Disclaimer: I do not own x-men first class. If i did...well, there would be a LOT more slash. Just sayin'.
A/N: I am SO sorry for the late update, I'm trying to update a new chapter at least once a week now, but school has gotten SO SO SOOOO annoying! Please be patient with my inconsistencies! ):D
It was not in Erik's nature to be silent. To be "sneaky". No, he just acted on sheer impulsion whim. It was this whim, this adrenaline that never died, that allowed the guard's guns to turn against them, to have their blood splattered across white washed hallways and clean tiled floors. It was this impulse, this blood pounding feel, that had the nurses cowering, fingers pointing shakily in the directions to the halls leading where he needed to be most. He killed the cameras with the flick of his pinky. He tore up walls and ceilings by the churn of a wrist. He no longer felt the need to be silent. He was going to be heard. Now. That buzzing that he had longed to feel for again. His feet slammed down door after door after door. The metal of the building was all exterior decoration now. He flew down stairs, his shoes slipping and stumbling from the mud and rain still caked into their soles, and his hands steadied him as he picked up his speed. One thought said it all. It wasn't even his, he wouldn't think his own name, and it came with such desperation and shock and Erik stilled for a moment, staggering to a halt in the middle of an abandoned hallway.
Charles?
He swallowed, his tongue slowly creeping out to lick at dry lips.
Charles?
His thoughts carried a distressed tone then and he turned in circles, eyes dodging everywhere. Where was he to go?
The hallway to your left, your almost here. Emma's behind the door, Shaw's-
But the telepath's voice broke off into a droning echo in Erik's mind and he sprinted down his left, a guard stepping out of an office to block his way only to have his head popped off by the metallic helmet he wore. The blood fell like warm wet crimson rain and Erik didn't pause.
Charles!
To his left, to his left to his left to his left to his- there! Erik bashed his shoulder against the wide tin door without a moment's hesitation, and it groaned and spluttered on its hinges. He flicked his wrist and the door caved in, crumbled in on itself like paper shriveling under immense heat. He flew it to his right a surprised yelp heard but then the door was flung back and Erik stepped forward as the edge caught his cheek in the perfect motion of a dramatic cut. He felt Emma's presence from the shadows, the dim florescent light flickering green around him.
"Erik?"
He turned, slowly because at the sound of that voice it seemed like all the oxygen was sucked from the room. Erik's whim, his ever-pounding adrenaline, was slowing. He tripped forward, his shoes squeaking in a child like way and his hands reached out, gripping timidly onto the edge of a metal experimentation table. Blue eyes met his. Red lips curved up to a grin. Redder than usual, Erik noticed, blood dried and staining against porcelain chin and cherry red lips, one eye swollen, a sick angry yellow bruise forming. Nose sprouting blood. A cold hand caressed his, and a choking laugh met his ears.
"I heard you from across the hall. You need to know the advantages of stealth."
"Shut up, Charles." There was no bite to his tone, no reprimanding drone. It was the softest sound Charles had heard, and it made his heart swell, his chest beat faster.
"Erik-" The fist came down without warning, diamond crunching down on dark locks and tender skull, and Erik teetered on his heels, vision swimming in the water of his own sweat. What had hit him? A kick to his side sent him reeling, falling to the floor and crashing against a pole, its rustic outer knobbing his ears. Emma stepped forward, her diamond form shining dully under the lights, and her nose sprouted a long spider web crack.
"Erik, I believe." She droned, hand shooting out and ringing him around his neck. Before he could even think about raising his hand she was in his head. It was a stinging of needles and spears, their blades shooting deep and true. It filled every inch of his brain, all the images of Charles. Emma had hit him, had almost broken his nose. Shaw had laid his hands on him, dared to touch his lips, his chest, and his neck. Hands ever feeling. Charles was bleeding, crying once, though no one had touched him but his own mind…
"ENOUGH!" Erik roared, hands flailing out, the pipes and scraps of metal shooting forward, piercing Emma's jewel incrusted skin and cracking in deep. There was a load crash, the sound of falling pots, but Erik paid it no mind, even at the feel of Charles' alarm. Emma had frozen and Erik could feel the weight of something heavy pulling at him, at his powers but with a guttural cry he flung it forward, a large circular device ramming straight into Emma and plowing through the wall. Rubble and ceiling rained down, and he heard Charles gasp as a block of cement crashed by him, rolling off the now dented table and breaking upon the floor. Erik raced over, hands ripping through the buckled cloth that bound Charles before lifting him up, his arms wrapping around his knees and under his shoulders. He ignored the weightless feeling he got from holding Charles. He exited the room in a storm, the walls and ceiling still caving in with pieces falling lost, and he sprinted down the corridor, Charles' head lolling loosely against his chest.
"You're bleeding." He heard the telepath murmur, and a shiver raced up his spine as he felt Charles' lips brush against his jugular. "That was one way to end it." Erik tightened his grip on the man and pushed himself on, his calf's beginning to sting in protest under the added distance and weight.
"End what?" He snarled out, spinning around and darting down another identical hallway. The alarms had long since gone off, their piercing cry frightening and clear.
"That machine, Erik. Cerebro. It was powering Shaw. He was going to revert the world to nuclear waste, hoping that when mutants rose from that he would lead them."
"So why the labs?" Erik wasn't sure if he was processing this well, he didn't feel shocked in the least bit, but he did feel himself begin to slow, his breaths coming out quicker. Charles' fingers played at his jaw, tracing invisible shapes he saw in his flesh. It calmed Erik somehow.
