ever called his mutation a gift, certainly not him, always a curse. He felt respect and pride swell in his chest for this man standing before him, and he smiled, truly smiled, for the first time in his life.
"Erik, thank you." Erik studied the younger man's face, the brightly exposed grin, and this time he didn't feel it would be right to turn away from it.
Raven was in the lobby, waiting patiently as Charles had asked, and he approached her with Erik in tow (dressed now, of course). The taller man looked determined, more so than Charles who mainly just looked a little giddy. Raven rushed to them when they approached.
"Hey, Erik!" She called, wrapping her arm around Charles' and standing in between the two men. She looked like she would do the same to Erik, if the man hadn't stepped aside as she spun around to face him. The taxi was still waiting when they came outside, all three clambering into the cab and driving through the crowded city streets.
"So…" Raven started, turning her head around to face both Erik and Charles who were staring at her expectantly. "What the hell's going on?"
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