Prompt Post: ROUND FOUR
ROUND FOUR IS CLOSED
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<< ROUND THREE | ALL ROUNDS | ROUND FIVE >>
Rules post.
Posting Guidelines.
Flat view.
Updates Post (WIPs only)
Fills Post (completed Fills only)
damalur's firstclasskink on Delicious.
Volunteers always welcome.
There is a delay on comments appearing when there is a URL in the message body. This is due to an LJ anti-spam ( Read more... )
They were ready to leave very quickly. All that was needed was for Charles to go and change from the slacks and baggy cardigan he was currently wearing into something more battle-appropriate like his jump suit, all of which Hank still tweaked and added to every now and then. Alex’s suit had a smaller, sleeker focusing ring for his plasma blasts now; Sean’s a better, tougher set of wings. Charles’ had subtle boning support down the right leg which connecting to his boot on that side and helped to steady him and - because Hank was a worrier and tended to take guilt that didn’t belong to him onto his shoulders - it also now had reinforcement on the back that a nuclear warhead would struggle to get through. Putting it on feels like wrapping himself up in Hank’s concern and fondness for him and Charles has to pause for a moment to wait for his fingers to stop trembling before he resolutely pulls the zipper up to his throat and goes down to meet the others.
He exchanges his cane for one that Hank had designed for him too on his way.
*
“You don’t trust Azazel to transport us, professor?” asks Emma in a sweetly acidic voice when Charles states they’ll be taking the rebuilt Blackbird and leads them round to the former stables around the back, now converted to a hanger.
Charles makes sure to look at Azazel as he answers “Azazel will be a great asset and I trust his loyalty to Erik. I merely feel that having only one transport method when there’s a possibility we could be bringing-” He pauses. Swallows hard. “ - When we could be bringing injured back with us is foolish.”
He looks toward the cockpit with a frown. “I should be able to fly it. I’ve taken it up once since Hank repaired it.”
But Riptide moves past them all and calmly sits in the pilot’s seat. Start’s checking gauges and switches in a competent manner. In answer to Charles’ questioning look Azazel says simply “He can fly it.” and Charles can feel the confidence radiating from Riptide so he just says “Fine.”
He starts strapping himself into his seat, motioning the others to do the same and lifts his fingers to his temple to quickly drop the co-ordinates of where they’re going into Riptide’s mind. He sees the man give a twitch of his shoulders and sends a silent apology. //Sorry. It was the easiest way//. He’s slightly surprised when Riptide sends back an understanding //Si. No es una problema. Just unexpected//
Charles isn’t used to people being as accepting of him in their head as that. As the engines roar into life Emma’s voice sounds cool and amused in his mind. //Oh, sugar. Janos and Azazel are used to me talking to them// he can feel the smirk in her mental voice //Maybe you need to get some more tolerant friends//
Now Charles’ shoulders are the ones which twitch. Before he can answer her Erik drops into the seat next to him and straps in as the plane takes off. Turning to Charles he half shouts over the sound of the engines “I find it interesting that you made Hank repair the plane before he finished rebuilding Cerebro. Thinking you’d need a quick escape, Charles?” his tone turns biting “The humans proved that for you, didn’t they?”
It’s an obvious jab at the old sore spot between them but Charles takes a deep breath and ignores the provocation. They’ve got about half an hour to go to reach their target and he’s not spending it arguing with Erik. He says calmly “Hank chose to repair the plane on his own, Erik. I didn’t make him do anything. And Alex and Sean helped.” He can’t help giving a small jab of his own back and adds “They all needed something to occupy them while I was recovering.”
That shuts Erik up and Charles looks away from him and pretends he doesn’t feel the approving mental hum of malicious amusement from Emma.
*
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Erik may have stayed silent on the way there but he had plenty to say once they reached the CIA facility on the outskirts of a small town near Kansas City and Charles insisted that he be allowed time to clear the majority of the building before they went in.
Erik was saying it at quite a volume too.
“Are you insane?! Even after all this, all they’ve done, you still defend them?!” Erik was red in the face and near screaming at Charles, while the others look on wide eyed.
“I will always defend the truly innocent, Erik!” Charles shoots back.
“THEY WORK FOR THE CIA! They took the boys! They-”
Charles raises his own voice and shouts Erik down “And the girls in the typing pool are under the impression they work for a scientific research company! So are quite a few others in there. It is a covert agency after all!”
He says at a lower volume “I’m not asking you to let the people in the labs go, Erik! In fact, I’m going to ask you to hold the doors that lead down there shut. But I’m going to project a fire alarm into the heads of everyone else and we are going” he says with emphasis, looking round “to let those people walk out and get out of our way. Is that understood?”
Erik was silent, chest heaving, for a long moment and then he snaps “Are they not going to be suspicious when they see no smoke, no fire?”
Charles feels a little of his tension leave him. Erik isn’t going to fight him on this then. He says calmly “They will see smoke, my friend, and smell the fire. All of them.” He meets Erik’s eyes and asks “Are the doors to the lab sealed?”
And when Erik nods Charles lifts his hand and puts his fingers to his temple.
*
Once everyone who should be was out of the building Charles turns to his sister. “Raven…”
But she interrupts him before he can finish, prodding his chest and hissing “Don’t you dare tell me to stay here, Charles Xavier! I can help. I want to help!”
Charles brushes her cheek and his smile feels an odd balance of tender and pained on his face. “I know you can help, my scary Amazon. I’m not going to try to stop you. I just want to ask you to make it your priority to get the boys out to safety and not to engage if you don’t have to.” He leans forward to press their foreheads together and whispers “Duck and cover, Raven. I want you safe. Please.”
When she pulls back Raven’s eyes are serious and grave. She gives him a nod and then makes her way over to the others who are waiting a little way from the plane as Charles looks after her.
With the helmet still in place Charles can’t tell Erik is there with his mind but he feels the displacement of air close behind him and doesn’t start when Erik says sotto voice “Finally ready to let her grow up, Charles?”
Charles doesn’t look round as he answers “I can’t ignore the fact that none of them are truly children anymore.” He looks at building in front of them and adds softly, almost to himself “No more space for naivety. We all need to grow up.”
He’s not sure if Erik hears the half apology hidden in his tone but when a hand lands on his shoulder it’s warm through his suit and the squeeze Erik gives feels like acceptance.
Charles looks round and meets Erik’s eyes. Without looking away Erik says to Riptide “You stay with the plane. Make sure no one interferes.” Charles can see Riptide nod out of the corner of his eye but he’s not looking away from Erik either.
Erik gives him a slight smile and gestures at the CIA base. “Shall we?”
Charles turns his head back to the building. He narrows his eyes and cracks his neck to one side, then the other.
“Let’s do this.”
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I love Charles' smackdown on Erik. He deserved that after leaving a wounded pregnant Charles on the beach!
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I just don't want to miss a second of the action!
anyways, ILU.
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IloveitIreallydo. I look forward to badass Charles and Erik! jfkdls. Soexcited.
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(and gods, i hope there will be a happy ending for charles&erik *wibbles* don't leave me hanging like that, nonners)
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