XMFC Fic: Home
Title: Home
Author: amaliak
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Rating: G
Characters: Charles Xavier, Raven Darkholme
Spoilers: for the movie. All of it.
DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to their respective owners. ie. NOT ME. Not for profit.
Summary: "This is always your home. You are always welcome here."
Set within canon but also as a companion piece to THIS PIECE.
Charles sensed when it happened almost immediately. He slowly made his way to the lift for the second floor, not for the first time grateful for his stepfather’s need to modernize the house constantly. He wheeled himself out of the lift and into the hallway and down the familiar halls. He waited patiently until the door opened and someone who looked like Moira stepped out, a small suitcase in hand.
“Hello, Raven” Charles said quietly as she stood frozen in place.
Her skin rippled, blue form that was so familiar and yet foreign to him appearing and he didn’t want to admit how much he’d missed seeing her.
“Were you just going to go and not say a word?” he asked, his voice soft, his eyes holding hers.
“I just came for my things,” she said, growing sheepish but not dropping his gaze. “I didn’t want to make a big deal...”
“Please don’t feel that you need to do that, Raven,” Charles went on, carefully extracting from her that she’d been brought here by Azazel. He resisted the urge to find out about Erik and where he was now.
“This is always your home,” Charles told her. “You are always welcome here. You don’t have to sneak in, ever.”
Raven was now looking at Charles’ chair, understanding dawning on her face and tears forming in her eyes. He could feel the pain and the guilt she was projecting.
“It’s alright, Raven,” he told her, wheeling himself closer to her. He reached out his hand for her and she hesitantly slipped her fingers in his, almost as if afraid to hurt him. He squeezed them to show her he wouldn’t break.
“Is it...” she began but couldn’t vocalize the rest of her thoughts.
“Nothing can be done, I’m afraid,” he chuckled a bit, doing his best to make light of his recent paralysis, not letting on just how desperate he would feel at times. “But you always said that I just needed an excuse to have someone wait on me hand and foot. Now I have a legitimate reason.”
She didn’t laugh in reply, her hand still in his. “Where’s Moira?” her voice gained a harder edge, anger painting the edges of her mind. He couldn’t have that. He didn’t blame Moira any more than he blamed Erik for what happened. He couldn’t or he would lose his mind.
“Moira’s gone back to the CIA,” Charles replied. “She doesn’t know much about us now.”
Raven caught Charles’ meaning and he knew that the information did little to comfort.
“Raven, I...” Charles started, suddenly unsure of what he wanted to say. “I’m fine, Raven. Don’t worry.”
She knelt in front of him. “You don’t worry about me.” She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know his thoughts. “I can take care of myself,” she said, a hint of her old mischievous smile playing on her features. “And I have Erik. He’ll take care of me.”
Charles responded her smile sadly, thinking (not for the first time) how things should have been different. Again, Raven knew his thoughts.
“Do you want me to say anything to him?” she asked carefully.
It was such a loaded question.
There was so much that he’s been wanting to say to Erik, to just be in his friend’s presence would have made these past weeks easier. He hadn’t realized just how close they really had become in such a short amount of time. Charles was at a loss to find a way to express any of them now.
“Remind him that I’m still his friend,” he finally managed. “That won’t change.”
Raven leaned forward, pressing her lips to his forehead for a moment. “Thank you.”
She stood up, squeezing his hand once more before letting go. She picked up her suitcase and walked down the stairs and out the front door.
He would need to start getting used to letting her go.
Author: amaliak
Fandom: X-Men: First Class
Rating: G
Characters: Charles Xavier, Raven Darkholme
Spoilers: for the movie. All of it.
DISCLAIMER: Characters belong to their respective owners. ie. NOT ME. Not for profit.
Summary: "This is always your home. You are always welcome here."
Set within canon but also as a companion piece to THIS PIECE.
Charles sensed when it happened almost immediately. He slowly made his way to the lift for the second floor, not for the first time grateful for his stepfather’s need to modernize the house constantly. He wheeled himself out of the lift and into the hallway and down the familiar halls. He waited patiently until the door opened and someone who looked like Moira stepped out, a small suitcase in hand.
“Hello, Raven” Charles said quietly as she stood frozen in place.
Her skin rippled, blue form that was so familiar and yet foreign to him appearing and he didn’t want to admit how much he’d missed seeing her.
“Were you just going to go and not say a word?” he asked, his voice soft, his eyes holding hers.
“I just came for my things,” she said, growing sheepish but not dropping his gaze. “I didn’t want to make a big deal...”
“Please don’t feel that you need to do that, Raven,” Charles went on, carefully extracting from her that she’d been brought here by Azazel. He resisted the urge to find out about Erik and where he was now.
“This is always your home,” Charles told her. “You are always welcome here. You don’t have to sneak in, ever.”
Raven was now looking at Charles’ chair, understanding dawning on her face and tears forming in her eyes. He could feel the pain and the guilt she was projecting.
“It’s alright, Raven,” he told her, wheeling himself closer to her. He reached out his hand for her and she hesitantly slipped her fingers in his, almost as if afraid to hurt him. He squeezed them to show her he wouldn’t break.
“Is it...” she began but couldn’t vocalize the rest of her thoughts.
“Nothing can be done, I’m afraid,” he chuckled a bit, doing his best to make light of his recent paralysis, not letting on just how desperate he would feel at times. “But you always said that I just needed an excuse to have someone wait on me hand and foot. Now I have a legitimate reason.”
She didn’t laugh in reply, her hand still in his. “Where’s Moira?” her voice gained a harder edge, anger painting the edges of her mind. He couldn’t have that. He didn’t blame Moira any more than he blamed Erik for what happened. He couldn’t or he would lose his mind.
“Moira’s gone back to the CIA,” Charles replied. “She doesn’t know much about us now.”
Raven caught Charles’ meaning and he knew that the information did little to comfort.
“Raven, I...” Charles started, suddenly unsure of what he wanted to say. “I’m fine, Raven. Don’t worry.”
She knelt in front of him. “You don’t worry about me.” She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know his thoughts. “I can take care of myself,” she said, a hint of her old mischievous smile playing on her features. “And I have Erik. He’ll take care of me.”
Charles responded her smile sadly, thinking (not for the first time) how things should have been different. Again, Raven knew his thoughts.
“Do you want me to say anything to him?” she asked carefully.
It was such a loaded question.
There was so much that he’s been wanting to say to Erik, to just be in his friend’s presence would have made these past weeks easier. He hadn’t realized just how close they really had become in such a short amount of time. Charles was at a loss to find a way to express any of them now.
“Remind him that I’m still his friend,” he finally managed. “That won’t change.”
Raven leaned forward, pressing her lips to his forehead for a moment. “Thank you.”
She stood up, squeezing his hand once more before letting go. She picked up her suitcase and walked down the stairs and out the front door.
He would need to start getting used to letting her go.