"He needed power. He needed a mutant whose mind was strong enough to handle the strain of making it work."
"You."
"Yes." Charles chuckled bitterly, sniffling some as blood slithered down the back of his throat. "Me."
"But…I destroyed it?"
"Yes, yes my love, you did." Erik felt the blood rush to his cheeks at the new term and he turned his face away, not wanting to see Charles' smug grin.
"Thank you, Erik. For finding me."
"Of course."
There was a moment's silence before Charles pondered:
"Where are the others?"
"Agh! I hate this!" Raven cried, hands cupping her ears as she raced along, Hank, Alex and Sean trailing dumbfounded behind her. "These alarms are KILLING me! We haven't done anything yet!"
"Raven, shut UP! Do you want them to find us?" Alex hissed, although their stomping feet echoing around the halls was enough to go by than Raven's panicked voice. It certainly helped though.
"I don't care if they find us! By the time they do we'll be unstoppable so how about YOU shut up?"
"Unstoppable?" Hank mused, rushing forward to run side long besides Raven's clacking heeled boots and flowing rushed hair. She nodded exuberantly, eyes burning bright and cheeks flushed with the excitement of newfound danger. Although she complained, Hank could tell she was happy.
"Yeah, I mean, Erik told us to free any mutants we saw! Can you imagine how awesome we'll be?"
"Shouldn't you be a guard again?" Alex shouted above the red blaring lights and alarming noise that came with it. Raven shrugged, stumbling some as she did, but she managed a lopsided quirk of the lips in Alex and Sean's direction.
"Nah. I like being a girl!" Sean looked around them, none of the hallways looking in anyway different then the next, but he knew this one, and he knew where it led. Reaching out he pulled on Alex's sleeve, tugging the teen to a halt beside him and Hank noticed the movement, caught Raven's wrist and spun her around to stare at the two males.
"What?" Alex whispered, the alarms still going but thinking in some way they were quieter than they really appeared. Sean pointed, eyes wide with reckless and hopeful abandon, and Ales followed his finger down down down the narrow winding hallway that led to two wide double doors. They were marked with the letters 3242. A slow predatory grin cut across his handsome features and he turned hands on his hips in a triumphant band.
"Sean here," His hand patted said red head on the shoulder kindly as his eyes sparkled with excitement, "…is a genius! Thank god he has a good memory! It's this way!" And he was off, racing along and pulling Sean hurriedly along beside him. Raven and Hank had no choice but to follow suit.
Charles' eyes took in the ruins, the immeasurable amount of blood. He said nothing, but pressed himself closer to the warm beating heart that laid by his neck.
"Are they all gone?" Erik's gaze turned down, taking in Charles' profile under these terrible lights, his swollen eye facing him.
"Is who go-?" The bullet came from nowhere. It struck out, whizzing past Charles's ear and pinging into the floor behind them. Erik twisted around abruptly, dodging yet another bullet before sending it right back, the small golden object lodging itself into their attacker's throat before the guard fell, helmet smashing open and cracking up blood. Charles lay still for a while, waiting until Erik's heart slowed down and beating at a normal healthy rhythm again before he spoke.
"Erik, you can't fight holding me. Put me down, I can walk." Erik didn't object and Charles slid easily from his arms, and Erik suddenly felt panic rise in him. Charles looked so fragile in this instant, so much like a child that longed to be protected. But when Charles' eyes landed upon his to meet his own Erik took back all of that. His eyes were the eyes of a man, and they shone strong.
"Erik, these alarms signal it. This is it. This is what we've been fighting for. We're so close." He stepped forward, ignoring the blood pooling around his shoes as he stared up into Erik's deep green eyes.
"It's now or never." A slow grin creeped across Erik's face and he sighed, his shoulders slumping in a peaceful calm.
"I say now." And with that he reached out, taking Charles' chin in his hands and turning the telepath's head up, their lips meeting in a sweet slow embrace. Charles moved forward, hands dancing in the short strands of hair that lay on the nape of Erik's neck, and the kiss itself was gentle and bittersweet. Erik tasted Charles' blood on his tongue, felt his warmth and his resolve, and he smiled before pulling away. Charles' smile was blinding, it lit up the halls better than the lights, and the blue-eyed man leaned up again, planting a quick peck to Erik's lips before turning and walking down the hall.
"I say now too." He called out over his shoulder, his chestnut hair sweeping soundly across his forehead.
"Let's end this."
Hank hadn't realized the endless amounts of mutants that were kept here. All with unique abilities, all harboring the same unending hatred for Shaw. They were all standing to fight, all throwing themselves out there to help. The tattoos on their arms shone proud and inky deep, and they ravished through the lines of guards and nurses on every level. They were magnificent. Somewhere down though, Hank was afraid. There were so many, so many who were too lost with severe hungering blood lust that they were killed instantly from their inability to think clearly. He had been separated from Raven after the first twenty mutants they had freed. She had run with them out the doors and out to fight. He hadn't been able to get her attention. Despite all that, despite the fact that they might actually win, something was off. It was far too easy. This was a government-founded facility. There would be an army coming in soon. After all, this was the main lab, the main functioning lab that kept the cities streets "mutant free". It was only a matter of time before they didn't stand a chance anymore.
But for now, for this one moment, Hank could pretend that for once in his life he was succeeding in something. Something that was so big he fought the whole world with one hand.
•••
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