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”Whose blood is it, Jean?”
He doesn’t have to wait for an answer. She is projecting the truth so hard that he can pluck it from the air between them.
“You stupid, stupid little girl,” he snarls. “I knew he would live to regret you.”
He turns on his heel and rushes through the makeshift door, sealing it shut behind him and locking Jean inside with a flick of his wrist.
“Selene!” he barks. “Keep your eyes on the girl.”
Without another word, just a cold glare, his feet leave the ground and he starts moving up towards the bright sky.
His mind drifts back to the images he caught from Jean. Charles on the ground. Motionless. Blood pooling beneath his head. It is a far too familiar image. For a second he feels like he might stop breathing. He is shaking and feeling like any sense of control that he has is slipping through his fingers. What if he is too late? What if this is just another time that he has failed to protect Charles?
The scene plays out in front of his eyes. It feels so real that he can even sense the bullet as he deflects it. It bounces off him. But it can’t bounce off Charles. He remembers the moment the bullet cut through Charles’ flesh as though it was yesterday. The sound Charles made. Charles’ pain radiating off him. And the panic he felt.
Then his own pain as Charles dismissed him. “My friend. I am sorry. But we do not.” That was the moment that Erik’s world crashed around him. And so he did the only thing he knew how to do. He walked away. He abandoned Charles. And he has kept walking away from Charles ever since. He always comes back. But he always walks away again too. He keeps abandoning Charles. He does it so that Charles can’t be the one to abandon him.
And now it might be too late for him to come back again. For good.
With a gasp, as though he is breaking through the ocean’s surface, he draws a deep and ragged breath. Reality comes crashing back. He can feel himself falling, hurtling with a horrifying speed towards the ground.
He snaps to, settling his mind, focusing on the earth’s magnetic field, and with a little bit of effort manages to stop his rapid descend. He shakes his head to rid himself of the last lingering memories. He closes his eyes. He can’t change the past. But he has to see if there is anything he can do about the future. About Charles' future.
From Jean’s frazzled projection he wasn’t able to pick up Charles’ location. But something somehow tells him that he is supposed to go to the school. He doesn’t know why but he can feel it in his bones.
He balls up his fists and tries to empty his mind as much as possible. And he keeps going and going and going, moving with the day, until almost 24 hours later his feet touches the ground outside the X-mansion.
He sees someone standing just outside the door. As he approaches he can see the large frame and blue fur more closely.
“I didn’t expect a welcoming committee,” he says.
“Our security system picked up your presence about an hour ago,” Hank answers.
Erik stops a few feet from Hank. He can’t bring himself to ask. Perhaps Hank is perceptive or perhaps he just pities him but after a few moments of silence Hank sighs.
“He’s still unconscious,” he says. “We don’t know yet when he will wake up.” He opens the door behind him. “I’ll take you to him.”
~~~**~~~
His eyes are heavy and gravely. His head feels like it used to do 30 years ago after a particularly good bender. His mouth is dry like sandpaper and his first few tries to use his voice fail spectacularly.
Then finally, he manages two syllables.
“Erik.”
“Charles!”
Erik’s eyes fly open and he nearly falls out of the chair as he hurries to Charles’ side.
“You’re awake.”
“I have been for a little while,” Charles says, smiling weakly. “You were sleeping so peacefully. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You should have woken me up immediately.”
Charles slowly taps two fingers against his temple. “I know how exhausted you are, Erik. I know you have been up for days. Your mind is a magnificent mess.”
“You have been unconscious for a week, Charles. I reserve the right to be worried.”
“And now you don’t have to worry anymore, my friend. I feel fine, if still rather tired. Though nothing another nap won’t cure. Care to join me?” Even though he can already feel sleep starting to overpower him, he still manages to raise an eyebrow at Erik.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t. Come, keep me company.”
Gingerly Erik lays down next to Charles, making sure to keep a foot of empty space between them. Though before he falls under Charles slides his fingers between Erik’s.
When he wakes up again Erik is back in his chair. His mind is settled again and the walls around it are too thick for Charles to penetrate in his current state. Erik has also managed to school his expression into a carefully placed mask.
“How long was I out for this time?” he asks.
“About 24 hours.”
“How is Jean?”
“Also sleeping. Hank had to give her sedative. He and Raven are watching her.”
“I’ll check on her as soon as I can.”
Something dark falls over Erik’s face and Charles knows what it is but decides that it will have to wait until everyone; Jean, Erik and he himself, feels better.
“How long will you be staying for?” he asks, hoping to change the subject smoothly. But the question seems to make Erik even more rigid. He seems nervous.
Erik doesn’t answer right away. Instead he pulls out his portable chess set. One of the few constants in both their lives. “Fancy a game?” he asks.
“Always.”
Erik starts setting up the pieces and, without looking directly at Charles, he says; “I have been thinking of leaving Genosha.”
“Really? Why?”
“I feel like perhaps I can do more good somewhere else.”
“Have you decided where yet?”
“It depends.”
Finally Erik looks him in the eye and holds out both hands, closed into fists, above the chess board. “Choose a hand and let’s see who get to start.”
It is their usual tradition but this time it feels different. Charles just can’t pinpoint why. He is still weak from days of unconsciousness and Erik is guarding his thoughts so very closely. He lifts his hand and gently taps Erik’s right fist.
A slow, fragile smile spreads across Erik’s lips as he opens his hand. There in the middle of his chapped palm lies a thin, gleaming gold band.
“Erik.”
“I know it might be too soon, Charles,” Erik says, hurriedly, “But I almost lost you. For good this time. And I don’t want to walk away anymore. I don’t want to leave. I want to stay.”
“Then stay, Erik,” Charles says, tears prickling his eyes. “Oh, my love, stay with me.” He grabs Erik’s hands in his and tugs them to his lips. Against Erik’s fingers he whispers; “I have been hoping you would stay with me since 1962.”
“Then you will...” Erik starts, pulling one hand back. The one holding the ring.
“Erik, nothing could ever make me happier.”
Erik smiles and looks back down at the ring still in his hand and then back up at Charles. He leans in closer and closer until their lips meet. The kiss is sweet and short but filled with so much promise it nearly makes Charles' heart burst.
“Then I will stay with you forever.”