Fic: Deceptions (X-Men: First Class)
Title: Deceptions
Author: JE / immortalje
Pairing: Charles/Erik
Summary: Charles had deceived himself in believing that he'd have enough time to make Erik stay.
Rating: Gen / PG-13
Words: 526
Beta: %
Prompt: This was written for the prompt "Deception" on my card for round 3 @ love_bingo.
Other Locations: Will come with the Beta read version
Deceptions
The days and weeks in the aftermath of what was quickly becoming known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, Charles had plenty of time to think. His recovery was agonisingly slow and he had little else to do with his time. It wasn’t as if he was all that mobile any way. Even now he was still on bed rest and had far too few visitors. Sean and Alex came over every now and then, but the trip from Westchester took quite a bit of time and Hank couldn’t really visit him. Not without causing a mass riot as everybody panicked at the sight of him.
That meant that he had time enough to accept that he had deceived himself all along. He had deceived himself to believe that he could show Erik a different path to walk on together, to build their future on. He had made himself believe that he could counter all those bad memories and make Erik see the good in humanity, that they could learn to accept their differences if given enough time. All they needed was patience.
He had believed that he’d have plenty of time for that.
He shouldn’t have. He knew how others reacted to the unknown, could see it in their minds. It was only too obvious that they feared what they didn’t know and couldn’t understand. He had known that time was running out all along, but had refused to believe it. Ignorance is bliss after all.
When Erik left him on that beach all of the deceptions in his mind tumbled down, he built one last deception. He didn’t want him to know how serious the injury was. He wanted to ignore it as well. It fit in so beautifully with all the other things he had build in his mind to deceive himself day and night.
He knew that sooner or later Erik would find out what the consequences of that day were and he was tempted to believe that he would return, would agree to battling this fight together without trying to wage war on humanity. However, this was one deception he couldn’t uphold. Not just because he refused to believe that this was anything but temporary (even if he could read the defeat in the minds of the doctors and nurses treating him), but because he knew what it would do to Erik.
No, he wouldn’t be able to convince Erik otherwise and his goal to steer humanity into the direction of tolerance by slowly introducing mutations and the resulting possibilities was gone. Humanity would learn how dangerous mutants were first. He needed to prepare for that.
If he kept clinging to his hope that one day Erik would rescind his position and join him and his way instead, he didn’t voice it. He didn’t want anyone to destroy that hope as it was all he had been left with. The hope that one day Erik would return and that humanity would be able to accept mutants. That they’d all be able to live together in peace with each other.
He hoped that he wasn’t deceiving himself all over again by believing that.
The End
Author: JE / immortalje
Pairing: Charles/Erik
Summary: Charles had deceived himself in believing that he'd have enough time to make Erik stay.
Rating: Gen / PG-13
Words: 526
Beta: %
Prompt: This was written for the prompt "Deception" on my card for round 3 @ love_bingo.
Other Locations: Will come with the Beta read version
Deceptions
The days and weeks in the aftermath of what was quickly becoming known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, Charles had plenty of time to think. His recovery was agonisingly slow and he had little else to do with his time. It wasn’t as if he was all that mobile any way. Even now he was still on bed rest and had far too few visitors. Sean and Alex came over every now and then, but the trip from Westchester took quite a bit of time and Hank couldn’t really visit him. Not without causing a mass riot as everybody panicked at the sight of him.
That meant that he had time enough to accept that he had deceived himself all along. He had deceived himself to believe that he could show Erik a different path to walk on together, to build their future on. He had made himself believe that he could counter all those bad memories and make Erik see the good in humanity, that they could learn to accept their differences if given enough time. All they needed was patience.
He had believed that he’d have plenty of time for that.
He shouldn’t have. He knew how others reacted to the unknown, could see it in their minds. It was only too obvious that they feared what they didn’t know and couldn’t understand. He had known that time was running out all along, but had refused to believe it. Ignorance is bliss after all.
When Erik left him on that beach all of the deceptions in his mind tumbled down, he built one last deception. He didn’t want him to know how serious the injury was. He wanted to ignore it as well. It fit in so beautifully with all the other things he had build in his mind to deceive himself day and night.
He knew that sooner or later Erik would find out what the consequences of that day were and he was tempted to believe that he would return, would agree to battling this fight together without trying to wage war on humanity. However, this was one deception he couldn’t uphold. Not just because he refused to believe that this was anything but temporary (even if he could read the defeat in the minds of the doctors and nurses treating him), but because he knew what it would do to Erik.
No, he wouldn’t be able to convince Erik otherwise and his goal to steer humanity into the direction of tolerance by slowly introducing mutations and the resulting possibilities was gone. Humanity would learn how dangerous mutants were first. He needed to prepare for that.
If he kept clinging to his hope that one day Erik would rescind his position and join him and his way instead, he didn’t voice it. He didn’t want anyone to destroy that hope as it was all he had been left with. The hope that one day Erik would return and that humanity would be able to accept mutants. That they’d all be able to live together in peace with each other.
He hoped that he wasn’t deceiving himself all over again by believing that.
The End